Chaparral from the updrafts California Federation of Chaparral Poets, Inc. serving California poets for over 65 years Volume 67, No. 4 • May-June, 2006

President Richard Wilbur wins Lilly Prize James Shuman, PSJ Poet Richard Wilbur is the winner of the 2006 Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize, the Poetry First Vice President David Lapierre, PCR Foundation recently announced. He received $100,000. The judges were poets Linda Second Vice President Gregerson, Don Paterson, and Christian Wiman, who Katharine Wilson, RF also edits Poetry magazine. The annual prize “honors He is also the recipient of the Wallace Stevens Th ird Vice President a living U.S. poet whose lifetime accomplishments Award, the Gold Medal for Poetry from the Ameri- Dan Saucedo, Tw warrant extraordinary recognition.” can Academy of Arts and Letters, two Guggenheim Fellowships, and the Bollingen Translation Prize. In Fourth Vice President Wilbur’s books of poetry include the Pulitzer 1987 he was named the second poet laureate of the Donna Honeycutt, Ap Prize-winning New and Collected Poems (Harcourt United States. Treasurer Brace Jovanovich, 1988); The Mind-Reader: New Roberta Bearden, PSJ Poems (Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1976); Things The annual Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize, administered Recording Secretary of This World (Harcourt, Brace, 1956), which won by the Poetry Foundation, has awarded over a million Lee Collins, Tw the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize; and dollars since it was established in 1986. Past recipi- Corresponding Secretary The Beautiful Changes and Other Poems (Reynal ents include Yusef Komunyakaa, Philip Levine, W. Dorothy Marshall, Tw and Hitchcock, 1947). S. Merwin, Adrienne Rich, and Kay Ryan. Members-at-Large Chair Frances Yordan, FG Linda Gregg wins PEN/ Anne Pierson Wiese receives Monthly Contest Chair Voelcker Award for Poetry the 2006 Walt Whitman Award Cleo Griffi th, PSJ The Academy of American Poets announced on Established by a bequest from Hunce Voelcker, the Convention Chair, 2007 May 15 that Anne Pierson Wiese has won the 2006 PEN/Voelcker Award for Poetry was presented for David Lapierre, PCR Walt Whitman Award for her fi rst book-length collec- the seventh time on the evening of Monday, May 22, Convention Program Chair tion of poems, Floating City, which will be published 2006 at the Walter Reade Theater at Lincoln Center Dan Saucedo, Tw in the spring of 2007 by Louisiana State University in New York. It was given to Linda Gregg. Annual Contest Chair Press. The winning manuscript was chosen by Kay Lisabeth Shuman, PSJ The award is given to a poet whose distinguished Ryan from over 1,250 entries in an open competition. Youth Contest Chair and growing body of work to date represents a notable The Academy of American Poets has awarded Ms. Elaine E. Harper, Tw and accomplished presence in American literature. Wiese a $5,000 cash prize and will purchase copies Children’s Poetry Fair and The poet honored by the award is one for whom the of her book for distribution to its members. She will Education Committee Chair exceptional promise seen in earlier work has been also receive a one-month residency at the Vermont Linda McCarty, VW fulfi lled, and who continues to mature with each suc- Studio Center. The runner-up was Kevin McFadden cessive volume of poetry. The award is given in even- Publications Chair for his manuscript Hardscrabble. numbered years and carries a stipend of $5,000. James Shuman, PSJ On selecting Ms. Wiese’s manuscript for the Roster and ByLaws Chair In their citation, the judges write: “Linda Gregg award, Kay Ryan wrote: Jeremy Shuman, PSJ has been writing poetry for over forty years. A vision- This remarkable book is proof that a light hand is Archivist and Librarian ary poet in a world that is ‘always too much with us,’ the most masterful. Anne Pierson Wiese’s poems Katharine Wilson, RF Ms. Gregg has never taken on a full-time job, prefer- read so easily and pleasurably that one hardly real- Millennium Poetry ring to devote herself to poetry, and while she has on izes one has been confi dently moved to a slightly C. Joy Haas, RF occasion taught at the University of California, Iowa, different dimension, a world resembling ours but and Princeton, she would rather be walking down the Web Site better observed, and quieter — in the best sense. Old Byzantine trail on Paros in Greece or along the www.ChaparralPoets.org Wiese understands the virtue of restraint — how Indonesian shores of Pangaritis. In each of her books the right word, the exact detail, clarity of form, FEDERATION (Too Bright to See, Alma, The Sacraments of Desire, invite the mind instead of stunning it. This is com- of Chosen by the Lion, Things and Flesh, and In the pletely accomplished poetry of a very brave kind, Middle Distance), daily life is refreshed by the return daring to be immodestly good — modestly. CHAPARRAL to a mythic sublime, honoring a realm where solitude Anne Pierson Wiese was born in Minneapolis, and solidarity are joined in a precarious dance.” poets Minnesota, and grew up in Brooklyn, New York. She Judges for the 2006 award were Michael Hof- is a graduate of Amherst College and the New York CALIFORNIA inc. mann, Timothy Liu, and Vijay Seshadri. continued on page two: ‘Wiese’

