Attention Youth Poets! 

The Milwaukee Youth Poet Laureate cycle is open to all Milwaukee County high school sophomores and juniors.

Submissions close on MARCH 24, 2024. 

The 2024 Milwaukee Youth Poet Laureate will receive a $500 book allowance, a paid summer internship with Woodland Pattern, ongoing mentorship and support from Woodland Pattern throughout the Laureateship, and a full-ride scholarship to participate in UW–Madison’s Pass the Mic Festival hosted by First Wave. The Laureateship also includes opportunities to perform around the city, compete for regional and national titles, lead writing workshops for fellow youth poets, and connect with local organizations to spotlight social causes.

Milwaukee Youth Poet Laureate logo in the top left, on the right side, in black line drawing, a person holding a book in one hand with the other hand active as if reading out loud, line drawings of a microphone, a pencil, a Composition notebook, and decorative shapes float above the reader.

Read Our Annual Report

Woodland Pattern's 2022 annual report is available to view online. You can also download a PDF by clicking on the button below or request a print version by mail. Learn about our programming efforts, revenue sources, and how we spent our funds. 

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Click on the image above to open the interactive PDF viewer.

Reading: Diana Khoi Nguyen, Cindy Juyoung Ok, & Nikki Wallschlaeger
*HYBRID*

Sat. Mar. 16 | 7 pm CDT | $Give What You Can

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Concert: Formations Series for New & Improvised Music

SET 1—John McCoy SET 2—Nicholas Elert

*HYBRID*

Thurs. Mar. 21 | 7 pm CDT | $10

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Writing Workshop: The Luminous Mind: Waking up the Poet Inside with Julian Talamantez Brolaski
*IN PERSON*

Sat. Mar. 23 | 1-4 pm CDT | $75 ($67 WP Members)

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Poetry Reading: Julian Talamantez Brolaski
*HYBRID*

Sat. Mar. 23 | 7 pm CDT | $Give What You Can

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Community Group: Ping Pong Book Club
*IN PERSON*

Tues. Mar. 26 | 6 pm CDT | Open to AAPI

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Community Group: Readshop 
*ONLINE on Zoom*

Wed. Mar. 27 | 6-7:15 pm CDT | Open to the public

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Open Mic: resound return
*IN PERSON*

Fri. Mar. 29 | 7 pm CDT | $Give What You Can

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Meet Emily Igwike, Milwaukee’s First-Ever Youth Poet Laureate

Emily Igwike is currently serving as the 2023–24 Milwaukee Youth Poet Laureate. In Fall 2022, she was named one of five National Student Poets through the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, representing the Midwest region. A rising senior at the University School of Milwaukee, Igwike has lived in Brown Deer, Wisconsin, all her life. She is the daughter of two loving Igbo-Nigerian immigrants and enjoys the hustle and bustle of her big family, with three siblings and distant relatives rotating in and out of her house at any moment. Igwike developed her passion for writing at an early age by reading novels and grew fond of telling stories from countless late nights with her mother. Through poetry, she has curated her voice and let others hear her. She hopes to be a role model for young, Black girls like herself and a testament to the power of the spoken word.

Visit our unique collection of small-press poetry

Did you know Woodland Pattern is home to a nationally recognized collection of over 25,000 small-press poetry titles? To the largest selection of haiku in North America? To the biggest selection of books by Native American authors in Wisconsin? To broadsides, zines, chapbooks, pamphlets, and other hand-made items? 

The dissemination of independent literature—particularly poetry, unconventional texts, works that honor bookmaking as a visual art, books by small- and micro-press publishers, and literature by writers from historically marginalized backgrounds—has been central to our purpose since our founding. Our inventory decisions are mission-driven, allowing us to support writers and publishers in ways that are inconceivable for a commercial bookseller.

Come in and discover. We encourage visitors to read and study at their leisure, and to use our space to learn more about poetry, book arts, and small-press publishing. You can also visit our online book center to browse selections from our  inventory, or give us a call at (414) 263-5001 to see if we have a title in stock. As always, we will gladly place special orders, ship books to your home, and offer contactless pick-up at your request.

We acknowledge that in Milwaukee we live and work on traditional Potawatomi, Ho-Chunk, and Menominee homelands along the southwest shores of Michigami, part of North America’s largest system of freshwater lakes, where the Milwaukee, Menominee, and Kinnickinnic rivers meet and the people of Wisconsin’s sovereign Anishinaabe, Ho-Chunk, Menominee, Oneida, and Mohican nations remain present. 

We further acknowledge the grave evil colonialism introduced to these lands ​through genocide as well as slavery, and also via racist and xenophobic ​beliefs, laws​, and practices that continue to inflict harm upon Black, brown, and Indigenous lives. We honor those who have lived—and do live, now—at these intersections of identity and experience, and are committed to the active dismantling of white supremacy.

Read our statement on racial justice

720 E. Locust Street
Milwaukee, WI 53212
Phone: 414 263 5001

Hours: Tues–Sun | 12-7 pm

Closed Mon


Building Accessibility: Despite the age of our physical location, and attendant limitations to access, Woodland Pattern is committed to making its programs and facilities available for as many as possible. Please call for more information.

Events Accessibility: Woodland Pattern is able to offer captioning services for its online events and with advanced notice can provide ASL interpretation for live events. Please contact us with accommodation requests and questions.

© Woodland Pattern 2024