Help us open our gallery space in our new location at 347 E. Ward St. with a group show. Open to local and regional artists, submit your work for our inaugural exhibition. There is a theme; please read on to see if your work fits. 

Iterations. Versions. Multiples. Shifts.

The multiple versions of one movement, one story, one timeline. Working through iterations, variants emerge, and they in turn branch out as new growth. Through small shifts and transitions moving towards transformation—what are the steps along the way? 

Corresponding with our Poetry Marathon in January 2027, in which we come together as a community for poetic and musical performances and screenings, we hope this open call adds to our collective celebration of the arts and becomes an annual invitation as well.

Do you have work in multiples? Work that shows the process? Artwork that celebrates change? Please consider submitting your work.

Guidelines

• All mediums welcome! (4D, movement/dance, performance, moving image, 3D, installation, 2D) (We now have space to install work in the MIDDLE of the room 🙂)
• Please include an artist statement, images of existing work to be considered that fits the theme OR images of your practice in general with a proposal for a new project you would like to work on that’s specific to this exhibition, and a short third-person bio.
• We’re excited to work with Milwaukee and Wisconsin artists. Regional artists from the surrounding states are also encouraged to apply.
• This call closes October 23, 2026. Work should be ready and delivered to Woodland Pattern during the week of January 11, 2027 (details will be provided at acceptance). The exhibition will run through March.

PRACTICE FELLOWSHIP: This fellowship category seeks to support an emerging poet in their writing practice through a year long mentorship with an established poet. Mentor and fellow will meet monthly one-on-one to workshop writing, discuss poetry and poetics, and explore publication opportunities. Meetings will take place in person and virtually. During the fellowship period, the recipient will also receive a $500 book allowance, may attend any Woodland Pattern workshop free of cost, and will be invited to give a culminating reading. Poets with existing manuscript projects are particularly encouraged to apply in this category.

Eligibility: Open to Milwaukee poets between the ages of 20 and 35, who are not currently enrolled in an MFA or PhD program. 

Mentorship: The Milwaukee Emerging Poet Fellow in the Practice category will be mentored by Sean Enfield. Sean is an essayist, poet, gardener, bassist, and educator. His debut essay collection, Holy American Burnout!, was published by Split/Lip Press in December 2023 and was a finalist for the CLMP Firecracker Award and winner of the Writer’s League of Texas Discovery Prize in Nonfiction. Currently, he is a PhD candidate in English at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. He received his MFA in creative writing from the University of Alaska-Fairbanks, where he served as the editor in chief of Permafrost Magazine. Now, he serves as an assistant nonfiction editor at Terrain.org. You can find more of his work at seanenfield.com.

Application Instructions: Please submit 10 poems and a cover letter discussing your writing practice and reasons for seeking this fellowship. Poems may be submitted as either a manuscript or performance recording. Please submit all 10 poems in only ONE text document.

ABOUT THE MILWAUKEE EMERGING POET FELLOWSHIPS: Drawing inspiration from both the Mary L. Nohl Fund Emerging Artist Fellowship and the Poetry Project’s Emerge Surface Be program, Woodland Pattern established the Milwaukee Emerging Poet Fellowship program in 2022 to bring greater visibility and much-needed early support to Milwaukee poets through mentorships, access to opportunities that encourage a poet’s practice and development, and investment in literary projects for which younger poets frequently lack resources. The Milwaukee Emerging Poet Fellowship program also seeks to make available alternative avenues of support for emerging poets outside traditional academic-track poetry programs and environments.

PROJECT FELLOWSHIP: This fellowship category seeks to support an emerging poet in need of financial and administrative support for an ambitious literary project such as a reading series, small press, literary journal, or interdisciplinary exhibition. Both new and existing projects are eligible for consideration. The Project fellow will receive ongoing support from our staff, along with a $1,500 project budget. Poets with a track record in DIY publishing and/or hosting performance series are particularly encouraged to apply in this category.

Eligibility: Open to Milwaukee poets between the ages of 20 and 35, who are not currently enrolled in an MFA or PhD program. 

Mentorship: The Milwaukee Emerging Poet Fellow in the Project category will work directly with Woodland Pattern’s Director of Special Projects & Initiatives, Chuck Stebelton, to realize their projects, and will receive additional support from Woodland Pattern’s Executive Directors Jenny Gropp and Laura Solomon in administrative matters such as budget planning.

Application Instructions: Please submit a project proposal, a budget, and a cover letter outlining your preparedness to execute your project and your reasons for seeking this fellowship.

ABOUT THE MILWAUKEE EMERGING POET FELLOWSHIPS: Drawing inspiration from both the Mary L. Nohl Fund Emerging Artist Fellowship and the Poetry Project’s Emerge Surface Be program, Woodland Pattern established the Milwaukee Emerging Poet Fellowship program in 2022 to bring greater visibility and much-needed early support to Milwaukee poets through mentorships, access to opportunities that encourage a poet’s practice and development, and investment in literary projects for which younger poets frequently lack resources. The Milwaukee Emerging Poet Fellowship program also seeks to make available alternative avenues of support for emerging poets outside traditional academic-track poetry programs and environments.

POSITION TITLE: Book Center Director

POSITION SUMMARY: The Book Center Director is a full-time, exempt position that works to promote and support Woodland Pattern’s mission through the ongoing care and development of its unique collections of poetry and small-press literature. This position reports to the Managing Director. 

