Rikki Santer named 2023 Ohio Poet of the Year

The Ohio Poetry Day Association (OPDA) has selected Rikki Santer as its Ohio Poet of the Year for 2023. Santer was selected for her book of poems, Resurrection Letter: Leonora, Her Tarot, and Me (Materialist Press/Cereal Box Studio, 2023), a book-length sequence in tribute to the surrealist artist Leonora Carrington.

A resident of Columbus, Ohio, Santer has had published five full-length poetry collections and six chapbook sequences exploring such topics as the Hopewell earthworks of Newark, Ohio; the late Kahiki Supper Club of Columbus, Ohio; the world of ventriloquism, the art of fashion, and the classic television series Twilight Zone. She is a member of the teaching artist roster of the Ohio Arts Council, a vice president of the Ohio Poetry Association, and a member of the poetry troupe, Concrete Wink. Her poetry has been widely published and has received many honors including several Pushcart and Ohioana book award nominations as well as a fellowship from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Learn more at rikkisanter.com.

As an Ohio Poet of the Year, Santer joins the likes of Mary Oliver, David Baker, Kari Gunter-Seymour, and Maggie Smith. The complete list of previous Poet of the Year winners is below.

Santer will be featured at this year’s Ohio Poetry Day celebration, October 13–14. The event will feature a morning workshop, readings, and the keynote from Santer, who will read from her winning collection. See agenda details below.

OHIO POETRY DAY AGENDA

Friday, October 13, 7–9 PM: Meet and greet with Santer and previous Poets of the Year, overnight poetry contest prompt.

Saturday, October 14, 10 AM–4 PM: Evan Lodge Workshop, reading by Rikki Santer, open mic featuring Ohio Poetry Day contest winners.

Where:   Troy Hayner Cultural Center
               301 W. Main St., Troy, Ohio 45373
               troyhayner.org

Poetry Spotlight: Karen Schubert - Poetry of Hybridity (podcast transcript S2, E4)

Jeremy Jusek: Welcome to Poetry Spotlight presented by the Ohio Poetry Association. I am your host, Jeremy Jusek. And with us today is Karen Schubert. Karen Schubert Karen is an author, co-founding director of Literary Youngstown, and multi-genre talented writer who has published poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, essays, reviews, interviews, and any other views you might consider. She's published six books, and her prose poem collection I Left My Winds on a Chair was the Wick Poetry Center poetry winner. Her awards include the William Dickey Memorial Broadside Award, an Ohio Arts Council Individual Excellence Award in Poetry, and has held residencies at the Headlands Center for the Arts and the Vermont Studio Center. To learn more about Karen, please visit karenschubertpoetry.com . Karen, thank you so much for joining us. Karen Schubert: Oh this is such a kick, thanks so much for bringing me on. I’m honored and chuffed. JJ: Thank you! The pleasure’s all mine. Do you wa...

CREATING POETRY CHAPBOOKS

Adapted from a workshop delivered for the AOCI W.R.I.T.E.R.S. Group by Chris Minton What is a chapbook? Chapbooks were originally known as "street literature" because they were primarily sold on the streets by traveling salesmen known as chapmen. These small, inexpensive booklets contained a variety of content like ballads, folk tales, and religious tracts, and were a popular form of reading material for the common people, particularly those with limited access to more expensive books (for example, in rural areas). Today, chapbooks are normally used by poets to accomplish a speciﬁc objective, which may include: To create a sample of their work for publishers or other parties To target a speciﬁc, interested audience To get their work into circulation quickly To make it more aﬀordable (for both the author and reader) To create enough work over time to warrant a full-length collection To demonstrate their commitment to the craft To give as gifts to family and friends Features of...

2026 Ohio Poetry Day Contests Now Open for Submissions

Our friends at the Ohio Poetry Day Association have announced their annual contests! May 15, 2026, is the deadline (postmark) for two dozen contest categories. Categories include humor, formal poems, parody and more. As always, a “Welcome Aboard” category for first-time submitters and an art category to design the cover art for the 2026 Best of Ohio Poetry Day anthology are also open to submissions. Below is a copy of the submission form, which provides full contest information. Ohio Poetry Day 2026 will take place in October in Toledo, Ohio. Stay up to date on event information, including the event date, location, and agenda, by getting your name and address on the OPD mailing list. To do so, contact: Amy Jo Zook 3520 State Route 56 Mechanicsburg, OH 43044 Checks for all contest fees and purchases should be made payable to: Ohio Poetry Day . For questions, call (937) 834-2666. Click and download the image below to view it at full size.

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