Sonnet Contest celebrates National Poetry Month
Tuesday, April 15 | 6:30 ‑ 9:00 pm
Blue Heron Coffeehouse | 162 W 2nd Stsonnetcontest.org
The Maria W. Faust Sonnet Contest invites you to celebrate the opening of this year’s contest and National Poetry Month at the Blue Heron Coffeehouse. Light refreshments will be served. This event is free and open to the public. Live music by Flutistry will accompany social time starting at 6:30pm.
At 7:00pm, featured guest Rick Hall will present GrowthQuakes: Channeling Creative Awareness. Rick’s concept of how GrowthQuakes in our lives often lead to life-changing opportunities for creativity reminds us of how the Sonnet Contest’s benefactor Ted Haaland found his poetic muse through grief and loss.
From Rick: “Sometimes, an emotional ‘tremor’ is all it takes to trigger a moment of self-awareness (or awakening) that may lead to a powerful and potentially life-changing growth experience. I call these emotional tremors GrowthQuakes.
“GrowthQuakes can occur at times when we least expect it, resulting in soft moments of awareness and reflection, or more powerful emotional awakenings that tell us—it’s time to move on.
“If we are receptive to them, these GrowthQuakes can be used as a tool to guide ourselves, or others we care about, through subtle or even radical emotional redirections that help us navigate change or, more broadly, life.
“As an artist, I use these GrowthQuakes as my guide for emotional exploration and creative expression, leading me to a deeper awareness and understanding of how we are all connected to the world and each other.
“My work often reflects the GrowthQuakes that have occurred along my own life journey. They serve as a healing source of creative inspiration and exploration. My poems, stories, songs, conversations, and even how I design the space in which I live, are all reflections of how I interpret the world around me, relate to the people in my life, and navigate the often mysterious and sometimes challenging circumstances in which these GrowthQuakes occur.”
About the Presenter
Rick Hall is a Winona-based writer, poet, storyteller, songwriter, gardener, and creative explorer. He grew up in a small farming community on the prairie of central Illinois. The son of a father with southern roots and a homemaker mother born and raised in south-central Illinois, he is the youngest of 21 children and comes from a long lineage of farmers and storytellers. His unique upbringing has shaped his perspective on everything from his relationship with nature, to the way he connects with people and nurtures relationships—all of which continue to influence his storytelling and writing. He currently serves as the part-time arts administrator at the non-profit River Arts Alliance in Winona, MN.
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.
Photo: Maria W. Faust.
River Arts Alliance serves as fiscal sponsor of the Maria W. Faust Sonnet Contest. James Armstrong, Ken McCullough, Emilio DeGrazia, Heidi Bryant, and the Great River Shakespeare Festival are members of the River Arts Alliance. To learn more about the benefits of membership, please visit: riverartsalliance.org/membership/.