August 9, 2019, Oregon Poetry Association Minutes of Board Meeting

Present: Shirley, Lynn, Diane, Stella, Charles, Erik, Bruce, Jennifer

Approve June 13 Minutes and Updated Policy and Procedures: Both approved with amendments. There was no July Board meeting.

Treasurer’s Report: The Board accepted the financial report Lynn had sent. Lynn is working on grant applications for the 2019-2020 student contest and Cascadia.

Membership: Charles reported current members number 296. He expects twenty to thirty additional memberships accompanying contest entries.

Outreach: Diane indicated the Hood River event helped establish an OPA presence. Collaborator Leah Stenson will offer a local workshop there.

            Erik will meet with Amelia Ettinger at the Salem conference to further OPA ties to a new La Grande reading series.

            Jennifer reported on OPA’s $300 support for 30 student tickets to a Richard Blanco reading as part of the Youth Artists Institute in Ashland. OPA received recognition for its donation.

            Diane and Bruce plan to attend a workshop in Grants Pass led by Lisa Baldwin.

            Shirley attended Salem’s Art Fest, where the Mid-Valley Poets had a table and gave readings by six poets.

            Charles helped Steven Blue at the Poetry Corner of the Oregon Authors Table at both Art in the Garden and the Lane County Fair.

            At these events, Board members had the opportunity to speak about OPA mission and benefits, while distributing bookmarks.

Newsletter & Strophes: Bruce invites articles for both the OPA and NFSPS newsletters, with August 25 deadlines.

OPA Facebook Group: Lynn reported 78 members. Existence of and invitation to the group will be included in the conference power point presentation, as well as in upcoming newsletters.

Conference: Shirley, Diane, and Lynn are working on conference preparation.

Shirley encourages Board members to send and resend conference info to their own poet lists.

            August 12 is the cut-off for the early-bird rate. One-day registration is $85.

            Diane reported 43 registrations so far.

            Erik will contact John Van Dreal about the Walkabout, indicating an open room at 9am for his group’s use. Since this off-site activity is not covered by our event insurance, Erik will provide a liability waiver sheet for all participants in the Walkabout to sign.

            Shirley is reviewing last year’s annual report to update it for the General Meeting. She is sending requests to Board members to update parts of the annual report they have been responsible for. Lynn requests photos of events or book covers for the power point presentation..

            Shirley and Diane suggest using handouts instead of a booklet to inform attendees of the program and presenters. The Board agreed.

            Shirley will send pieces of the packet to Diane for printing.

            Shirley is meeting with site staff to discuss food and beverages as well as the most economical use of a projector and tech staff.

Old Business:

            OPA Banta Award: Jennifer proposed for Board approval the name of the Banta Award nominee. The Selection Committee was unanimous in its selection.

The Board accepted unanimously the proposed name.

            The two judges assisting Jennifer are willing to serve next year, and Jennifer will see if the other applicants will agree to keep their applications active for next year.

            Erik will notify the winner by phone; Shirley will sign a letter on OPA letterhead drafted by Jennifer. The award will include a framed broadside; Jennifer will make the presentation.

            Verseweavers: Dale being absent, Shirley will call to check on proofing and printing.

            Fall Poetry Contest: Stella is receiving submissions by mail and Submittable (2 and 8, respectively). Lynn indicated the need for more announcements, using Amy Miller’s list, Board members poet lists, Facebook, OPA website, etc. Stella can receive support from Amy and Susan Morse on this contest, which has a September 1 deadline.

            Portland Book Fair: For November 9, OPA has reserved a table for use primarily to advertise OPA and its activities, with Verseweavers and Cascadia for sale. There was agreement on the desirability of having a square for credit card sales. Those who wish to help that day contact Bruce or Diane.

            New Board Members: As in the June 14 minutes, Board members are asked to use a variety of ways to recruit Board members. We are now thinking more definitely about having staff positions designated for helping with Board-directed work. Charles suggested there be a staff volunteer coordinator.

New Business:

            There is inconsistency in how earlier Verseweavers are priced between the OPA website and Submittable.

            Shirley will send Tiel the updated Policies and Procedures.

            Retiring Board members will attend the first part of the meeting of the new Board.

Next Meeting: By Skype, Monday, September 9, 5:30 pm.

1 thought on “August 9, 2019, Oregon Poetry Association Minutes of Board Meeting”

  1. Good to hear what’s “going on in Oregon.” (Does that rhyme? 🙂
    I’m working hard towards downsizing so I can get myself moved out Oregon Way.
    It’s exciting and also exhausting! Meanwhile, I had a weeklong writing retreat in
    Rockport, MA. where I beached and walked to many different areas in the morning and
    edited TRIBES (a work from my time in west Papua/New Guinea living in with several hunter-gatherer groups) each afternoon into early eve. It’s exciting, as I already have a contract with HayHouse Publishing Co. So, I just need to reread thru several times
    for final-final edits and then send it along. Yay!

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