Copyright 2006 California Federation of Chaparral Poets, Inc. Chaparral Updrafts, Volume 67, No. 4, May-June 2006. All rights reserved. Poets retain rights to their poems. Copyright 2006 California Federation of Chaparral Poets, Inc. All rights reserved. Poets retain rights to their poems.

Chaparral Monthly Contest Winners updrafts on the topic of With a Song in My Heart The Silver Bird Editor & Publisher ...... James Shuman 2521 Meadow Rue Drive Oh, perfect singer—white feathered bird, Modesto, CA 95355-3910 silver in sudden fl ight— 209-523-6954 FAX 209-521-8778 startled by me—creating you. Our Song Treasurer ...... Roberta Bearden The world is a cage. Let it hold you. P O Box 1750, Empire, CA 95319 Scoring the staff, invisible 209-522-9600 Even I am a cage. notes imprint tomorrow— Corresponding Secretary Come in here with me, muted or mellow— they ...... Dorothy Marshall fl ow in measured moments, I will hold the bars open— to be lifted up and owned. 430 Eleventh St, Pomona, CA 91766 feel your heart beating 888-308-7488 We never played musical Please send news and information items to when your wings chairs or let boom box beats the editor one month in advance of intended fold into my hand. and obscure words publication date. break the rhythm of For questions involving membership, either I will sing you my lost song a song long sung. new or renewal, please contact the treasurer. and you will emulate Melodies, standing alone, blend Be sure to visit our new web site: as we face a future hanging on and I will pretend we belong together http://www.ChaparralPoets.org a song yet to be sung. We hear in this vast cage of existence. its sweet notes repeated, a duet in time. Look how my mirror trains you… Wiese wins Whitman how the sky lifts you… continued from page one —Cleo Kocol, Roseville, CA —Third Place, April University Graduate Writing Workshop, and Don’t you remember anything, currently lives and works in New York City. poor broken childhood, reading about this…? Wiese received a 2005 Fellowship in Poetry —Joyce Odam, Sacramento, CA from the New York Foundation for the Arts —First Place, April and was a winner of the 2004 “Discovery” / The Nation Poetry Contest. Wiese’s poems have appeared in many journals, including The Nocturne Nation, Prarie Schooner, Raritan, Atlanta Re- view, The Alaska Quarterly Review, Quarterly What wakes me isn’t sound West, Rattapallax, The Carolina Quarterly, but moonlight. I wander The Hawai’i Pacifi c Review, and elsewhere. through the rooms, the cat Her work will also appear in the anthology trailing, her purr loud Broken Land: Poems of Brooklyn. in the brilliant silence, her shadow huge on the wall. Kay Ryan was born in California in 1945 and grew up in the small towns of the San Joaquin Valley and the Mojave Desert. She received both a bachelor’s So often I sleep and wake and master’s degree from UCLA. Ryan has published and sleep, dreams dissolving several collections of poetry, including The Niagara like water seeping River (Grove Press, 2005); Say Uncle (2000); Elephant Rocks (1996); Flamingo Watching (1994), which was into sand a fi nalist for both the Lamont Poetry Selection and beneath a stream. the Lenore Marshall Prize; Strangely Marked Metal (1985); and Dragon Acts to Dragon Ends (1983). As I slip back to our bedroom, Ryan’s awards include the Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize, a Guggenheim fellowship, an Ingram Merrill Award, a wood smoke drifts through fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts, the screen. I am tempted the Union League Poetry Prize, the Maurice English to wake you. Poetry Award, and three Pushcart Prizes. Her work has been selected four times for The Best American Poetry —Arlene L. Mandell, Santa Rosa, CA and was included in The Best of the Best American —Second Place, April Poetry 1988 – 1997. Ryan was elected a Chancellor of the Academy of American Poets in 2006. Since 1971, she has lived in Marin County in California.

