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Get Ready for a Great Year of OPA Events in 2016

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As another year comes to an end, we reflect on events of the past twelve months but also on the year to come. And OPA has an exciting year of programming planned for 2016.

Our quarterly workshops will cover a wide range of poetry styles and topics. Becca Lachman will work with attendees to explore how poetry plays a role in our pursuit of peace, community, and social justice. And renowned artists John and Cathy Bennett will lead an exploration of the avant garde.

We also have a great slate of special events lined up. In February, we’ll continue our series of ekphrastic poetry workshops at the Toledo Museum with Cindy Bosley. And in the mid-June, riding the tide of a successful reading this past September, you can join OPA as it takes part in the Summer Solstice Celebration at Serpent Mound in Adams County, where we’ll again feature some of Ohio’s top poets and honor voices of the past.

Our writers’ retreats at Malabar Farm will feature two respected poets and educators. In May, we welcome Charlene Fix, professor emeritus at Columbus College of Art & Design. And in September, we welcome David Baker, professor at Denison University and poetry editor of The Kenyon Review. We highly recommend you join us in the beautiful surroundings of Pleasant Valley for a weekend of great poetry, food, and camaraderie.

As always, we’ll gather in July for our annual picnic featuring food and poetry. And when it comes to contests and submissions, members are encouraged to get those submissions in for our Ides of March Contest and Common Threads. Ohio students are encouraged to submit to our annual High School Poetry Contests as well. Finally, we encourage all Ohio poets and OPA members alike to submit to the forthcoming ekphrasticpoetry anthology.

A dedicated team of OPA leaders and volunteers are working hard to bring these dynamic programs to the community in 2016. In addition to hard work, it takes membership dues, small grants thanks to The Columbus Foundation (TCF), and additional donations from all of you who love poetry and want to see it thrive in Ohio.

As we approach Giving Tuesday on December 1, please consider the good work that OPA does to promote the art of poetry throughout Ohio and give what you can. No amount is too small. Most OPA events are offered free to the public, including our high school contests, and your donations help to make this possible.

So, in this season of giving, help OPA continue to grow and provide these great programs. To donate to OPA, you can send a check to:
Rinda Sansom
OPA Treasurer
1258 Scott Road
Mansfield, OH 44903

Or visit theTCF PowerPhilanthropy website here and search “Ohio Poetry Association” to donate.

The OPA leadership team thanks all its members and donors and The Columbus Foundation for continuing to help us bring great poetry events to Ohio. For full details on our programs, visit the OPA events page on our website. 
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