Letters

News for Members

BOARD ARRIVALS, DEPARTURES

The Wisconsin Academy has new leadership as of January 2021. Tom Luljak (Milwaukee), who has served on the Board since 2014, will lead the organization for the next two years as President. Tina Abert has been elected President-elect, and Patricia Brady will transition to Immediate-past President. The newly elected Board members-atlarge are: Thomas W. Still (Madison) and Rafael Salas (Ripon). The Board honored departing member Linda Ware at their most recent meeting. Joining the Board in 2008, Ware has served in many leadership roles during her tenure, including President.

2020 IMPACT REPORT AVAILABLE

Learn about the Academy’s effort to grow leadership and share solutions for a better Wisconsin. Download our digital 2020 Impact Report, which covers programming from July 2019 through June 2020, at wisconsinacademy. org/2020ImpactReport.

ROOTS OF DEMOCRACY SERIES

The Academy is presenting a series of four online discussions that explore the cultural and philosophical roots of American democracy, from the democratic experiment in ancient Greece to the influence of Indigenous governing systems. Visit wisconsinacademy.org/roots for more information and registration.

NEW ACADEMY COURSES

This spring the Academy begins a pilot series of six noncredit Academy Courses in creative writing and the visual arts. The new courses are designed to bring people together for lifelong learning and personal enrichment. Learn more about our new course offerings and register at wisconsinacademy. org/courses. Academy members receive a 10% discount on registration fees.

KEEP IN TOUCH

Do you have questions about membership or a comment you would like to leave? As we continue to work remotely, you can reach us at members@ wisconsinacademy.org. We’d love to hear from you.

Letters

I teach literacy to elementary English language learners, but I dedicate a portion of each weekend to arranging words for myself. For the past decade I had entered the Wisconsin People & Ideas poetry contest, hoping for an honorable mention award at best. It was a surreal moment when editor Jason A. Smith called in 2018 with the unexpected news that my poem, “Head, Thorax, Abdomen,” had won first place out of over 600 submissions from across the state. Though I was initially filled with doubt about reading at the Wisconsin Book Festival in Madison and presenting at a writer’s workshop at Shake Rag Alley in Mineral Point, both experiences (which were part of winning first place) continue to impact my writing today. Whether I’m getting or giving revision suggestions, or getting an acceptance call for my submission to the forthcoming collection, Hope Is the Thing: Wisconsinites on Perseverance during a Pandemic, my gratitude for the poetry contest continues.

—Jenna Rindo, Pickett

I recently received the e-mail announcing that the Academy has decided to offer noncredit art and writing courses as another way of connecting with its mission through the arts. I have long advocated for the Academy to expand its ways of connecting and find this step encouraging. Thank you for taking the time to develop this new outreach program. I wish you much success with it. —Kathleen Serley, Wausau

Just a note to commend Jane Elder for her words in the Summer/Fall issue of Wisconsin People & Ideas. It was especially interesting to get the full story on the Luddites. Also, thanks to editor Jason A. Smith for stating so clearly what has happened to the UW Extension. Good luck going into your 151st year. —Karl Andersen & Carolyn Heidemann, Lake Mills

Erratum

In “Natural Climate Solutions” by Catie DeMets from the Summer/ Fall 2020 issue, we incorrectly quoted Abe Lenoch of 1,000 Friends of Wisconsin as saying “leaves absorb water molecules from their surfaces and water vapor from the air.” The types of trees found in Wisconsin mainly draw water from the soil through their roots and release water vapor through their leaves via a process called transpiration.