About IPA

Our mission: The Iowa Poetry Association, Inc. shall promote interest in and appreciation of POETRY through opportunities for education, publication, writing, performance, and contests. We aim to serve Iowans of all ages, incomes, identities, and experience levels.

These opportunities are free (except as indicated) and open to all Iowans. They include, but are not limited to:

• monthly e-newsletter of upcoming events
• IPA LIVE monthly online series of mini-workshops and readings
• quarterly print newsletter (members only)
• annual series of Slam qualifiers and finals in search of Iowa slam champion to compete in the annual BlackBerry Peach national slam championship
• annual Lyrical Iowa Competition with adult and student (K-college undergrad) divisions and contests; winners and high-ranking poems are published in Lyrical Iowa, IPA's annual anthology; winners' reading celebrations; Pushcart Prize nominations are selected from the anthology.
• resources for K-12 teachers including annual teacher panel discussions, lesson plans and suggestions, future outreach to high school poetry students in virtual mini-workshops
• poetry celebrations, performances, workshops: Poetry Palooza! (Apr, Des Moines); Poetry on the Prairie (Nov, Perry); Poetry& pop-up events (Greater Des Moines area)
• bi-annual hybrid writing critiques / workshops in April and October (free to members, modest fee for non-members*)
• low annual membership fees: $8 regular, $15 or more patron
• future plans include outreach through Iowa's public libraries to promote poetry reading opportunities and to connect with poetry communities state-wide.

Who we are: We are a non-profit 501(c)(3) public charity, of The Academy of American Poets and The National Federation of State Poetry Societies, Inc.. We are also a partner organization of the Iowa Student Poet Ambassador program.

Thanks to the Google Books Project and the University of Iowa Librairies (who hold a complete collection of the Iowa Poetry Association's Lyrical Iowa anthologies), editions from 1946 to 2020 have been digitized and are free to view online. You may find the links here.

To read IPA's Constitution and Bylaws (revised Feb 2024), click here.

Contact us by E-mail at ipa@iowapoetry.com

Executive board members:

President: Dawn Terpstra, Lynnville Dawn Terpstra is a Pushcart nominated poet, writer, and hobbyist beekeeper, who lives along a quiet gravel road in rural Iowa. She enjoys finding topics, speakers, and connections with IPA members as she schedules and hosts IPA LIVE! Her poetry appears in current and forthcoming publications including Verse Daily, Plainsongs, Briar Cliff Review, Midwest Review, The North Dakota Quarterly, Quartet, Ekphrastic Review, Halfway Down the Stairs, SWWIM, and Lyrical Iowa. She is the author of a chapbook, Songs from the Summer Kitchen from Finishing Line Press. Dawn is working on her MFA in Creative Writing at Pacific Lutheran University's Rainer Writing Workshop. To learn more, visit www.dawnterpstra.com. ipa@iowapoetry.com
First Vice President: Rodney G. Reeves, Burlington Now retired from working after a varied life that included twelve years as a movie theatre manager in three different Iowa towns and twenty five years making corrugated boxes for a local company in Burlington, Rod is involved in church life at Zion United Church of Christ in Burlington where he has served on the council several times and currently is an elder. In addition to The Society of Great River Poets (SGRP) and IPA, he works with the Des Moines County Historical Society, the Players Workshop community theater, Burlington Art Center and the Des Moines County Genealogical Society. As current 1st vice-president of IPA, Rod hopes to encourage development of more local writing groups around the state so more poets can find the encouragement he has with SGRP. rodneyreeves1954@gmail.com
Second Vice President / Historian: Heather Ann Clark, Winterset Heather Ann Clark holds degrees from Drake University in BFA Theatre Directing and BA Writing, with Poetry and Playwriting concentrations. She is currently finishing a Master of Arts in Communication - Public Affairs and Advocacy from Drake University. Heather lives in Madison County, where she enjoys awe-inspiring sunsets, summer nights of meteor showers, and her Bald Eagle neighbors. ms.h.clark@hotmail.com
Secretary: Barbara Edler, Keokuk Barbara Edler currently works part time teaching college composition courses at Iowa Wesleyan University in Mount Pleasant, Iowa. After teaching English for forty years, and TAG for four, she retired in 2020. A lifelong Iowan, she enjoys exploring the beauty of nature, especially in her back yard where she can view the Mississippi River each day. She is an active participant of the Ethical ELA five day write and has a few of her poems published in Bridge the Distance. When she isn't reading student work, books for pleasure, or writing poetry, you can most likely find her rooting for the Hawkeyes or playing cards. bedler58@gmail.com
Treasurer: Dawn Mumey, Bettebdorf Dawn lives in Bettendorf, IA, where her three boys were raised. Soon to be remarried, she will add two stepdaughters to her life. With Dawn graduating from the University of Northern Iowa, her fiancé from Iowa State and their children attending University of Iowa and Iowa State, they are definitely a house divided! Dawn is currently the Director of Finance for The Robert Young Center for Community Mental Health in the Quad Cities. In her free time, she enjoys reading, scrapbooking, biking with her fiancé and spending time with family. She also loves the beach and wishes for more time (and money) to spend there. dsmumey@gmail.com

