Sonnet Contest Celebrates National Poetry Month and Ted Haaland’s Legacy
Tuesday | April 30 | 6:30-9 pm
Blue Heron Coffeehouse | 162 W 2nd St.
sonnetcontest.org
The Maria W. Faust Sonnet Contest invites you to celebrate the opening of this year’s contest and National Poetry Month on Tuesday, April 30, 2024, from 6:30 – 9 pm at the Blue Heron Coffeehouse (162 W 2nd St.). Light refreshments will be served. This event is free and open to the public. Live music by Flutistry will accompany social time starting at 6:30 pm.
At 7 pm, we will celebrate the life and legacy of the contest’s benefactor and former director, Ted Haaland, who passed away on February 17th. Ted spent the years following the death of his beloved Maria writing poetry every day. Under his leadership, a small, local contest spread around the world, with the 2023 event receiving 700 sonnets from poets in 43 US states and 16 other countries. Ted’s friends and admirers are invited to say a few words and/or share a poem in his honor at this event. Friends are also invited to attend a memorial service for Ted on Friday, May 3rd at 10 am at Hoff Funeral Home in Winona.
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. Prizes totaling $3,200 are awarded in four categories: Top Four, Regional, Youth, and Laureates’ Choice.
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. Maria’s husband, Ted Haaland, is the contest’s benefactor, with the goal of keeping Maria’s love of poetry alive in our community and beyond.
The judges’ panel includes Winona’s Poets Laureate James Armstrong, Ken McCullough and Emilio DeGrazia, and Leslie Schultz of Northfield, MN. Heidi Bryant is the managing director of the contest. Great River Shakespeare Festival and River Arts Alliance are partners.
To learn more about the Maria W. Faust Sonnet Contest, please visit sonnetcontest.org or email entries@sonnetcontest.org. Information about National Poetry Month is available at poets.org/national-poetry-month.
Image: Ted Haaland (photo by Mary Farrell).
River Arts Alliance serves as fiscal sponsor of the Maria W. Faust Sonnet Contest. James Armstrong, Ken McCullough, Emilio DeGrazia, Heidi Bryant, and Great River Shakespeare Festival are members of the River Arts Alliance. The late Ted Haaland was also a member. To learn more about the benefits of membership, please visit: riverartsalliance.org/membership/.