Jayne R. Vondrak, of Kingsley, won second place in the Iowa Poetry Association contest with her poem "Brave Warrior." The poem, written about a former student killed in the war in Iraq, will also be published in "Lyrical Iowa 2008," the poetry association's annual anthology of poems. [Click to enlarge]

Sisters without a brother,

Friends without friends,

A country without a soldier."

Those words from a poem entitled "Brave Warrior," written by Jayne R. Vondrak, of Kingsley,

won second place in the National/World Events category in the 2008 Iowa Poetry Association Contest.

"I try to create a very vivid image and make that stand out for people as they read," Vondrak said of her work.

"Brave Warrior" will also be published in "Lyrical Iowa 2008," the Iowa Poetry Association's annual anthology.

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"It's flattering," Vondrak said of her achievement. "Having it recognized as fitting into a National/World event, it kind of elevated it to a different place."

"Brave Warrior" was written for a former student, Cpl. Chad Groepper, of Kingsley, who was killed Feb. 17 while serving in the U.S. Army in the war in Iraq, Vondrak said.

"One of the images in my mind was seeing his boots sitting in the desert sand mixing with Iowa soil," Vondrak said. "The family was calling him a brave warrior, and that's how I got the title."

A patron member of the Iowa Poetry Association since 1983, she has been published about 25 times in "Lyrical Iowa."

"Lyrical Iowa 2008" is scheduled to be released in October. The publication will feature poems from more than 400 people of all ages who reside in Iowa.

Vondrak, who has taught juniors and seniors American and British literature, composition and advanced placement English at Kingsley-Pierson High School, has also had other work published.

In 2002, she wrote a collection of poems based on Rose Wilder Lane's experiences living in Albania, which were published in a book, "An Albanian Gypsy Along Smooth Trails Rose: Wilder Lane."

Vondrak said she generally writes freestyle poems, which means they don't rhyme or have a particular rhythm and are concise.

"Sometimes I have an image that sticks with me," Vondrak said. "Sometimes I get a line in my head. I can carry it around for a long time before it transforms into a poem."

Vondrak also teaches her high school students at Kingsley-Pierson since 1989 about the different kinds of poems like sonnets and haikus and asks them to write poetry.

"Sometimes I teach them how to write a structured poem," Vondrak said. "I write with them and I share with them what I write so they can see what they can and can't do."

She began writing poetry in high school, but didn't send any poems off for publication until college.

"I learned to write poetry by reading a lot of poetry by poets that I admire," Vondrak said.

Two of those influences include poets, James Hearst, from Iowa, and William Stafford.

Vondrak doesn't consider herself a professional poet. She's just sharing her life experiences.

"I want my poems to connect people individually," Vondrak said. "I want to share a human experience that someone else may relate to."

For beginning poets, she recommends reading poems by authors they like.

"What you can identify with, you can also do," Vondrak said. "You can't write it without reading it. As writers we can learn from each other."

She plans to continue teaching her students and creating images through poetry.

"Writing is like breathing," Vondrak said. "I have to do it."

R-U graduate's poem makes it to publication

Kayla Gengler's poem "From Hello to Goodbye" started as a classroom assignment but will end up in a professional publication.

The 2008 Remsen-Union graduate's piece will be published in "Lyrical Iowa 2008," the annual anthology of the Iowa Poetry Association.

This year's edition of "Lyrical Iowa," featuring more than 400 poets from across the state, is scheduled for release in October.

"My teacher sent it," Gengler said of her poem. "I didn't even know it was sent in until I got the letter that it was being published."

She wrote the poem this past school year as a senior for a literature-composition class.

"From Hello to Goodbye" is a poem about a past relationship of Gengler's that moved from friendship to dating to growing apart in the end, she said.

Gengler said writing poetry is a hobby.

"Whenever I have time or need to get stuff off my mind. It's just kind of a stress reliever to write about it," she said.

Gengler, who began writing poetry in junior high, also had a poem entitled "Feelings" published in the book "The American Library of Poetry, Excellence 2006 Poetry Collection" during her sophomore year 2005-06.

"I'm really excited, just to know that other people like my work," Gengler said.

Gengler, the daughter of Deb Gengler, of Remsen, and Tim and Rox Wurth, of Le Mars, will be studying psychology and counseling as a freshman at the University of South Dakota, in Vermillion, this fall.

"Lyrical Iowa 2008" may be ordered from editor, Lucille Morgan Wilson, 2325 61st St., Des Moines, IA 50322. Cost of the 200-page, perfect-bound book is $9 postpaid for orders received by Sept. 15 and $10 per copy after that date.