2023 Poetry on the Prairie

Poetry on the Prairie is sponsored by the Iowa Poetry Association and Poetry &–a new group of poetry loving community members, dedicated to advancing the awareness and appreciation of all types of poetry in central Iowa.  
This weekend event is part of the annual Art on the Prairie event in Perry, IA.  ​
Poetry has always been included in the annual Art on the Prairie celebration, but this year it will be offered in its own venue–Studio on Second, located at 1218 Second Street in Perry. 
Planned events include a poetry slam at the Gamble Block Brewery, plus poetry readings by some of Iowa’s bestselling poets, open mic opportunities for poetry lovers, children’s workshops, and workshops for poets, including an Ekphrastic Workshop featuring selected artworks by Art on the Prairie artists.

2023 Poets

Featured Poets:
​Deb Marquart, Iowa State Poet Laureate
www.debramarquart.com

Debra Marquart is a Distinguished Professor of Liberal Arts & Sciences and teaches in the MFA Program in Creative Writing and Environment at Iowa State University, as well as the Stonecoast Low-Residency MFA Program at University of Southern Maine. Marquart serves as Iowa’s Poet Laureate and the Senior Editor of Flyway: Journal of Writing & Environment. The author of seven books—including The Horizontal World: Growing Up Wild in the Middle of Nowhere and Small Buried Things: Poems—Marquart has been featured on NPR and the BBC and has received over 50 grants and awards including an NEA Fellowship, a PEN USA Award, a New York Times Editors’ Choice award, and Elle Magazine’s Elle Lettres Award.

A singer-songwriter and former road musician, Marquart is a member of The Bone People, a jazz-poetry, rhythm & blues project, with whom she has recorded two CDs—A Regular Dervish and Orange Parade. She continues to perform live with The Bone People and as a solo artist. In 2021, Marquart was awarded a Poets Laureate Fellowship from the Academy of American Poets. Her most recent books are The Night We Landed on the Moon: Essays Between Exile & Belonging (2021) and a poetry collection, Gratitude with Dogs Under Stars: New & Collected Poems (2023). For more information: debramarquart.com

Lola Nakashima-Brooke, Iowa Student Poet Ambassador

Lola Nakashima-Brooke is a junior at Central High School in Davenport, IA. In 2021 and 2022 she was an intern in the Midwest Writing Center's Young Emerging Writers Program and has published in the Atlas literary magazine as well as her school literary magazine, Indigo Ink. When not writing or reading, she's either playing piano, trombone, or marching baritone. A veteran of marching band and show choir, she enjoys listening to music, eating soup, and collecting photos of romance-era paintings. She plans to attend college for teaching and creative writing.

Vincent Avon

​Born and raised in Waterloo, IA., Vincent has been performing, writing, and publishing original work for over seven years. He finds passion in creative writing in all shapes and forms. Tackling topics like gender, sexuality, race, childhood trauma, and political framework; Vincent enjoys connecting with others to make these topics accessible to all.

Marilyn Baszczynski

 
Marilyn Baszczynski is a retired French teacher, originally from Ontario, Canada, who lives and writes in rural Iowa. She has two chapbooks: Gyuri. A poem of wartime Hungary (2015), and daughter, while i’m still here (forthcoming 2024); her poems appear in numerous journals and anthologies. Marilyn is past-president of Iowa Poetry Association and editor-in-chief of their annual anthology, Lyrical Iowa, since 2017.
​

Kelsey Bigelow

Kelsey Bigelow is the author of "Sprig of Lilac" (2018) and "Depression Holders and Secret Keepers" (2021). Her work is published in Pile Press, Lyrical Iowa, Backchannels Journal, Spirit Lake Review, and elsewhere, and she is a 2024 Pushcart Prize nominee. She's the founder of the Des Moines Poetry Workshop, the chair for the IPA Poetry Slam, a director for the BlackBerry Peach National Poetry Slam, and more.

Pat Boddy

Leah Huizar
leahhuizar.com

Leah Huizar is a Mexican-American writer and poet originally from Southern California. Her creative writing and research centers on the cultural and historic landscape of the West Coast and the ways in which gender, religion, and colonization have shaped it. Her work has been published in the Crab Orchard Review, Nimrod International Journal, Acentos Review and elsewhere. Her collection of poems, Inland Empire, was published by Noemi Press. She holds an MFA from Penn State and is an assistant professor of English at Drake University. She and her book can be found online at leahhuizar.com.

