Calling all friends of Woodland Pattern!

Nick Demske--of Poetry magazine letters fame, as well as author of Nick Demske and impressario behind the BONK! reading series--has issued an impassioned plea for poetry lovers to help Milwaukee's Woodland Pattern Book Center:

Woodland Pattern recently celebrated their 30year anniversary so an introduction to the work they've done could go on for pages and pages. I will spare everyone of that rambling resume, but suffice it to say that, to me, it is one of the most amazing literary hubs that I know of anywhere. The visiting readers, musicians and artists they bring into Wisconsin couldn't be more prestigious and, along with that, the work the Book Center does is still incredibly grass roots and down to earth. Whether it's holding edible book contests, sponsoring writing workshops for the public or hosting urban youth poetry camps for local children to learn about the arts in a nurturing environment, the presence of Woodland Pattern has effects that ripple far past the River West Milwaukee neighborhood where they're located.

To be more direct, BONK! in all likelihood would not exist--or at least not in the capacity it exists now--if Woodland Pattern did not exist. In the beginning, WP provided a template for the creation of BONK! and, even now, the only reason we learn of many performers we bring is because WP features them at an event and we simply steal the idea afterwards.

I'm writing all of this because Woodland Pattern is currently in financial trouble. With federal budget cutting, the general economic condition and now the current Wisconsin State Budget all but eliminating the Wisconsin Arts Board and cutting fiscal sources for the arts, Woodland Pattern, which is a nonprofit agency, faces some possible deficits that they've never had to struggle through before. So they need help. And, though we are not in their immediate community, I want to emphasize just how far the benefits of Woodland Pattern reach. We are lucky to be in the same STATE as them, let alone the same region. And, ultimately, what that means is-- creatively, artistically--we are benefitting from the work they are doing. I imagine I'm unaware even of many of the ways I benefit from their presence but, the one thing I am sure of is that what they do is extremely important and the effects of it travel to Racine and far beyond.

We can attest to Woodland Pattern's excellence as both a bookstore and as a community center, and so we encourage all Harriet readers to drop by the Woodland Pattern website and become a member. And if you're ever in Milwaukee (or, hell, the Midwest), we suggest a trip to East Locust Street to indulge in one of the great poetry pastimes: browsing an excellent poetry section full of rare and out of print books. It's one of the last ones left.