In part of our "getting to know you" series, I'm delighted to highlight ISFPC's Premiere Poet, Mary Couch! I am particularly partial to Mary since she hails from my home club. Both she and her mother, Alice, are a beloved pair around the state. Mary's poetry draws its strength from nature, humor, and strong images distilled into limited amount of space.

What do you find most challenging about writing poetry? What are your particular writing skills?
Finding the correct word, or phrase to say exactly what I want to say – I have a unique view of phrasing things and enjoy writing rhyme especially humorous rhyme.

Your day job?
Admin Assistant at Taylored Systems Inc. a telecommunication company in Noblesville we sell, service, and maintain telephone systems, carrier services, door access control, video surveillance, low voltage cabling, and IT work.

Other hobbies?
Reading – avid about most books (Grandmother Helen was a librarian and storyteller) I prefer Science Fiction. I also like to bake. My Grandmothers Helen and Nadine both taught me. My grandma Nadine was German so learned to make a number of great dishes – she taught me to make things from scratch without measuring

Any family members/pets you want to mention?
My mother Alice Couch who is also a great poet and story writer.​ Mom and I have two dogs - Squeakie, a Daschund/Yorkie and Nibby, a Maltze/Yorkie.

One unusual talent?
Sometimes I am attuned to the universe and can give a gift that fits someone perfectly even if I have never known them for very long  


Future goals for ISFPC?
Would like to see more clubs formed again – especially in the southern half of the state.


Do you have any chapbooks or websites you would like to plug?
Poetic Nature in the Hoosierland, Twin Muses: Art & Poetry, An Evening with the Writing Muse, Polk Street Review, Two Views, WhispersintheWind333.blogspot.com.

Thanks, Mary, for taking the time to answer my questions!

​Images courtesy of Mary Couch, and Dan, panuruangjan, phasinphoto at freedigitalphotos.net.
​

In an ongoing quest to get to know our ISFPC officers, I interviewed the fun and funny Jenny Kalahar, our Treasurer and Membership Chair. Jenny is a delightful lady: hope you enjoy getting to know her!
 
What is your home club?
I began Last Stanza Poetry Association in Elwood in 2011. We meet the second and fourth Friday of each month in the Elwood hospital.
 
Hometown?
Grass Lake, Michigan
 
How long have you been writing poetry?
My friends in the second grade compiled my first collection, made of construction paper and tied with yarn. I think my parents still have that somewhere. The girls wanted one more poem for some reason, and I hurriedly wrote a really dumb (even for a seven-year-old) one on peanut butter and jelly. The humiliation of seeing that silly thing “in print” stuck with me for a long time. I didn’t publish again for many, many years. At least eight.
 
Do you remember what first turned you on to poetry?
The poems in the Watty Piper books, I'm quite sure. I have no creative writers in my family that I'm aware of, so I'd always felt like an alien sitting around as a kid writing poems and stories.

Favorite form of poetry to write?
Story poems with a touch of nostalgia and humor.
 
To rhyme or not to rhyme?
Both. I love rhyme, but I don’t like when it rules word choices or suppresses meaning. And I love rhyme that is corrupted in some way—I’m not opposed to throwing in a made-up word or two.
​
Favorite poets?
Steven Roberts, Patrick Kalahar, Dr. Seuss, Richard Griffin, Sarah E. Morin, Vincent Schrader, Judy Young, David Allen . . .
 
What line or phrase from a poem gets stuck in your head?
When I was about nine I memorized and then recited Joyce Kilmer’s Trees in front of a gym full of kids and parents. Lines from that poem floated through my childhood. It somersaulted with me down hills, swam on the sunlight of the lake as I waded, blew through my braids as I swung on swings and sped along on my banana-seat bicycle. “Poems are made by fools like me” felt like an appropriate thing to say at nine. I had a hard time imagining a grown-up man writing that, though. His Blue Valentine has a wonderful passage: Her eyes, Monsignore / Are so blue that they put lovely little blue reflections / On everything that she looks at / Such as a wall / Or the moon / Or my heart.
 
What are your favorite subjects to write about?
Animals pop up very often. The Three Little Withdrawn Pigs, Natural Science Lessons for the Gullible, Red Dog Among the Pines, Interview with My Dog, The Cartoon Cat Retirement Home and many others feature animals. And I’m attracted to writing about the past, but not in a faithfully historical vein. We Do Not Have a Dinosaur, for example, is set during the Great Depression. And my Dead Letter Society sits down with postal workers in Ireland during World War I.

Describe your writing environment.
I have a book-stuffed office in my home, which is a giant brick schoolhouse built in 1894. I have a relatively-old PC on my crowded desk. Loads of post-it notes are scattered around the monitor. Fairly often I’m forced (forced, I tell you!) to write with a cat in my lap, or even my terrier. I need a blanket on my lap and a space heater when it’s cold. I have a laptop computer in the bedroom, but for some reason I write better in my office. I like to get creative in the late afternoon and night, after my work is done for the day. I do write occasionally in the morning, but with the press of a day’s worth of work facing me, I can’t relax fully into a novel or poem.
 