Editors:

Editor-in-chief: Marilyn J. Baszczynski, Earlham Marilyn Baszczynski is a retired French teacher, originally from Ontario, Canada. Writing since childhood and largely inspired by living in the country, she weaves life's journeys and detours into her poems. Marilyn joined IPA in 1999, is Past-president, and helms IPA's Lyrical Iowa anthology as Editor-in-chief and contest coordinator since 2017. Marilyn's book, Gyuri. A poem of wartime Hungary (Whistling Shade) was published in 2015. A second chapbook, daughter, while i'm still here, is forthcoming in April 2024 (Finishing Line Press). Her poetry has also appeared in various journals and anthologies. ipa@iowapoetry.com
Associate Editor: Jared Pearce, Oskaloosa Jared Pearce's books include Down Their Spears (Cyberwit, 2021) and The Annotated Murder of One (Aubade, 2018). Further: https://jaredpearcepoetry.weebly.com. pearcecjared@gmail.com
Associate Editor: Steve Rose, Indianola Steve Rose has published numerous poems and a little flash fiction in a bunch of places. To name some: The Midwest Review; And So it Goes (A literary anthology devoted to the memory of Kurt Vonnegut), Sun Beams, the Joan Ramseyer 2020 Memorial Anthology; Voices of the Plains; Lyrical Iowa and (the best title ever given to a literary journal) The Dime Bag of Poetry. He has published two books of poetry: Hard Papas and Nebraska and Other States. He has also published a scad of scholarly work that no one should have to read ever again. If wishes were horses, he would have been born as Townes Van Zandt or Leonard Cohen, or, even better, Will Rogers. steve.rose@simpson.edu
College Editor: Bill Rudolph, Grinnell Bill Rudolph--whose poetry has appeared in Barrow Street, The North American Review, Poetry East, Quarterly West, Rattle, The South Dakota Review, Steam Ticket, and dozens of other journals--earned his MFA in Poetry from Vermont College. Currently, he is working on a hybrid memoir comprised of family history, lyrical essays, and (of course) poetry. For his day job, Bill coaches student writers in Grinnell College's Writing, Reading, and Speaking Center. rudolphw@grinnell.edu
High School Editor: Kelli Lage, Sheffield Kelli Lage is an assistant poetry editor Bracken Magazine and Best of the Net and Pushcart nominated poet. She is the author of two poetry books. Her latest chapbook, Bandaged, is forthcoming with Querencia Press.Lage's work has appeared in Common Ground Review, Stanchion Zine,Maudlin House, and elsewhere. Website: www.kellilage.com. kellidunbarlage@gmail.com
Grade School Editor: Della Weems, Adel Della Weems is a person who loves words. As a kid she wrote stories and poetry, and luckily, received so much positive feedback that she never gave up on the power of expression. It made perfect sense for her to major in English and become an English teacher. She continues to read and write and hopefully influence others. Della is married and has six adult children who are also wordsmiths in their various careers. dardelweems@gmail.com

