About
Patricia Williams, Poet/Writer
About Patricia
Patricia Williams retired after 27 years of teaching design studies, primarily the historical and social aspects, at the University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point. Before that she was a K-12 art teacher. In 2013, she began writing poetry on a wide range of subjects, believing that art, design, music and the literary arts are natural partners. All creatively examine life and living. Her poetry has been published or is forthcoming in a variety of online and print journals and anthologies in the U.S. and abroad. Her first chapbook, "The Port Side of Shadows: Poetry of Travel - Inner, Outer and Uncharted Places," was released by Finishing Line Press in March 2017. Her collection of 60 poems, "Midwest Medley: Places & People, Wild Things & Weather" was published in July 2018 by Kelsay Books and designated by the Wisconsin Library Association as Outstanding Poetry Book for 2018. Her new book, "Rejection to Acceptance" (Kelsay Books) tells the story behind 57 eventually published poems. It is due out in summer of 2023. Pat is listed in the Poets& Writers Directory, has been a nominee for both "Best of the Net" and "The Pushcart Prize," won recognition and awards in several other venues, and is a member of the Wisconsin Fellowship of Poets. She lives in the central Wisconsin countryside with her husband.
Click here to view her works on Amazon.
Prizes and Achievements
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Pushcart Prize Nomination, 2023, Sponsor, Highland Park, “Praise Paper and Red Tape” (Poem)
Hal Prize for Poetry, Third Place, 2022, Peninsula Pulse 8142 Review, “Waiting for Janis Joplin,” (Poem)
Poetry at Your Feet Contest, 2021, Waupaca Community Arts Board. “Magic Evenings” one of 16 poems chosen to be imprinted in the sidewalks of Waupaca, Wisconsin.
COVID-19 Competition, Finalist, 2020, Dissonance Magazine, “Lockdown is FryingMy Brain” (Poem)
Great Midwest Review Annual Contest, Final Round, 2019, “Elegy Before Snow Falls” (Poem)
Kay Saunders Award, Third Place, 2019, Wisconsin Fellowship of Poets, "Villanelle for the Birch" (Poem)
Outstanding Achievement in Poetry, 2018, Wisconsin Library Association, “Midwest Medley” (Book)
Rebecca Lard Award Finalist, 2017, Poetry Quarterly, “Midnight Encounter (Poem)
New Women's Voices Finalist, 2017, Finishing Line Press “Portside of Shadows” (Chapbook)
Editor’s Choice Award, 2017. Waypoints, “Islands” (Poem)
Best of the Net Nomination, 2014. Sponsor, Camel Saloon, “Life in a Word” (Poem)
Book Review - Quill and Parchment
Rejection to Acceptance: 57 Poems That Finally Made It by Patricia Williams
Reviewed by Michael Escoubas - November 2023 - Vol. 269 (excerpt)
The would-be poet, “Oh, how awful I feel. My 5th submission to a journal has been rejected!” Patricia Williams, “GET OVER IT!”
What a way to begin a review. But this is exactly the right way to begin a review about reality for poets. In Rejection to Acceptance: 57 Poems That Finally Made It, poet Patricia Williams does not coddle her audience. She does not allow poets to “cry in their soup.” Rejection in poetry is life. It is the way things are. Conversely, success in poetry is life as well. This poet is about winning. She is determined. She is smart; and most importantly, she has talent. With that said, Williams will be the first to aver that she is not “exceptionally” talented. Poetry, like other crafts, can be learned. What Williams has, in abundance, is a very thick skin. Over the course of about 10 years, rejections came in numbers that would paper her living room walls. Rejection to Acceptance is about one poet’s journey from failure to success … consistent success
Click here to read the entire review on the Quill and Parchment website
An interview with Patricia Williams - Quill and Parchment
By Neil Leadbeater - October 2023 - Vol. 268 (excerpt)
Neil: Your chapbook, The Port Side of Shadows, is inspired by your travels. Which countries are mentioned and did the publication of this volume become a defining moment for you in terms of your future as a writer?
Patricia: I have visited 22 countries but only mentioned eight byname in the book: Morocco, England, Spain, Tibet, Greece, France, Czech Republic and China. The fact that a traditional publisher published my chapbook prompted me to try a full collection. So yes, the chapbook was a defining moment. And when the Midwest Medley collection won the Wisconsin Library Association award for poetry, I knew there was another collection in the future, and Rejection to Acceptance was born.
Neil: Tell us a little bit about the concept behind your forthcoming book: ‘Rejection to Acceptance’.
Patricia: It is a poetry memoire, an account of my journey with poetry publication. There are notes and comments on each poem – the back story– from initial inspiration to its ultimate publication. It’s a book about 57 rejected poems that finally “made it” to publication, some were rejected six, seven or more times. Each poem is on the left-hand page with a mini-essay containing a variety of my personal comments, reader comments, publisher comments, historic details, or other related details, facing it on the right-hand page.
Click here to read the entire interview on the Quill and Parchment website
