Donna's poem "Lilacs" is one of the ten winning poems that will be displayed at the Nature Area Poetry Walk at Richfield Lake Park. They will be translated and narrated in both English and Spanish and will be on display for the next two years. The installation ceremony is on Saturday, August 23rd at 6:00 p.m. at the amphitheater, 64th and Lyndale (behind the LakeWinds Coop). All are invited.
"Lonely" by Donna Isaac was accepted for publication by Talking Stick, Volume 34, August 2025.
"Great Gray Owls" by Donna Isaac will be published in the next Saint Paul Almanac, Volume 14, October 2025.
"Suite: Mountain Song" by Donna Isaac was accepted for publication in Agates the Anthology of the League of MN Poets, fall, 2025.
Join Donna Isaac, along with a variety of other poets, for a very special Groundhog's Day live-stream poetry reading, right here on the MTN FB page!
Two of Donna Isaac's poems "Science Class" and "Centurion" are published in Startled by Faith, 2024, Gabriel's Horn Publishing, just out January 2025.
Donna Isaac's poem "Streaming Music" was published in the anthology Startled By Music by Gabriel's Horn Publishing.
"Tightrope: After Chemo" by Donna Isaac is published by Concision, summer 2024, an online poetry journal.
Donna
Isaac's poem "geometry" won 2nd place for the NFSPS'
Virginia Corrie-Cozart Memorial Award, a national
contest.
Donna Isaac's poem "Coming Home" will be
published by the League of Minnesota's poetry
journal Agates 2024.
Donna Isaac's poem "In the Tilling: Variation"
will be included in the chapbook The Nations
Underground: Writing with Our Ancestors.
The book launch and reading, Fourth Annual Poetry
and Jazz in the Holy Ground, will be held at
Pioneers and Soldiers Cemetery, Lake and Cedar
Ave.'s, Minneapolis, June 29, 2:00 p.m.Donna
Isaac's poem "Declaration" appears in the February
Leap Year edition of Concision Journal,
an online journal of experimental poetry:
concisionpoetry.com
In the 2023 NFSPS (National Federation of State
Poetry Societies) national contest, Donna Isaac
won two honorable mentions: The Georgia Poetry
Society Award for "The Tiptons" and the Lucille
Morgan Wilson Memorial Award for "Gardening."
In the Poetry Society of Va.'s 2023 contest, Donna
Isaac won three third place awards: "Harm,"
Charlotte Wise Memorial Award; "Assassination,"
Alfred C. Gary Memorial Award; and "Shoeman,"
Honoring Father Award.
In the 2023 League of Minnesota Poetry Contest,
Donna Isaac won the following awards: Second
Honorable Mention (Deaf Poetry Award) for "To
Fly"; First Place (John & Helen Pappas
Memorial) for "Pet"; First Honorable Mention
(Great River Award) for "College
Freshman/Mountains"; Second Place (Heartland Poets
Award) for "Tanawha"; and Third Place (Lost in
Translation Award) for "Road Trip."
The Poetry Society of Va. published the anthology
Blended Voices: Blending the Voices of Virginia
Poets, 2023. Three of Donna's poems are in the
anthology: "After Life, Stars," "Under the
Amfalula Tree," and "Drifting." (available on
Amazon)
The Arizona State Poetry Society awarded Donna
Isaac's poem "The Mere Distinction of Color" with
a first place and her poem "What Happened Today"
with a second place in their 2023 annual national
contest.
In the Tilling, a full poetry collection by Donna
Isaac, will be published by Finishing Line Press
with presales starting Oct. 2023 and with a book
release in Feb. 2024.
Donna's poem "Mist" will be published by Earth's
Daughters, ILLUSIONS issue, now going to print,
August 2023.
