Northfield’s Arts and Culture Commission 2012 Sidewalk Poetry Contest Winners Announced

The Arts and Culture Commission (ACC) of Northfield, in partnership with the Friends and Foundation of the Library, is pleased to announce the winners of the city’s second annual Sidewalk Poetry Contest.  Chosen from among 82 poems submitted for judging, ten poems have been selected for imprinting in city sidewalks.  

The Arts and Culture Commission applauds and thanks the many local poets who submitted their poetry to the competition.  We are pleased to announce the following winners, in alphabetical order, of Northfield’s second annual Sidewalk Poetry Contest:

• Nancy Cantwell
• Matthew Fitzgerald
• D.E. Green (two winning poems)
• Rob Hardy (two winning poems)
• D.A. Huisentruit
• Martha Paas
• Ryan Prichard
• Leslie Schultz

The five contest judges were drawn from across the community, representing the schools, the colleges, the city, professional writers, and published poets.  Judging was completely blind, in that poems were not identified by authors’ names at the time of judging.  Judges were: Diane LeBlanc, Director of Writing, and a published poet; Myrna Johnson, Arts & Culture Living Treasure award winner; Joe Stapf, Public Works Director/City Engineer; Jeff Johnson of KYMN Radio; and Bonnie Jean Flom, elementary school educator and member of the Arts and Culture Commission.

We are pleased to announce that, within the next couple of weeks, city crews will begin to imprint last year’s winning poems into downtown Northfield sidewalks.  And on April 27^th at 9 am, winning poems from both last year and this year will be read on Radio’s ArtZany! show with Paula Granquist.  You will also be able to find the poems on display at the .  Expect future celebrations as the first poems are imprinted in city sidewalks.

Editor's note: Submitted by the Arts and Culture Commission of Northfield

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