Get Inspired

Open to writers working in ekphrasis: writing inspired by visual art.

Write On, Door County is pleased to offer the Dick Scuglik Memorial Residency and Scholarship to a poet or other writer with demonstrated ability and interest in ekphrastic writing. The residency is awarded annually the third week of June.

The selected writer will be paired with a Door County visual artist. The artist and writer will share work with each other. Each will create new work in response to other’s work prior to the start of the residency. During the residency, both writer and artist will participate in a public event at which the new work is shared, along with a conversation about the creative process. For 2022, the visual artists will be the creative team at Popelka Trenchard Glass. 

While ekphrastic writing is most common in poetry, Write On welcomes applications from all genres, provided the work sample submitted fits the classification of ekphrasis.

A scholarship fund is available to assist the writer with travel expenses related to the residency. A small stipend and a grocery allowance are also included in the award.

Eligibility Requirements

• The contest is open to both published and unpublished writers.
• Writers must be at least 21 years of age.
• Writers may be currently enrolled in a graduate writing program.
• Writers must have demonstrated ability and interest in ekphrasis.

Submission Requirements

• Submit 10-15 pages of a work sample that demonstrates your ekphrastic writing. Excerpts of longer works are acceptable.
• Include a statement of interest in ekphrastic writing, at least one paragraph but no more than three paragraphs.
• Include a list of publications, if any, highlighting published exphrastic writing.
• Include a one-paragraph biographical statement.

DEADLINE: Tuesday, February 15, 2022

ENTRY FEE: $40.00

A selection committee organized by Write On, Door County nominates a qualified individual to serve as the Door County Poet Laureate. The Door County Board of Supervisors approves the nomination. The appointment of Poet Laureate is two years.

The purpose of the Poet Laureate appointment is to raise the county consciousness to a greater level of appreciation for the reading and writing of poetry and to serve as a literary ambassador to the community. Among the duties of the Poet Laureate are:

• to encourage and support local poets;
• to build a greater audience for poetry through readings and other events;
• to work with community agencies, schools, libraries, senior citizen groups, service clubs, or church societies on readings, workshops, or other events utilizing the talents of area poets or poetry groups.;
• to utilize the media to promote poetry;
• to occasionally compose a commemorative poem for a special Door County occasion if requested by the chair of a Door County governmental unit (and if mutually agreed upon);
• to bring his/her individual talents and strengths to build a personal agenda which will carry out the mission;
• to keep a log or notebook of activities accomplished and publicity about such activities during the term of appointment.

The selection committee ideally consists of the current and at least one past Door County Poet Laureate, a representative of Write On, a county English teacher, a librarian, and an individual representing the community. The committee considers the following criteria when nominating an individual for the post:

• ability to carry out the duties of the position;
• quality of poetry and publication history;
• contributions to the Door County poetry community;
• recognition locally, regionally, and beyond in the poetry community;
• worthiness of the honor of the position of Door County Poet Laureate.

jerod@writeondoorcounty.org | 920.868.1457

Write On, Door County curates and maintains the Poetry Trail at Newport State Park. Up to 16 poems are displayed on 10 permanent stanchions along the Rowleys Bay and Monarch trails. Available year-round, exhibits change quarterly. The works of local writers, Wisconsin poets, and others are displayed. Contributors include school children, published poets, and the poets laureate of Door County and Wisconsin.

The Poetry Trail can be accessed via the Welcome Center parking lot. The trail wanders through a wooded area and out into open land. The ten stanchions along the path allow people an opportunity to experience poetry within the beauty of nature. The trail began in 2010 as a joint project of local poetry groups and the Newport Wilderness Society. Since 2016, the trail has become a program of Write On. Poetry exhibits are scheduled to change quarterly. Newport State Park is located on County NP, east of Highway 42, near Gills Rock. A state park vehicle sticker is required for admission.

Currently on exhibit through August 1: the poetry of Phil Hansotia. 

Phil Hansotia was instrumental in establishing the Poetry Trail in 2010. Phil passed away last June. This exhibit honors him and his work. A reading will be held on Saturday, June 26, at 1 pm, with members of Phil's poetry group, The Wallace Group, and others reading his work. The reading is planned along the trail. In the event of inclement weather, it will be held at the shelter off of parking lot #3.

If you would like to volunteer to assist with the Poetry Trail, please contact Jerod Santek by emailing jerod@writeondoorcounty.org or by calling 920.868.1457.

The Door County Published Author Collective (DCPAC) is a networking group for published authors who live in or have significant ties to Door County. The group meets virtually the second Monday of the month, 10 - 11:30 am.

To be considered for the DCPAC, participants must have at least one book published (traditional or self-published); be a current or former Door County resident or have significant ties to the county; be a current member of Write On; be willing to actively promote DCPAC, its members and goals.

Members should have a willingness to network and participate in group meetings and event when possible. Among the DCPAC events is the Door County Author and Book Fair, held the first Saturday in October.

DCPAC members as of March 2022 are:

Ethel Davis

Tom Davis

Anne Emerson

Corey Geiger

Annette Langlois Grunseth is the author of the books Becoming Trans-Parent: One Family's Journey of Gender Transition (Finishing Line Press, 2017) and Combat and Campus: Writing Through War (Elm Grove Press). She has published widely in journals and anthologies such as Wisconsin People and Ideas, Midwest Prairie Review, Dispatches Magazine (Military Writers Society of America), Portage Magazine, and The Poetry Box. She is a member of the Door County Poets Collective and Belles Lettres Writing Group.

Ann Heyse

Carol Hoffman

Sue Jarosh spent summers growing up and working in Door County. In 1984, she and her husband, Joe, returned to raise their two sons in Jacksonport and opened a gift shop. She retired in 2015, after 31 years in business. She began a children's historical fiction lighthouse series which includes Door County's Eagle Bluff Lighthouse Mouse, Baileys Harbor Range Lights Rascal, Eagle Bluff Lighthouse Hero, and Camden and the Cana Island Cat, which will be released in May of 2022. She is also the author of Madelyn's Magical Door County Balloon, which highlights places of interest for children and families who visit Door County.

James Jordan

Maggie Hatala Moertl

Jamie Palmer

Dan Powers

Judy Ritter

Charlie Schudson

Rudy Senarighi

Jim Sensenbrenner

Sally Slattery

Patricia Stierna

Jan Wrede is the author of Outspoken: The Olly Neal Story (Butler Center Books, 2020), about the powerful Arkansas civil rights leader. Other books include Attracting Birds in the Texas Hill Country: A Guide to Land Stewardship and Trees, Shrubs, and Vines fo the Texas Hill Country: A Field Guide.

Phyllis Zatlin