Standing Committee Chairpersons:

Communications: Lisa Morlock, Johnston Lisa Morlock lives with her family in Johnston. With a BA in English and MS in educational administration, she works for Iowa STEM. Besides reading and writing, Lisa enjoys being outdoors and working out. She loves all types of poetry, especially those that bridge nature and the human condition. lamorlock1@gmail.com
IPA LIVE! Coordinator: Dawn Terpstra, Lynnville See bio and photo above. ipa@iowapoetry.com
Nominations: Rodney G. Reeves, Burlington See bio and photo above. rodneyreeves1954@gmail.com
Poetry Palooza Chairperson: Pat Boddy, Des Moines Pat Boddy's poetry often foregrounds the need for conservation policy and climate justice. In retirement, Pat hiked the Dark Divide of the Cascade Mountains as writer-in-residence with Portland-based Signal Fire. She has a passion for the transformative power of poetry, enjoys reading her work aloud and even more so hearing and reading the work of others. Along with Diane Glass and other supportive friends, she hosted a new poetry group's inaugural pop-up event: Poetry & Pie in the Park. She's a professional engineer, former deputy and interim director of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, past director of Polk County Conservation, Sr. Partner Emeritus of RDG Planning & Design and in an earlier life, an award-winning broadcast journalist. Pat holds a B.J. (Journalism) from the University of MO-Columbia and B.S. and M.S. degrees in engineering and water resources from ISU. She is one of the many founders of Poetry&, a non-profit dedicated to nurturing community, creativity and healing through poetry. patriciaboddy@gmail.com
Poetry Palooza Liaison: Diane Glass, Des Moines Diane Glass is a poet, teacher, storyteller, and community volunteer. Her book of poetry, The Heart Hungers for Wildness, draws from her life experience and her work as a spiritual director in paying attention to and celebrating what truly matters and endures. Her career history includes serving as Vice President of Marketing for the Des Moines Register, teaching at the Mind & Spirit Counseling Center, (formerly the Des Moines Pastoral Counseling Center), and founding Tending Your Inner Garden for women. She lives in Des Moines with her husband Jeff Means and cat Penny. dianeglass96@gmail.com
Slam Poetry: Kelsey Bigelow, Des Moines Kelsey Bigelow is a spoken word and page poet based in Des Moines. She aims to be the motivator and mentor people don't always get in life. In her work, she molds incredibly specific emotions into something human, digestible, and cathartic. She believes we grow in empathy by talking about our shared experiences, no matter how difficult. As a professional spoken word poet, multi-slam champion, published author, workshop leader, and more, Kelsey is on a mission to show others two things: 1. You can live the life you dream, and 2. It does get better. Find Kelsey's work at kelkaybpoetry.com. kelsey@kelkaybpoetry.com
Spring/Fall Workshop Coordinator: Angela Evans, Ankeny Angela Evans lives in Ankeny with her husband, Randy. They go on daily walks which inspires her poetry. She is a breast cancer survivor, avid reader and seasoned social worker. She makes handmade cards and altered books. She is a longtime member of IPA, attempts to enter Instagram Poetry Potluck each month and has been involved with the Grant Wood Country Forum for the past several years. bjohnsonisu@gmail.com
Student Liaison: Kelli Lage, Sheffield See bio and photo above. kellidunbarlage@gmail.com
Teacher Liaison: Teresa Lawler, Glenwood Teresa Lawler taught high school language arts for thirty-six years in Carroll, Melcher-Dallas, Jefferson-Scranton, Ankeny, and Ankeny Centennial. After retiring from Centennial in 2022, Teresa became an adjunct professor for Iowa Central and Iowa Western. She is also the individual speech coach for Glenwood since she simply could not stop coaching with the Iowa High School Speech Association. In her spare time, you can find Teresa listening to U2, traveling to places where U2 is performing, and hanging out with her family, especially her two grandchildren, Brody and Brynn. tklawler1989@gmail.com