Donna Isaac's poem "To Do Better" has been
selected as a Mississippi Valley Poetry Society
Nature Area Poetry Walk winner for 2023. It will
be placed on a sign around the Richfield Lake Park
walking path sometime in July or early August and
posted on their website with a QR code so visitors
can hear it being read in English and Spanish. A
celebratory reading will take place in August.
The anthology Broad Wings, Long Legs: A
Rookery of Heron Poems (North Star Press)
will include one of Donna's poems, due out spring
2023.
Paris Morning Publications' anthology of bird
poems will include three of Donna's poems and will
be available spring 2023.
Donna's poem "Squinting" has been accepted by
American Writers Review.The Poetry Society of Va.
Newsletter will publish Donna's poems, "Kids" and
"The Tiptons" in the May-June issue.
Donna Isaac's poem "Gaze(lle)" is part of an art
exhibition, "The Clouds We Share" at the Outlook
Gallery in the Open Book, MCBA
window, Washington Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN, on
display May 1-July 22.
Donna's poem "The Tiptons," has been selected for
publication in the 2023 Cracked
Walnut Poetry Anthology. The anthology will
be available and will debut at the Fall League of
MN Poetry Conference, October 2023.
Three of Donna's poems were featured in the 2022
Agates, a literary journal of the League of MN
Poets: "Markings," "Avoidance," and "Distant
Lighting," highlighting their previous wins in
various national contests.
The poem "Harm" by Donna Isaac will be published
by The Healing Muse, volume 23, literary journal
and online (SUNY Upstate Medical University's
Center for Bioethics & Humanities).
In the Poetry Society of Virginia's 2023 Adult
Contests, Donna Isaac won the following awards:
2nd place in the Charlotte Wise Memorial for her
poem "Harm"; 3rd place in the Alfred C. Gary.
Award for her poem "Assassination"; and 3rd place
in the Honoring Fatherhood Award for her poem
"Shoeman."Donna Isaac's poem "An Evening Together"
appears in the Indiana Poetry Society's new
collection Poetry
as My Lover.
The Florida State Poetry Association awarded
Donna's poem "Out to Eat, 2050" second place in
the Sherwood Ross Award for Humorous Poetry and
her poem "Grandmothers North and South" an
Honorable Mention in the Mae's Kitchen Memorial
Award, 2022.
Donna Isaac's poem "Blurred Lines, Moments" won
First Place in the 44th annual Poetry Society of
Indiana's 2022 Contest in the category Glenna
Glee: One and Only, a poem of joy, happiness. Her
poem "Lewis G.M. Durham" won Honorable Mention in
Category 8: Urn Your Prize, a poem a la' Spoon
River Anthology.
Donna Isaac's
poem "After Bedtime" was published in The Talking
Stick: Escapes, volume 31, (Jackpine Writers'
Bloc), 2022 and is available on Amazon.
Then poem "Too Hot To Handle" by Donna Isaac has
taken second place in the League of MN's
Conference medical poetry contest. It will be
posted on the the Southeastern Minnesota Poets
Facebook page as well as the LOMP website, May
2022.
The poem "The Cheese Stands Alone" by Donna Isaac
won first place in the adult age category of
Dakota County Library’s 2022 Poetry Contest. (to
be announced and published on the library's
website May 2022).
Talking Stick (Jack Pine Writers' Bloc, Inc.)
has accepted "After Bedtime" for publication
in their forthcoming journal. This poem was
recently recognized by the PSOV.
The Highlands Voice (The West Virginia
Highlands Conservancy) published Donna
Isaac's poem "Homecoming," April 2022.
The Poetry Society of Virginia Centennial
Anthology has accepted two of Donna's poems
for publication: "After Bedtime" and "Mississippi
Night." In addition, the PSOV 2022 contests,
honored Donna with the following awards: the Nancy
Byrd Turner Memorial Award, third place for "My
Grandfather on the Atlantic" and two Honorable
Mentions: the Laura Day Boggs Bolling Memorial for
"Meditation" and the Emma Gray Trigg Memorial for
"Mississippi Night."