PAGE 2 Chaparral Updrafts Copyright 2006 California Federation of Chaparral Poets, Inc. All rights reserved. Poets retain rights to their poems.

You will want to save this page! 2006 CFCP, Inc. Monthly Contests Except where otherwise indicated, poems are limited to 28 lines of text. All forms accepted for all categories. Included in this issue are the winners of the monthly contest for April, 2006 — but R U L E S JANUARY — In a Foreign Land there are still several other exciting new top- Contests are open to all poets in the Unit- ics. And it’s not too soon to start on the ones FEBRUARY — Chasing Rainbows ed States and Canada. Each submission must be typewritten on standard size that interest you! MARCH — Planes, Trains & Automobiles paper with the contest month in the upper With different categories ten months of the right-hand corner. Send TWO COPIES of APRIL — With a Song in My Heart year, there are 30 chances to win recognition. each poem with author’s name and ad- MAY — Tell Me a Story dress in the upper right corner on ONE But, of course, it is necessary to actually send copy. Put no identifi cation on the second your poems to the Contest Chair! JUNE — Metamorphosis copy. Address labels are acceptable. Be sure to discard any old versions of this Multiple entries are welcome. JULY — no contest page, so that the poems you submit are for the Only UNPUBLISHED POEMS and po- AUGUST — Wine and Food ems not previously awarded a money correct topics and that you have followed the prize are eligible. A fee of $2.00 must current rules. The rules have changed a bit, to SEPTEMBER — Anthropomorphism accompany each poem submitted (3 for make things clearer and the process smoother $5.00). Send cash or make checks to to operate. Notice that line length does not OCTOBER — Invitation to a Waltz CFCP, Inc. DEADLINE is the last day of the contest month. Envelope must be include the title or blank spaces, and you are NOVEMBER — Madcap Moments postmarked no later than 12 midnight of asked for two copies of each poem. (12 lines or fewer) that day. Print contest month on outside For your convenience we have included DECEMBER — no contest of mailing envelope. the membership form below. If you know NOTE: In any month wherein insuffi cient entries are received, those poems which were submit- of anyone who neglected to renew their ted will be held over and judged with the entries for the following month. membership, give them this form, but fi rst run off a few blank copies to have available 1st prize: $25.00 2nd prize: $15.00 3rd prize: $10.00 for recruitment. Poems will be returned only if a stamped, self-addressed envelope is enclosed. Allow one month after closing date of It’s a great idea to place copies of this page contest before sending poems elsewhere. Winning poems will be printed in the Chaparral Updrafts newsletter. on the bulletin board at local libraries and ➸ Cleo Griffi th universities, and to carry a few copies with CALIFORNIA FEDERATION mail contest Monthly Contest Chair, CFCP, Inc. you to hand to friends and acquaintances. entries to of CHAPARRAL 4409 Diamond Court One-to-one discussion is our best ally as we POETS, INC. Salida, CA 95368-9632 continue the drive to increase membership. We need your help!

How to Become a Member ✔ YES! I defi nitely want to be a member of the check the appropriate item: 00 California Federation of Chaparral Poets, Inc. for the year 2006. Membership Annual/Renewal ...... $15 New Member (February 1 to April 30) ...... $1200 New Member (May 1 to July 31) ...... $750 1 50 00 75 NAME Spouse ( ⁄2 regular member) ...... $7 , $6 , or $3 Junior (under 21; show proof of age) ...... $300 ADDRESS Donation (specify amount) ...... I am interested in joining a Chapter in my area (name of Chapter)

CITY STATE ZIP I wish to join as a Member-at-Large. We wish to form a Chapter of our own (5 or more Regular PHONE ( ) FAX ( ) Members are required to form a new Chapter) to be called

E-MAIL Members-at-Large: Clip this form and mail along with a check I PREFER TO RECEIVE MY UPDRAFTS NEWSLETTER BY: E-MAIL US MAIL or money order made payable to CFCP, Inc. to: Your membership includes all issues of the newsletter, Updrafts, free entry in the Annual Frances Yordan, Members-at-Large Chairman, 2575 W. San Contest, Monthly Contest information, and Membership Roster every 2 years during the Jose Avenue, Fresno, CA 93711-2733. membership period. All memberships renew between 8/1 and 12/31 yearly. Persons All Others: Send this form along with a check or money order joining between February 1 and July 31 will use the pro-rated formula. New memberships made payable to CFCP, Inc. to: received between August 1 and December 31 will be extended for the following full year. CFCP Treasurer, P.O. Box 1750, Empire, CA 95319. * Those who desire to continue membership with a chapter, please remit dues to your local chapter treasurer.

