The Center for East Asian Studies at UW-Madison and The Sejong Cultural Society are pleased to announce the results of their 5th annual Wisijo competition.
This annual competition aims to engage talented Wisconsin writers and encourage them to learn and write a sijo, a Korean poetry form. Through this competition, UW-Madison and The Sejong Cultural Society hope to increase awareness and understanding of Korea’s cultural heritage.
This cycle’s grand prize winners are Rachel Leverenz (Cleveland, WI) for the Adult Division, Asher Neumeyer (Harland, WI) for the Senior Division, and Quinnley Gronski (Marshfield, WI) for the Junior Division. Read their winning sijos below:
Christmas Caroling
by Rachel Leverenz
Beautiful, your family
Is beautiful, thank you for the song
The woman claps, then wanders on
Like her mind, already gone
We are yours; remember, grandma
You knew the words once, sang along
Untitled
by Asher Neumeyer
Lines we cast beneath bright skies—fish danced as the sunlight arose.
Grandpa’s laugh carried in the breeze, his stories told—soft and slow.
One last cast—I’d trade the world to fish once more where he would go.
The Magic of the Stars
by Quinnley Gronski
Oh, how the stars shimmer and shine, dancing through the sky, each unique.
Some dash through the sky, while others create pictures and stories.
All the magic disappears though, when you learn that it’s the Earth that moves.
Winners across all categories shared their experiences writing sijo for the first time. For Leverenz, who found out about the opportunity through the Wisconsin Library Association bulletin, the form of the sijo allowed her to best capture the moment she had tried writing about several times prior: “The syllable limit really makes you pack so much emotion into just a few words, distilling the poem and making it more powerful.” For Neumeyer, the sijo allowed him to pay tribute to his grandfather, who he describes as his hero.
In the fifth year of the competition, entries were received from Wisconsinites of all ages across the state, from Wausau to Waukesha. To read all the entries from this year’s winners, runners-up, and honorable mentions, please visit the Sejong website. The next competition will open from October 2025 until January 2026.