Greenfield Library Staff Member Wins State-wide Poetry Prize

Greenfield, WI—May 9, 2008—Last month Dennis Idzikowski, a Greenfield Public Library staff member, was awarded Second Place in the 2008 Wisconsin Fellowship of Poets (WFOP) Muse Prize for Excellence in Poetry for his poem “wisconsin places.”  Mr. Idzidowski was awarded a $100 prize at the WFOP Spring Conference in Madison on April 26^th.

According to Susan Kileen, co-chair of the WFOP Literary Fund Committee, there were 162 entries to the Muse contest. The Wisconsin Fellowship of Poets is a non-profit, state-wide organization with a 58 year history of promoting poetry. The annual Muse Prize contest is open to all Wisconsin residents and is funded by an endowment set up by the Fellowship to recognize and reward poets.

Linda Andrews, who served as judge for the 2008 Muse contest, described Mr. Idzikowski’s poem as “A joyful poem, meant to be heard, as all good poetry is. There is wit and wordplay aplenty here, teamed with a great love of place.”

In congratulating Mr. Idzikowski, Library Director Sheila O’Brien said “Library staff get to enjoy Dennis’ delightful way with words every day in the library. We are pleased that others can now enjoy it too.”

Dennis's poem appears below.  It is copyrighted material, published here with the author's permission.

wisconsin places

lately these lines la crossed my mind
what's as nice as wisconsin faces?
reciting the names of wisconsin places
cassville and platteville and dodgeville and janesville
crivitz and pembine. that's where i feel fine
prairie du chien, beloit and menomonie
camp mccoy armory forward in harmony
dairy state it? wisconsin's made it
whether up in minocqua, surrounded by aqua
rock island or madeline, i've seen 'em paddlin'
waterford watertown waterloo oughter do
just for a thrill you can whitewater waterville
even waupaca but why weyauwega?
or manitowoc or oconomowoc
fish creek to spring green, the play is the thing
been all 'round the joint, what's really the point?
a beach at two rivers that gives me the shivers
been seen in racine, and bonged in kenosha
partaken fine wine while romin' algoma
and we won't run out of prairie du sac
no shortage of portage, no fond du lac lack
there's merton and mercer, and tomah, wautoma
or neenah menasha. oh wow! wauwatosa
and rhinelander's fine, just like the state fair
have you ever eaten an eau claire eclair?
and appleton's here, it won't disappear
to tomahawk, ladysmith or lac du flambeau
the game's in green bay over at lambeau
ixonia fredonia caledonia, i'll phone ya
new london, new berlin, new glarus, oh spare us
in bayfield and brookfield and greendale and greenfield
pewaukee, ozaukee, west allis and wausau
wausaukee's superior, milwaukee is beerier
madison's capitol, cornell is swell
and sure, what the hell, the wisconsin dells
no, this ain't no trashland, it's got a nice ashland
for all of my money, that beetown's a honey
and franklin and dousman, wish i were your spouseman
so, what can i say? that is the way
the amnicon
        black river
               chippewa
                         falls