Southeastern Libraries Cooperating, the regional library system in southeastern Minnesota, accepted submissions for the 2012 Poetic Strokes poetry contest from Jan. 1 to Feb. 15, 2012. SELCO and all member libraries encouraged residents who are 16 years of age or older and who live in the 11-county SELCO region to submit original poetry to be considered for the Poetic Strokes regional anthology. After the Feb. 15 deadline, a qualified panel reviewed all entries and made the final selections for the anthology.

The response was overwhelming as 202 poets submitted a total of 202 poems for judging from 30 different communities. The Poetic Strokes judging panel selected 30 poems by 30 poets from 13 towns in the SELCO region to be published in the 2012 Poetic Strokes anthology.

Bev Jackson Cotter of Albert Lea had her work published in the 2012 Poetic Strokes anthology.

Copies of the Poetic Strokes anthology will be available for checkout at your local public library the first week of April 2012.

This project was funded in part or in whole with money from Minnesota’s Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund.