Wisconsin People & Ideas editor Jason A. Smith and literary editor John Lehman host an evening of the best poetry and fiction by up-and-coming Wisconsin writers at the Wisconsin People & Ideas/Wisconsin Book Festival Short Story and Poetry Contest reading event during the 2011 Wisconsin Book Festival. This annual event takes place at Avol’s Books in Madison and highlights the winners of our annual poety contest and short story contest, both accepting submissions from September 15 to December 15 and awarding prizes up to $500. More details on the annual contests can be found on our Contest page. Featured 2011 poets include Michael Kriesel (Aniwa), Kathleen Dale (Milwaukee), and Jessi Peterson (Eau Claire), and Allison Slavick (Cable), Marysa LaRowe (Madison), Kathryn Gahl (Two Rivers) read their prize-winning stories.