MAY-JUNE 2006 PAGE 3 Copyright 2006 California Federation of Chaparral Poets, Inc. Chaparral Updrafts, Volume 67, No. 4, May-June 2006. All rights reserved. Poets retain rights to their poems. Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Peter Viereck dies Peter R. Viereck, professor emeritus of histo- summa cum laude with an S.B. from Harvard According to Reiss’s article, Viereck was a ry at Mount Holyoke College in Massachusetts, University in 1937, performed graduate work seminal fi gure in the birth of American conser- died May 13 after a long illness. He was 89. at Christ Church, Oxford, as a Henry Fellow, vatism in the second half of the twentieth cen- Viereck is thought to be the only American and received both his M.A. (1939) and Ph.D. in tury, but he soon moved apart from mainstream scholar to receive Guggenheim Fellowships history (1942) from Harvard. At Harvard he was conservatism. For example, he was a vocal critic in both poetry and history. A member of the one of few students in history to receive both the of Senator Joseph McCarthy and his excesses. Mount Holyoke faculty since 1948, he retired Garrison Prize for the best undergraduate verse Reiss wrote: in 1987 but continued through 1997 to teach and the Bowdoin Medal for the best prose. “Viereck became a historian, specializing in his survey of Russian history. The recipient of After serving in the U.S. Army during World modern Russia, and a Pulitzer Prize-winning many major awards, including a Pulitzer Prize War II, Viereck taught briefl y at Harvard Uni- poet.… He gave the conservative movement for his fi rst book of poems, Terror and Decorum: versity and Smith College. its name and, as historian George Nash, author Poems 1940-1948, he is the author of numerous Upon his retirement from Mount Holyoke of The Conservative Intellectual Movement in articles, essays, and books of history, cultural in 1987, he was lauded for his imagination, America, says, he ‘helped make conservatism and political analysis, and poetry. Among his grace, discipline, and spirit and for teaching a respectable word.’ Moreover, Viereck’s belief books are Metapolitics: From the Romantics “generations of Mount Holyoke students all that that the United States could be a moderating to Hitler; Conservatism Revisited: The Revolt is humane about the humanities.” infl uence, confronting the forces that threaten against Revolt, 1815-1949; and Strict Wildness: freedom and democracy without succumbing Viereck’s interest in Soviet rebel writers Discoveries in Poetry and History. to liberal optimism, became a central tenet of made him instrumental in bringing Nobel conservative thought …. “Professor Viereck excelled in many fi elds. prize-winning poet Joseph Brodsky to Mount He was an excellent poet, a superb historian, and Holyoke. In 1995 Viereck’s work Tide and “Yet Viereck never became a rallying fi gure. an extraordinary teacher who touched the lives Continuities opened with a rhymed foreword Conservatism remained largely an intellectual of generations of Mount Holyoke students,” said by Brodsky. movement during its fi rst several decades, a loose Mount Holyoke President Joanne V. Creighton. affi liation of scholars and writers…. Viereck Recently, Viereck was the subject of a “He was a profound thinker who helped infl u- was an anomaly, insisting on a moral distinction lengthy profi le titled “The First Conservative: ence the course of American culture and political between the moderate and the totalitarian left, How Peter Viereck Inspired—and Lost—a life. His contributions will not be forgotten.” and, as conservatives began to attain political Movement” in the October 24, 2005 New Yorker infl uence, denouncing what he perceived as the Viereck was educated at the Horace Mann magazine. The piece was written by noted au-

movement’s demagogic tendencies.”

School for Boys in New York City, graduated thor and journalist Tom Reiss.

Pulitzer winner Peter Viereck dies Viereck Peter winner Pulitzer

April contest winners contest April

Anne Wiese receives Whitman receives Wiese Anne

Linda Gregg wins PEN/Voelcker wins Gregg Linda

Richard Wilbur wins Lilly Prize Lilly wins Wilbur Richard

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