A Common Wealth of Poetry (Poetry Society
of Va.) published "Toward the Horizon Lately by
Donna Isaac in their March 2022 newsletter.
The Freshwater Review (College of St. Scholastica) published "Task at Hand" by Donna Isaac for April 2022.
Gival Press
will publish " "Til Death Do Us Part" and
"Apricots" by Donna Isaac in their :issue 158,
March 1, 2022.
Poetry Virginia 2021 (Poetry Society of Va., 2022)
published the following poems by Donna Isaac:
"Letting Go"; "Picking Asparagus"; and "Taco
King."
A new anthology, Startled by Love (Gabriel's Horn
Press), has accepted three of Donna's poems for
publication, due out the first of the year, 2022.
"Meadows of Dan, Virginia" and "Shenandoah"have
been accepted for Is(sue) 10, AvantAppalachia,which
went live on Dec. 15th, 2021.
Two poems by Isaac, "Needle and Thread" and "Family Foods," were published in The Moccasin, the League of MN Poets' journal, 2021.
In the "One and Only Glenna Glee Award," Poetry Society of Indiana's Contest 2021, Donna Isaac's poem "Encounter" won first place and a cash award.
"Looking for Affection" by Donna Isaac was
published by Talking Stick, Volume 30,
available on Amazon. Lots of great stories
and poems, all by Minnesota writers.
Donna Isaac's poem "Stuff" was featured and published by A Common Wealth of Poetry: Newsletter of the Poetry Society of Virginia, October 2021.
In the National Federation of State Poetry Societies 2021 contests, Donna Isaac won the following awards: First Place in the Margo Award for "Avoidance"; First Place in the William Stafford Memorial Award for "Markings"; Second Place in the Winner's Circle Award for "Distant Lightning"; and Honorable Mentions in both the Jim Barton Memorial Award and the Poets' Work Award. To see all of the awarded work in print, go to Amazon and order the Encore Prize Poems 2021 anthology. It features 160 winning poems selected from more than 6,000 submissions from across the U.S., as well as Canada, the United Kingdom, Spain and India.
Donna's poem "Anticipatory Set" has been accepted for publishing by Shark Reef, Summer 2021 edition.
June 2021: A new selection of "Poems of Hope and Reassurance" are being featured on The Poetry Walk at Green Island in Wadena, Minnesota. The poets featured in June include Donna Isaac. Green Island is located at 850 Scheer Drive, Wadena, Minnesota. It is open to the public from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.
The Ramsey Country Library published This was 2020 which is now available at the Minnesota Libraries Publishing Project. The ebook/print-on-demand publication will be available late June 2021. Donna's poem "Late October" is part of the publication.
Donna Isaac won the following awards from the Poetry Society of VA (2021 contests): First place in the Edgar Allan Poe contest with her poem "Letting Go"; 2nd place in the Carleton Drewery contest for "Picking Asparagus"; 2nd place in the Celie Moon contest for "Taco King"; and 3rd place in the Laura Day Boggs contest for "Frog Prince."
Donna Isaac's poem "Whither" was published in the journal Conestoga Zen (Order here).
Donna's poems "Palette," "Birds of Ireland," "Suburban Woodlands," and "All Raccoons," will be in Startled by Nature, Gabriel's Horn Press. Startled by NATURE 2020: new poetry in traditional forms - YouTube. The book is now available (Jan. 2021) in print. It will soon be available in ebook.
Donna's poem "Costumes" is scheduled for Midway
Journal's Volume 15, Issue 2, which
will go live on April 15, 2021. Please check Midway
Journal.
Donna Isaac's poem, "Circle Dance, " has been chosen First Place in Category III of the Arizona State Poetry Society’s Annual Contest.
Donna's poems: "Watching On Golden Pond Again," "Flight," and "Easter," have been accepted for publication by Moving Images: Poetry Inspired by Cinema (Before Your Quiet Eyes Publishing) in book form late 2020.
