Poetry will once again be a staple in the Art On The Prairie Festival this weekend. 

The “Poetry On The Prairie” will be included into the annual festival this year and even have their own venue. Iowa Poetry Association Member Dawn Sly-Terpstra says that there will be many events taking place at the Studio on Second that include poetry readings by lyrical winning poets, student and adult workshops and open mic opportunities. Sly-Terpstra tells Raccoon Valley Radio that they are thrilled about the first ever IPA sponsored slam poetry competition.

“We’re so excited about it. We have competitions that we would like to do through April. We plan to have three competitions. The Iowa Poetry Association will be choosing a finalist to represent the Iowa Poetry Association at the National Competition, which is being sponsored by the National, the NFSPS and National Federated States of Poetry Societies.”

The competition will take place at the Game Block Brewery starting at 7pm and the nominee chosen will move to the national competition in Des Moines. The events will run throughout the weekend until Sunday. The full schedule will be listed here.