Seven By 7, The Door County Poet Laureates

Door County, Wisconsin has had seven poet laureates appointed by the Door County Board of Supervisors since the inception of the program. This anthology contains seven poems by each of the seven poets, Frances May, Barbara Larsen, Estella Lauter, Ralph Murre, Sharon Auberle, Nancy Rafal, and Mike Orlock. Partially as a result of this program, Door County, one of the major arts attractions in the Midwestern United States, has become a major writing, as well as fine arts and live theatre, center, featuring such organizations as the Clearing Folk School and Write on Door County, a writer's residency and writing center.

Nancy Rafal, one of the laureates, initiated the laureate program in 2009. Rafal has been active in Wisconsin arts for decades, and she knew many of the people who had served as Poet Laureate in various counties around the state. As Jude Genereaux, a poet in her own right, says in Seven by 7, "Rafal shared this gem of an idea with me in seeking advice on how to successfully squire adoption of the post through county government in order to receive the blessing of the Door County Board of Supervisors. Having worked with county boards for many years, I knew the system well and the people who were serving on ours at the time - so hopefully I could foresee what stumbling blocks there might be. 

"After several advance conversations with our then County Board Chairman Leo Zipperer, a resolution was created and passed at the proper committee and    sent on to the full board for final adoption. Nancy and I attended that session to speak for its passage and were thrilled to see the Resolution adopted with little resistance. We could now boast having this welcome feature to Door County arts and culture."

The first Door County Laureate, Frances May, had a national reputation when she was championed for the post by Norbert Blei, then the most famous writer living in Door County. The other poets that followed are primarily characterized by not only their creative fires, but also the excellence of their word craft.

Each poet in the anthology is introduced by a well-known writer and then the seven poems follow. Anyone who loves regional poetry will love the volume.