Board Minutes February 19th, 2017

February 19, 2017 Minutes

Oregon Poetry Association

Board Meeting

 

On the phone: Tiel, Dick, Joy, Shirley, Lisa, Lynn (Dorothy, Susan unavailable)

 

Student Contest:  The judging is finished. We have ten winners from each age division. The letters OPA sent to middle schools paid off in participation. K-2 had 18 entries, 74 in the grade 3-5 group, 190 middle school entries and 35 from high school. OPA will mail 2018 contest information to high school teachers.

 

A room is reserved at the Salem capitol building for the Awards Ceremony on April 29. We are awaiting confirmation on the room. OPA hopes to hear from the Collins Foundation in the coming week regarding contest funding. Create Space will be used for the publication of Cascadia.

 

Verseweavers has been mailed and received by board members.

 

No progress has been made on Oregon Conversation Project in Portland. The Eugene Library has detailed requirements and will take 4-6 months for advance review. Springfield Library also has an application process. More inquiries will be made regarding the Springfield Library as a possible venue. No fees may be charged. Josephine Community Library has already participated in this program and would have fewer problems repeating the effort.

 

OPA will check on River Road Parks Annex Building and also see if Lane Literary Guild might be willing to co-sponsor. April 1 is the deadline for programs presented from May to August. The honorarium is $125 for three events paid to Oregon Humanities.

 

Written reports were provided to the board about the non-profit training that two board members attended. Out of that training a suggestion was made that board members include poetry in our meetings. It was agreed that each board member may offer a short poem as a “reply all” on our next meeting agenda email.

 

Strophes which comes out quarterly will be contacted to insert our upcoming conference details. News of a Southern Oregon publishing party will also be shared.

 

2017 OPA Conference proposals will come to: [email protected].  Emails asking for proposals go out March 15, April 15, and May 15. June 1 is the deadline. The OPA retreat will evaluate proposals on June 17. Notification of acceptances will be made by June 25.

 

Conference “early bird” registration deadline is September 30. Late registration costs more.

 

Registration deadline for hotel reservations is September 12. Breakfast is part of hotel room fee. A daily parking fee and taxes add to the reasonable $84 room cost.

OPA still needs a new book review editor, new membership chair and adult contest chair. Job descriptions are available. Soliciting of the general membership to volunteer for these positions will be undertaken. Information will go out ASAP to avoid overloading members with emails in the spring. A request for another board member will be included in this membership contact since we have one position standing open.

 

The board decided to offer five categories in the Fall 2017 Adult Contest: Poets Choice/any form, New Members/any form, Members Only/any form, Traditional Form/villanelle, Themed: Current Events/any form. The board expanded the line limit for the Members Only category from 12 to 20 lines. In other categories the line limits are unchanged.

 

The next phone conference board meeting will Sunday, March 19, 2017.

 

 

 

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