Dennis Maulsby
www.dennismaulsby.com

Dennis Maulsby’s poems and short stories have appeared in The North American Review, Star*Line, The Hawai’i Pacific Review, The Briarcliff Review (Pushcart nomination), and on National Public Radio’s Themes & Variations. His traditionally published books include: Near Death/Near Life (Military Writers Society of America (MWSA) gold medal winner), Free Fire Zone (MWSA silver medal winner), Winterset (Eric Hoffer Award and Global eBook gold medal winner), Heart Songs (American Fiction Awards first place for poetry), and House de Gracie (Reader Views and Global eBook silver medals). Maulsby holds memberships in the SFWA, the SFPA, the MWSA, and is a past president of the Iowa Poetry Association. 

Website: www.dennismaulsby.com.

Caleb "The Negro Artist" Rainey

Caleb “The Negro Artist” Rainey is an author, performer, and producer. He hails from Columbia, Missouri, and holds a B.A. in English (Creative Writing) from the University of Iowa. His debut book, Look, Black Boy, became Amazon’s #1 new release in African American poetry, and was awarded first prize in the North Street Book Prize. His second book, Heart Notes was published in 2019 and featured on Iowa Public Radio. He released two spoken word albums, a studio version of Look, Black Boy, and a performance album titled, Heart Notes Live! For three years in a row he was named Best Poet/Spoken Word Performer in Cedar Rapids & Iowa City.

Steve Rose

Corinne Stanley

Corinne Stanley translated and published Silence from the Forest by Esther Bendala Pavón and has two poetry collections, They Say This Is Light, and Breathe into the Knowing, as well as a memoir, La tercera luz: A Poetic Journey Through Spain. Her poem, “After the Bypass,” was illuminated on buildings in downtown Iowa City to honor 2022 Heart Month. Stanley has published poems in The 2023 San Diego Annual, Quartet Journal, The House of Zolo, and other journals. Her chapbook, Down into the Upward Golden, is forthcoming from dancing girl press in Chicago. Stanley lives in Iowa City and cocreates a poetry blog, www.bilingualborderless.com, with Mexican poet, Marjha Paulino.

Dawn Terpstra
www.dawnterpstra.com

Dawn Terpstra is a poet, writer and beekeeper in Iowa. Her work has been published in Pratik, Midwest Quarterly, Halfway Down the Stairs, Verse Daily, Quartet, Ekphrastic Review and SWIMM. She is the author of a chapbook, Songs from the Summer Kitchen (Finishing Line Press, 2021). Her work has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize and Best of the Net. She is pursuing her MFA in creative writing at Pacific Lutheran University’s Rainier Writing Workshop. She is the Poetry Editor of River Heron Review.

David Williamson

​David Williamson works from a handmade studio constructed from recycled materials in rural Boone County. He travels nationally as a creativity consultant and works in-state focused on user generated content. His recent collaborative project, Arch Alley in Jefferson won first place in Main Street Iowa's creative place-making division for 2022.

Lyrical Iowa Poets
Kathy Geren Christy
Maggie Ripperger
Dawn Terpstra
Heather Ann G Clark
Dennis Maulsby
Shelly Reed Thieman
​Janet Carl
Ginnie Padden
Margaret Flint Suter
Ashley Wolftornabane
Jim Hackett
Arsema Berhane

Poetry on the Prairie is Sponsored by:

Poetry & — a group of poetry loving community members, dedicated to advancing the awareness and appreciation of all types of poetry in central Iowa.  Watch for details about upcoming events, including Poetry Palooza! in Des Moines on April 6, 7, & 8.
The Iowa Poetry Association is a non-profit organization whose sole objective is to promote interest in and appreciation for better poetry by Iowans. Each year, IPA offers two workshops in the Des Moines area, where poems are critiqued by eminent teachers, editors or publishers. In addition, the IPA LIVE! online program of monthly mini-workshops and readings brings poetry learning and reading opportunities to IPA members across the state. The quarterly newsletter connects members to important updates and events, as does our Iowa Poetry Association Facebook group. Membership is open to any individual or group with an Iowa address.   An affiliate society of The Academy of American Poets and The National Federation of State Poetry Societies, Inc.
Art on the Prairie is a unique festival celebrating art, music, literature, and the joys of small town living, all wrapped up in a two-day event in historic downtown Perry during the second weekend in November.
Since 2006, Beaverdale Books has been selling new books in all genres, literary-themed sidelines, greeting cards, and merchandise from the Beaverdale Neighborhood Association. We support and represent over 500 local authors in our “Iowa Author” section and we proud to be part of this exciting celebration of poetry.