Wisconsin Poet Laureate To Read at Carroll

On Thursday, Nov. 17, 2011, Wisconsin’s Poet Laureate will visit for a reading and discussion of his poetry. Bruce Dethlefsen of Westfield, Wis., was appointed State Poet Laureate for 2011-2012 by former Governor Jim Doyle, based on the recommendation of the Poet Laureate Commission of Wisconsin. His reading begins at 7 p.m. in the Dorothy Goff Frisch Recital Hall of Shattuck Music Center, 218 N. East Ave., Waukesha. It is free and open to the public.

Dethlefsen uses his position as the State Poet Laureate to promote the writing and sharing of poetry throughout Wisconsin. He encourages and supports local cultural and creative talent by organizing poetry readings in public libraries, schools and coffee houses throughout the state.

He has two full-length books of poetry, “Unexpected Shiny Things” (Cowfeather Press, 2011) and “Breather” (Fireweed Press, 2009), which received an Outstanding Achievement Award in Poetry from the Wisconsin Library Association. Dethlefsen also published two poetry chapbooks, “A Decent Reed” (Tamafyr Mountain Press, 1999) and “Something Near the Dance Floor” (Marsh River Editions, 2003), recipient of the Posner Book-length Poetry Award Honorable Mention from the Council for Wisconsin Writers. He was nominated for the Pushcart Prize in 2003 and 2009.

A native of Kansas City, Mo., Dethlefsen earned a bachelor’s degree in secondary education at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse and a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction from UW-Oshkosh. He retired as director of the Montello (Wis.) Public Library.

Dethlefsen served as secretary of the Wisconsin Fellowship of Poets for six years and co-founded the WFOP Chapbook Prize. For eight years he directed The Poet Tree, a monthly reading by Wisconsin poets at the Montello Public Library.