For me, it is always a cause for celebration when a new issue of Mezzo Cammin is published. And I am especially joyful about having two poems included in the Summer 2025 issue. Both my poems are about memory: “Wondering…” and “Saxophone.” What I shall remember about this issue of the journal is the splendid poetic company my own poems keep.
You will have your own favorites, I know. While I am still reading and savoring the offerings in this issue, today I am wowed by Katie Hartsock’s poem for the luminous Rhina Espaillat; Carol Lynn Stevenson Grellas’s poem, “The Chapel Wife,”; and a long-form poem, “Strange Hero,” by Julia Griffin, whose shorter, keenly made poems I have come to look forward to in the journal, Light.
(To learn more about Ken McCullough’s work,including his collection, Dark Stars, which inspired my poem, “Saxophone,” take a look at his website.)
There is no feeling quite like learning that a magazine you respect and enjoy reading has accepted something you have written. It feels as though you have been handed not just a bouquet but a whole wall of flowers. Though the poem itself has a distinctly autumnal feel, the news of its publication felt more like the merry month of May.
My poem, “When the Time Comes,” will appear in the Fall Issue of Third Wednesday Magazine, and it has already been published online, on the magazine’s website.
(These photographs are of downtown Park Rapids, Minnesota.)
The Cloud Appreciation Society is an amazing organization that combines science, art, and sky watching for its 60,000+ members. My dear friend, Ann Lacy, gifted me with a subscription to their “Cloud-a-Day” service some years ago. That gift has certainly increased my own viewing and photographing of the cloud-enhanced skies. (Some recent images of Midwestern clouds–taken from my front porch–are shared above and below–but that is not the thrilling part.)
Last week, I took a photograph of clouds over the treeline near Spring Wind Farm–our new CSA–in Waterford Township, just north of Northfield. Today, I sent the photograph to the Cloud Appreciation Society, along with my somewhat fanciful reading of the “story” line. They just let me know that they have posted the image and words, along with a few hints of the underlying cloud science, on their Photo Gallery Wall!
I invite you to take a look–not just at my image but at all the amazing resources they offer.
Sincerely,
Leslie (aka Cloud Appreciation Society Member 51,234)
I am so happy to share the latest issue of The Orchards Poetry Journal with you–so eager to do that that I have not yet read all the poems myself yet. This is a summer pleasure I look forward to, perhaps in the hammock out in the garden. For now, I am just honored to find my Petrarchan sonnet, dedicated to Virginia Woolf, titled “Fresnel Lens Dream,” in what I know is good company.
To read this issue for free, click HERE. As you look over the contents, I would love to know if you find particular favorites in these pages.
Wishing you a happy summer, and a few dreamy, beachy moments tucked in here and there,
A main event of my summer is the celebration of sonnets held in Winona, Minnesota each year. I will be there–and you are invited, too!
This year’s crop of winning sonnets is very accomplished. I am going to enjoy hearing them read aloud in the company of other sonnet appreciators. Hope you can join us!
WINONA, MN — The official end to the annual Maria W. Faust Sonnet Contest is the announcement of the winners, a fun celebration hosted in person and online. The public is invited to attend on Saturday, July 26th at 11:00am at the Winona County History Center. (It can also be viewed online on the Maria W. Faust Sonnet Contest’s Facebook page.) The program will feature this year’s winning sonnets being read either over Zoom by the winning poets or in person by actors from the Great River Shakespeare Festival. Refreshments from the Blue Heron Coffeehouse will be provided at this free event. The winning sonnets will then be published on the website: sonnetcontest.org.
What started as a local contest sponsored by Winona’s First Poet Laureate and the Great River Shakespeare Festival has grown into an international phenomenon with a reach far beyond our community. The record breaking 2025 contest received entries from 18 countries and 41 states. Over 730 sonnets were submitted by 281 individuals, including 92 in the youth category. Prizes totaling $3,200 were awarded in the following categories: Top Four, Regional (4), Youth (4), and Laureates’ Choice (16).
About the Maria W. Faust Sonnet Contest:
The Maria W. Faust Sonnet Contest is an annual event that welcomes entries from around the world to Winona. The contest honors the memory of Maria W. Faust: a Winona State University graduate in Communications; a twenty-year resident of Winona; an avid supporter of varied local arts; and a lover of poetry. Ted Haaland, who passed away in 2024, endowed the contest to live on with the goal of keeping Maria’s love of poetry alive in our community and beyond.
The contest judges are Winona’s Poets Laureate James Armstrong, Ken McCullough, and Emilio DeGrazia, and Leslie Schultz of Northfield, MN. Heidi Bryant is the Managing Director and Johanna Rupprecht provides administrative support. Great River Shakespeare Festival is a partner and River Arts Alliance acts as the fiscal sponsor.
To learn more about the Maria W. Faust Sonnet Contest, please visit sonnetcontest.org or email entries@sonnetcontest.org.