What do you find most challenging about writing poetry? What are your particular writing skills?
I think it’s hard to not get all excited about a poem and call it done as soon as the last word is typed and the file saved. The real art of the poem comes with editing and tweaking. Finding exactly the right word for the emotion or color, mood or scent. A skill? Maybe whimsy or unusual imagery. Why write something that’s been written a million times before? The challenge is to find a way to write that is something no one else on the planet could possibly think of, but that is also very relatable.
 
Your day job?
My husband and I are used & rare booksellers. We had a bookshop in Michigan where we’re both from, and then near the campus of Ohio University for many years. We moved to Elwood in 2000 and now sell books via the internet. We live and work from our schoolhouse, feeling semi-retired and yet overworked at the same time.

Other hobbies?
Music. I play the bells/xylophone/auxiliary percussion in a community band. I am a mediocre pianist. I love digging around in flea markets and antique shops for old books, sheet music and odd figurines.   
 
Any family members/pets you want to mention?
Patrick, my husband of twenty-six years, is also a poet. We have a Jack Russell terrier, Weegee, who stars in my Tails Magazine humor column quite often (she is a poet and novelist, as well). And we have seven cats. When we had our shop in Ohio we fostered cats for the local shelter, finding new homes for over fifty felines. Fostering and bookselling inspired my series of bookshop novels.
 
Do you have any chapbooks or websites you would like to plug?
I’ve published a collection of poetry, One Mile North of Normal and Other Poems, and I have two novels: Shelve Under C: A Tale of Used Books and Cats, and its sequel, The Find of a Lifetime. Both of the novels also have poetry in them. I’m working on a third novel now, an unusual fantasy for teens set in central Indiana. My blog can be found here: http://booksellingandwritingwithweegee.blogspot.com/

Know an aspiring poet in grade 6-12? Encourage them to enter the NFSPS (National Federation of State Poetry Societies) Manningham Trust Student Poetry Contest. Deadline is February 2.

CONVENTION MADNESS! POETRY CONTEST 

Win Your Way to NFSPS Convention June 09-June 13, 2016 Hotel 340 St. Paul, Minnesota

​Must attend to receive 1st-3rd place prizes 

1st Place— 4 nights stay at Hotel 340, St. Paul, MN ($556.00)
2nd Place—All meals (package) (approximately $200.00)
3rd Place—Registration Fee ($75.00) 

1st- 3rd Honorable Mentions–Poem by Post Subscription 

Any form, any subject, limit one page, 10 point type or larger. May be previously published. 

Fee: NFSPS Members 3 poems for $10.00. Non-members 3 poems for $18.00. Make checks payable to the League of Minnesota Poets. 

No limit on number of submissions, so long as a new entry fee is included for each set of 3 poems. 

To submit: Include two copies of poems. One copy with name, address, phone number, e-mail and State Society membership and one copy with no identifying marks. Include a S.A.S.E. for winner’s list. Winners will be notified by March 1, 2016. 

DEADLINE: January 5, 2016.

Mail your entries to:
Susan Stevens Chambers
57310 166th Lane
Good Thunder, MN 56037

Sponsored by the members of League of Minnesota Poets

At our Fall Rendezvous in October, the ISFPC elected a new president.

First we want to thank Caroline Dewey for keeping ISFPC moving forward as interim president for several months. She continues to serve as 1st Vice President and our excellent Contest Director. Thanks, Caroline!

At Fall Rendezvous, we elected Sandra Nantais as our new president. We are delighted she agreed to take on this important position and are confident she will be an excellent leader.

Sandra is no stranger to most ISFPC members, but I thought it would be fun for us to learn even more about her! She graciously agreed to answer my many questions about her and her take on poetry.

What's your hometown?
 
Hammond, Indiana . . . born there and lived the first 18 years of my life on Elm Street. How Midwest is that? It was a great location to grow up. We were close to Chicago, the Dunes of Lake Michigan and farmlands of Indiana.
 
I continued to live in Hammond until I was 32, and then moved to Lowell where I raised my three children amongst cornfields, an 1800’s historic living history farm, Voyager Rendezvous’ events, and an occasional runaway pregnant goat hiding on our property.

 
Previous positions in ISFPC?
 
I believe it was about 2010 when Glenna Glee asked me to take the historian position for ISFPC for her.  The position wasn’t (and still isn’t) defined. It is just a person to store boxes of past collected and saved documents and a few items.
 
I was the ISFPC Convention Treasurer for the national Federation of State Poetry Societies 2012 National Convention when ISFPC hosted it.
 
ISFPC Treasurer 2013-2015.

 
How long have you been writing poetry? Do you remember what first turned you on to poetry?
 