ABOUT THE BOOK CENTER: Integral to all of Woodland Pattern’s programming is the book center, which holds a carefully curated and nationally recognized collection of over 25,000 titles of poetry, small-press literature, and literary ephemera. The dissemination of independent literature—particularly poetry books, chapbooks, and zines by small- and micro-press publishers; works that honor bookmaking as a visual art; and texts by writers from historically marginalized backgrounds—has been central to the organization’s purpose since its founding. As a result of nearly five decades of mission-driven inventory decisions, Woodland Pattern is home to the largest Native American section in Wisconsin, the largest collection of haiku in North America, and a collection of contemporary poetry that is one of the most comprehensive of its kind for sale in the United States. The book center also houses a sizable number of works by writers from Wisconsin and throughout the Upper Midwest, including hundreds of self-published books.

In addition to sourcing books from distributors and publishers, we also regularly consign with authors and publishers as needed, and we infrequently accept donations of small-press books on a case-by-case basis. Unlike a commercial bookseller, Woodland Pattern’s acquisitions have never been based on profitability but on mission fit; believing in the permanent value of each title, it is the organization’s practice to hold all books in inventory on an indefinite basis. Many of our titles are now rare and/or out-of-print, and must be reshelved and repriced accordingly.

Our books are available for sale both in our brick-and-mortar location and in our online book center, and we also serve as a distributor for libraries and partner organizations around the region. 

Additionally, Woodland Pattern will soon be home to a new permanent collection consisting of two onsite libraries: a Special Collection of rare books, chapbooks, ephemera, and music; and an Archival Library, which will include titles by writers who have performed at Woodland Pattern since its opening in 1980. Work is underway on these library projects, and the new Book Center Director will oversee their completion.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

Serve as the Primary Curator and Caretaker of the Book Center and Libraries

• Combine vision with pragmatism to ensure effective upkeep and continuous development of collections
• Identify, order, and receive titles that align with Woodland Pattern’s mission and support its programs 
• Nurture relationships with small presses and fine-press publishers, regional libraries, and other institutional partnerships
• Remain knowledgeable about poetry, contemporary literature, and small-press publishing through reading and research

Lead Book Center Volunteers, Interns, and Fellows 

• Provide training, guidance, oversight, support, and recognition 
• Assign and supervise tasks—such as shelving, receiving, shipment preparation, overstock chores, data entry projects, tasks related to annual inventory count, book center displays, and front desk duties—keeping in mind both organizational needs and individual skill sets and preferences

Manage Inventory & Online Store

• Fulfill and ship orders purchased online, responding to customer queries as needed
• Ensure clean text and data for all site pages, while adhering to in-house guidelines 
• Update landing page and create special collections in honor of designated identity recognition and cultural heritage months (i.e., Black History Month, Pride Month, etc).
• Lead efforts on Woodland Pattern’s annual inventory count and reconciliation 
• Monitor inventory platform for system updates and ensure they are made

Steward Financial Accounts Related to the Book Center

• Ensure book orders remain within budget 
• Maintain monthly Accounts Payable for book bills, and deliver payable invoices to Managing Director on a monthly basis
• Similarly, maintain monthly Accounts Receivable for library and institutional orders, invoicing and following up if payments are overdue 
• Receive books on invoice or consignment, track consignment sales, and ensure regular consignment payouts to authors
• Keep orderly physical and digital files

Contribute to Woodland Pattern’s Collective Environment and Collaborative Projects 

• Assist in community, off-site, and special events, and other staff-wide efforts
• Tend to public interactions, phone calls, and voicemails during operating hours 
• Share weekend and evening hours with other Woodland Pattern staff, and help open and close center

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

• Extensive knowledge of and passion for contemporary American poetry
• Knowledge of small-press publications and publishers, past and present
• Experience working in a library or bookstore; with a small press or literary journal; or for a nonprofit literary arts organization
• Graduate degree in creative writing, literature, book arts, library studies, or related field 
• Backgrounds of study in Native American literature, and/or African American, Asian American, Latinx, and/or Queer literatures a plus 
• Must possess excellent writing and editorial skills

ACCESSIBILITY: This position requires some physical activity. The selected candidate must be able to lift up to 40 lbs, navigate a bookshelf ladder, and sit for extended periods of time while working on a computer.

SALARY: Starting at $50,000 with opportunity for advancement.

BENEFITS: Health, dental/eye, long- and short-term disability, and life insurance covered at nearly 100%. Retirement plan with 3% match; generous discount on books, as well as an annual book allowance.

LEAVE: 2 personal days, 10 vacation days, and up to 12 sick days per calendar year. Additional 5 days of leave available for bereavement. Woodland Pattern offers all staff seven observed holidays, as well as a one-week summer break and time off annually between Christmas and New Year’s. Observed religious holidays will be accommodated. Vacation leave increases with service.

LOCATION: In person at Woodland Pattern in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

APPLICATION DEADLINE: November 30, 2026.

START DATE: Flexible. A relocation allowance will be available if needed. 

APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS: Interested applicants may apply online via Submittable. (Applications submitted on LinkedIn will not be considered!) Please include a cover letter and a resume, and ensure that two letters of reference are submitted to info@woodlandpattern.org. Questions may also be directed to info@woodlandpattern.org. No calls please. 

Woodland Pattern is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Women, people of color, and those who identify as LGBTQ+ are strongly encouraged to apply.