Poetry Society of Indiana Fall Contest 2020 announced the following for poet Donna Isaac: The following poem won Reserve: "Photos on my Phone" in the Grace Potter Hearkins Award; the following poems won Honorable Mentions: "Rocketman" in the Premier Poet's Award, "2020" in the Life Worth Remembering Award; "Gems, Suburban Woodlands" in the Noble Poets' Award; and "Spring, 1964 in the Alda Johannes Memorial; and the following poems won First: "Wagons, Ho!" in the Love of Country Award; and "Rustic" in the PSI Memorial Award.
At the October 2020 League of MN Poets, Donna Isaac won the following awards for several of her poems:
1. Awards of Merit in The Moccasin Award for "Meditation"; in the Stone Gathering Award for "Big Shot"; and in the Florence Hynes Willette Memorial Award for " Out of Service"
2. Honorable Mentions in the Southern Minnesota Poets' Award for "The Waczieleski Girls"; and in the Writing Circles for Healing for "Canyon."
3. Third Place in the Steinography Award for "Visitation."
4. Second Place in the John and Helen Pappas Award for "Wheels."
5. First Place in the Board Games Award for "After Supper."
Donna's poem "Photography" was published by The Poeming Pigeon, the Pop Culture Issue (The Poetry Box, 2020).
Donna's poem,"Markings" will be published by Streetlight Magazine, May
2020.
Donna's poem "Tripartite Threat" will be published
in an e-book, "Art in the Time of Covid-19"
(San-Fedele Press), late June 2020 publication
date.
Donna Isaac's poem "Is this the zombie apocalypse
everyone talks about?" will be published in Whistling Shade, Spring/Summer
issue due out May 2020.
--1st
place, Carleton Drewry Memorial Award for her
poem "Rustica"
--2nd place, Brodie Herndon Memorial Award for
her poem "Hero"
--Honorable Mention, Nancy Byrd Turner Memorial
Award for her poem"Coitus Interruptus"
--1st place, Judah, Sarah, Grace, Tom Memorial
Award for her poem"Helping Out"
--1st place, Miriam Rachimi Memorial Award for
her poem "After Chores"
--3rd place, Ann Spencer Memorial Award for her
poem "Meditation"
The
2020 contest anthology will come out in the
fall, as The Poetry Virginia Review 2020.
Here are a few of the judges' comments about her
work:
1) "Meditation pays homage big time to
the Symbolists, and how can that ever be a
terrible thing? I'm drawn to the quirk and the
twist of expectation."
2) "Congratulations on your poem "Hero", which I
am pleased to select as Second Place Winner in
the Poetry Society of Virginia's Brodie Herndon
Memorial contest, for poems on the topic
of Heroism. Excellent. The poem is...
powerful,...memorable. I loved it."
3) "After Chores" is moving in its restraint,
and for its vivid thumbnails of a past shared by
the speaker and the one they mourn. The turn
from the scene of death to the surprising and
unexpected recollection that finishes with "the
earth moving below" is both potent and
electric."
4.) "With muscular language, the first place
poem, "Rustica," captures generational breadth
and cultural identity with the crafted use
of specific, memorable imagery, as well as
thoughtful references that evoke the ancestors
as well as the speaker with their strength,
survival, and joys."
Post Office Box 1626
Georgetown, KY 40324
Donna
Isaac's first full-length collection of poetry, Footfalls
is now available through Pocahontas Press or through
contacting Donna at donnaDonna's poem "Encounter Near
Aldie, Virginia" won first place in the New Voices
category sponsored by the Poetry Society of
Virginia.
Here are the judge's comments:
In addition, for the other winner "Carmen Aponte,"
here are the judge's comments:
Genre: Urban Arts will
publish Donna' s poems ""Carrots" & "Teeth" in
the next issue, #8.
genreurbanarts.com (announced February 2019)
"Story" has been accepted as a
semi-finalist in The DavenTree writing challenge.