As with many, I started writing around 4th grade as it was part of English class in elementary school. It was simple intro poetry forms such as acrostic and diamond (diamante). We had to create a booklet of our work and I worked hard on my few poems, printing with care each poem. I used red construction paper for the front and back cover and a marker to put the title and my name on the cover. I used a hole punch to make the holes to thread yarn for my bookbinding. I was so proud when the teacher selected my poetry book to be displayed on the classroom corkboard for the schools open house!

Favorite form of poetry to write?
 
I enjoy the challenges of Haiku, triolet, villanelles and one day I hope to please Carrie Quick with a Lil’ Ann that will receive at least an honorable mention!
 
I prefer short poem forms as well as humorous subjects.


To rhyme or not to rhyme? (which do you do?)
 
I am drawn to rhyme. Most likely because I am a huge fan of Dr. Seuss. (grin)

 
Favorite poets?
 
Emily Dickinson. She always fascinated me. Her poetry and her (mysterious) life.
 
This will surprise many since I like rhyme, but I am a fan of e.e. cummings. My favorite collection/book of his is ’95 Poems’
 
Langston Hughes. I really enjoy his dialect in his writing. My most favorite of his work is Mother to Son.
 
Shel Silverstein. I don’t think there is any of his work I dislike.
 
Minton Sparks. She is a performance poet. I suggest everyone to Google her and listen to an audio or video clips.
 
Matsuo Basho: From time to time, The clouds give rest, To the moon beholders . . .
 
Poe . . . Though not one of his poems, I have to share this; when I was younger I caught a reading of Poe’s Tell Tale Heart on the radio. Scared the bejeezus outa me!
 
 
Describe your writing environment
 
I use a tiny, spare bedroom in our new location. Currently not set-up with all my cozy writing bric-a-brac. I often use the kitchen table with a laptop or notepad.
 
I like to look out a window or patio door, sometime have music playing (Beethoven, piano classical, Indian flute) or just silence.
 
I don’t have a particular time of day for writing. I have to use the moments I can. I have discovered it is impossible to write on my break at work. Too many sport fans watching ESPN and too many curious others interrupting to ask what am I writing.
 
I usually have a huge mug of tea. I have many blends from herbal to caffeinated, flowery and spicy.

 
What do you find most challenging about writing poetry?
 
Having quiet, alone, uninterrupted time.  
 
 
Your day job?
 
I work in the Business Office for CarMax in Merrillville.  Very uninspiring, retail hours so mostly evenings and Saturday’s and often stressful. But, what job really isn’t all that? We do have moments of laughter and silliness.
 
 
Other hobbies?
 
Genealogy.
 
I am a photographer.  One type of photography I do is ‘urbex’. I go into abandoned buildings and photograph the beauty that once was and of nature taking back. There is so much art and poetry in the ruins.
 
I make wine. I can jellies, spaghetti sauce, pickles. I enjoy baking creative foods such as chocolate lavender cupcakes, rosemary apple quick bread and potato chip cookies. I make my own spice blends. Basically, I like to create.

Any family members/pets you want to mention?
 
We have a cockatiel, Simon. He is around 24 years old and has a lot of personality.
 
We recently acquired a rescue cat. She is about a year old, jet black with white paws, chin and neck. Sasha is the name she came with but is often called ‘Stinker’, ‘Damn Cat’ or ‘Brat’. She is quite the handful, but so very cuddly and loving . . . until she strikes.
 
My husband, Matt is very supportive of my involvement with poetry, writing and photography.  He is the Information Technology (I.T.) guy for Sterling Lumber in Phoenix Illinois and also the head coach for Valparaiso (Indiana) University’s Woman’s Bowling team.
 
I have three children. Vincent works for Clean Harbors as an environmental (cleanup) technician. Adam is the IT & Facility Manager at Lubeznik Center for the Arts in Michigan City, IN. Jenny is a waitress at Bar Louie in Merrillville, IN and is excited as today (Dec 5th) they are celebrating the repeal of prohibition and they are doing a Gatsby theme. One of her favorite books!
 
I have two stepchildren. Sydney works with troubled youth at Westville Indiana Correctional Facility and Trevor is a student at Ball State working on his masters.
 
 
Future goals for ISFPC?
 
Going through past newsletters and minutes, I can see that ISFPC once had a large and diverse membership, contests and meetings. ISFPC was very involved with communities and schools/universities and poetry clubs. Somehow over the years activity and involvement has diminished. Instead of continuing growth, ISFPC had tumble down the hill of development and maintaining a strong alliance of poets in the State of Indiana.
 
The operations of ISFPC are antiquated and vague. We need to regroup, reorganize and bring ISFPC up to par with what the founding board started, as well as bring some of the practices into the 21st Century.
 
I hope to get ISFPC back on track with increased membership, involvement, incentives and revamping of the bylaws beyond adding spotty updates.
 
2016 is ISFPC’s 75th year anniversary. We need to celebrate this milestone and keep ‘Poetry Alive.’