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Denise “Dee” Sweet is our second Wisconsin Poet Laureate. She was born Anishinaabe (“the first people”), on the White Earth Reservation in Minnesota and later moved to near St. Croix Falls where her family lived with her grandparents. In grade school, her teacher entered her poem, “Home of the Brave, Land of the Free,” a work about Martin Luther King, in a contest. It was later read on Wisconsin Public Radio.
Her poetry reflected her preoccupations then and the courageous struggles of people in the forefront of the American Indian movements. “My poems were political, as political as they can be at that young age. But they were social criticism at an elementary level.” By 1976 she was married and had two sons. In 1980, she returned to college and in 1987 received her master's degree from UW-Eau Claire and was the university's Director of Conferences and Institutes. Two years later she was teaching at UW-Green Bay in its Humanistic Studies department and threw herself into her job as a poet and writing teacher. By 1990, her poems were being published, including “Days of Obsidian, Days of Grace,” a collection of works by four American Indian poets. She has been published in five books of poetry, including Songs for Discharming, and her short stories and essays have appeared in various periodicals. Asked if poetry was ever an outlet for anger against discrimination, she said, “I don't think I've ever exploited poetry to vent anger-raise awareness, for sure. One does not have to shout to get the attention of others. And one does not have to be brutal in words to be kind and to insist on kind treatment of all living things … you can do that in a very graceful, but inspired manner through poetry.” “Poetry is the kind of genre that increases both our wisdom and our capacity for compassion,” she says. “Poetry is a prayerful act. Poetry is not a sound bite; it is not harsh media. It is as honest as you can be with the rest of the world in sharing your personal experience.” “Dee” Sweet will be the Feature Speaker on Sunday, September 30, 2007, at the WRWA Fall Conference. Her presentation titled, “Who we Are, What is Ours-Voices and Visions in Poetry,” will be followed by a short meeting with all interested poets. This year's WRWA Fall Conference will take on a little different look. Starting on Friday evening the Writers' Roundtable will be going full bore and probably host its largest crowd ever. After hearing presentations from experts and experienced writers on Saturday, writers who have signed up in advance will meet with local Literary Agent, Michelle Grajkowski, and be allowed to make their best literary pitches. Saturday evening will feature the annual Sherrie Avery-Queen/King for a Moment Open Mic followed by three informative meetings never offered before focusing on Fiction, Non-fiction, and Poetry. These meetings will end the day with fun and excitement and allow for stimulating discussions on specific writing interests. Our annual Jade Ring Banquet will be held the following morning. Contest winners will receive awards and rings and, for the first time, read aloud their winning entries without interruption, all before we eat. After the meal our gracious Poet Laureate, Denise Sweet, will conclude our event with a noteworthy presentation and a special meeting for poets (open to all who are interested). With just a few changes our Fall Writers' Conference will come off as fun and entertaining and sparkle with a fresh hint of writing diversity. |
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“I was sort of overwhelmed, and a little self-conscious,” she said, “but I was also taken with the idea that I was going to be a writer, and that I had something worthwhile to say. Poetry came very naturally to me. I didn't know how poetry worked. It just worked for me.”