As
another calendar year winds down, it’s time to reflect on how OPA spent 2017
and to thank those who made it so successful. Perhaps at the top of our list of
accomplishments is the release of another anthology, A Rustling and Waking Within. This beautiful collection of
ekphrastic poems was made possible by a dedicated team of volunteers and poets.
First and foremost, thanks to editor Sharon Fish Mooney, who spent countless hours
handling submissions, revisions, and layout and design with her husband, OPA
newsletter editor Scott Mooney. The result is an inspiring collection for the
most discerning reader. We are also grateful to Anna Soter, who coordinated the
book launch at the Wexner Center for the Arts in Columbus with the invaluable
help of Center staff, Alana Ryder. Finally, we appreciate the art museums and
centers in Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Coshocton, and Toledo who hosted our
ekphrastic workshops and readings, and the poets who led those events and turned
this project into another milestone success. Thank you to the poets whose work
now shines on the pages of the latest OPA anthology.
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| The OPA Team celebrates at the release of A Rustling and Waking Within. |
While
we look back at many joyous years of OPA retreats at Malabar Farm Hostel,
hosted by our good friend and member Mark Jordan, we are sad to see the hostel ceasing
its operations. Our gratitude extends to Mark and all those poets who led truly
memorable workshops and to the participants providing an equally memorable
experience. Mark has gone on to an exciting job opportunity, thank goodness, in the greater
vicinity of Malabar. The OPA team is now left with the task—and
no small one at that—to develop a plan for future poetry retreats. We have
begun researching alternative sites, but we welcome your ideas and suggestions
and would appreciate someone taking the lead on organizing such gatherings.
In
2017 OPA sought partnerships with several organizations that hold great promise.
We are grateful for our continued partnership with Otterbein University, which
affords us our workshop space. We are also excited about our newest
collaboration with Full/Crescent Press and publisher Paula Lambert, who
organized the first Sun & Moon Poetry Festival in Delaware last May, a
joint venture with the Stratford
Ecological Center and Perkins Observatory. We look forward to being part of it again during
this National Poetry Month in late April 2018.
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| Kari Gunter-Seymour performs at the NFSPS Convention. |
Our
participation and activities ranged from the Ohioana Book Festival, Ohio Poetry
Day, and the NFSPS Annual Convention, where OPA member Kari Gunter-Seymour shone
as the winner of the very first Black Berry Peach Awards. You can hear Kari’s winning submission on
Sound Cloud here. The year 2017 also marked another successful year of
student contests, the annual Ides of March Contest, and a new bookmarks contest
thanks to the respective coordinators Sharon Mooney and Patricia Black.
We
would be remiss if we didn’t acknowledge those who donated to OPA and helped
underwrite our activities. Thanks to The Columbus Foundation for
again funding OPA through its Community Arts Fund, and for sponsoring The Big
Give, during which many of you donated to OPA.
Finally,
sincerest thanks to all our members and volunteers who make OPA such a vibrant
organization, from the team of officers who give so much of their time to help
OPA run smoothly to the members who continue to write fantastic poetry, as
evidenced in the annual Common Threads
literary journal, beautifully edited by Steve Abbott with much help from intern
Abby Studebaker.
OPA
is looking at some exciting changes in 2018. We’ll be taking part in some new
events, including the annual conference of the Ohio Council
of Teachers of English Language Arts, where we hope to establish new
connections with Ohio teachers and students. We’re also excited to be
sponsoring a reading at the Decorative
Arts Center of Ohio, in Lancaster, where we’ll celebrate the art and poetry
of Appalachian Ohio during the Artists of
the Winding Road A–Z exhibition. And of course, we will continue offering
engaging and enlightening poetry workshops, kicking off in January with “Lights,
Camera, Action… Poetry!” a cross-genre exploration of poetry and film.
After
long tenures on the Board, Vice-President Mark Hersman and Treasurer Rinda
Sansom will be stepping down. We are indebted to both of them for their
dedication to OPA during the past several years. And it is also time for me to
hand the presidency to a new leader, as I’ve reached my term limit. In fact,
all four officer seats will be up for election, with voting wrapping up in
July. Any OPA member in good standing who wants to step up and lend their
vision and talents to the organization is encouraged to talk to current
officers about the opportunities available.
We
know there are some amazing people in OPA who can bring fresh ideas and energy
to the organization. If you have an hour or two per week to spare to help with
the OPA website, or perhaps a special event to expand Ohio’s poetry community,
let us know. Our organization thrives on the work of volunteers, and we’re
eager to hear from you.
In
the meantime, best wishes to all OPA members and Ohio poets at large for a safe
and peaceful holiday season with family and friends. Make poetry a part of your
traditions and gatherings! There are many reasons to love poetry, but perhaps
none so important as making us feel more human.
May
you have a prosperous, inspiring year of poetry in 2018!
– Chuck Salmons
OPA President
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