Winners and finalists will be selected in a few
weeks. (announced February 2019) KYSO Flash
Literary Journal
Donna's
poem "Brokenness" will be published by Earth's
Daughters, issue #92 with the theme
"She Persisted."
Two poems, "Encounter Near Aldie, Virginia" and
"Mist" by Donna Isaac were published in The
Moccasin, The League of Minnesota
Poets (2018).
Donna earned the following recognition:
•First Honorable Mention in the Lost in Translation category for her poem "Learning Arabic."
•First Award of Merit in the South Minnesota Poets' Society category for her poem "After."
•First Honorable Mention in the Musica Award for her poem "The Day Rita Dove Danced for Me."
•Second Award of Merit in the Mississippi Valley Poets & Writers' category for her haiku "Over the Mountain."
"Dark Sky Spot" was published in the Martin Lake Poetry Anthology.
Purchasing the book benefits local food shelves.
The anthology can be found at various independent bookstores, e.g., Micawber's at 2338 Carter Ave., St. Paul. A plethora of fine Minnesota poets!
St. Paul Almanac published my poem "To Grandma Delores Suffering from Lewy Body Dementia" in their spring 2017 publication.
The book release party was April 6, 2017
Black Dog Cafe, 308 E. Prince St., St. Paul.
Shark Reef literary journal published my poem "The Great Escape" in their winter 2017 issue
If you go to this link you will read a poem I wrote. Hope you enjoy!
My poem "Summer Job" was published by Pine Mountain Sand & Gravel: Appalachia Under Thirty, vol. 19, 2016.
To purchase copies of the annually themed journal, go to sawconline.net or contact Donna via donna@donnaisaacpoet.com
recently announced the John Ciardi Prize for Poetry. My poetry manuscript was honored as a finalist for this award.
My poem "Venus, Later" won first place in the Dakota County Library's Adult Poetry Contest.
The winning works were published on this website: www.co.dakota.mn.us/libraries by June 18th, 2015.
Click on Poetry to read my poem and the other winning poems.
My poem "Visitors" was published in Pine Mountain Sand & Gravel, Volume 18
the literary journal of the Southern Appalachian Writers Cooperative at the beginning of June 2015.
Copies of the journal are $12.00 and can be purchased through pmsg.journal@gmail.com
"I Want to Go Out" won honorable mention in the Bloomington City Poetry Contest.
"Wedding" was an acknowledged achievement.
Winners of the contest were honored at the Creekside Community Center in Bloomington
Aug. 16th, 2014 from 4:00-6:00 P.M.
Reception and readings
The poems was featured on bloomingtonmn.gov beginning in Sept. 2014.
These poems were in the October edition of White Stag, a literary/arts magazine.
To purchase the book, go to whitestagpublishing.com.
"Off" Published on Sleet an on-line literary magazine in the spring 2012 issue
Go to www.sleetmagazine.com to read it.
"Springs" was published in The Highlands Voice distributed by West Virginia Highlands Conservancy.
Dakota County Poetry Anthology
"Shoveling" www.co.dakota.mn.us
 Perfect
Dragonfly"Sestina" DragonFly Press www.reddragonflypress.org |
 St. Paul Almanac 2011"New Year" |
 Hunger and Thirst"Thursday Dinner" |
 Juked #7"West Virginia: Steps" |
"Strength"
Minnesota Arboretum Calendar 2010-2011
Sponsored by Writers Rising Up
My poems: "Ode to the Dragonflies" "Asking" "Turns"
All of the poetry revolves around the theme of loss, leaving, and death.
My poem "Nativity: Four Years Later" was published in the Cancer Poetry Project book.
Go to www.cancerpoetryproject.com for full information and to purchase the book.
My poetry capstone "Sustenance" received Outstanding Poetry Thesis 2007 from Hamline University.