Welcome to Songwriters of Wisconsin International

Thank you for visiting!  Please feel free to tour the site, and take advantage of our documents and links pages.  Check back often as we will be adding new content to these regularly.  Use our "Join" page to sign up for SOWI and the annual seminar and/or awards banquet held every September.

New monthly critique meeting day & location:

Last WEDNESDAY of each month at Heid Music at 308 E. College Ave. Appleton, 7PM.  Please see complete schedule below.

SOWI meets each month except September, November and December. There is no cost to attend a regular meeting. (Note: The annual SOWI seminar will be held Saturday, September 28, 2013, so no regular meeting will be held at Heid Music in September--see schedule below.) Also, there is an annual original songwriting contest, with a deadline of June 15, 2013. To enter songs in the song contest, you must first become a member by paying a yearly fee of $30. Then, there is a $10 fee for every song you enter. There is no limit on how many songs you can enter but each costs $10 and all songs are sent to the judges anonymously. Winners not attending the banquet/seminar in September will still be recognized at the banquet and their award plaques and certificates will be mailed out to them. The $30 yearly membership fee entitles members to receive quarterly newsletters, song pitch-list info and many other e-mail tips and info for songwriting. Songwriters who want more information can attend a meeting, or check out more of the SOWI website at www.songwritersofwisconsin.org. If you have questions or want additional information, contact sowimembership@gmail.com and your questions will be routed to one of our members who will respond quickly back to you. SOWI is also on MySpace and Facebook. The group originated in 1983 by Tony Ansems and is still going strong today. Many members have achieved success through publishing and recording. SOWI looks forward to meeting all songwriters who are working on the craft of songwriting!

Mission Statement:

Songwriters of Wisconsin International was formed in 1983, with the purpose of bringing songwriters together, to study and improve the craft of songwriting, by listening to, and critiquing each other's songs, and by bringing in Industry professionals.  Membership is open to anyone, in the whole world, who has an interest in songwriting.

Bio:

SONGWRITERS OF WISCONSIN INTERNATIONAL (SOWI) was established in 1983 by Tony Ansems of Neenah, Wisconsin to promote the craft of songwriting for all styles of music.  Thirteen songwriters showed up for the first meeting in the spring of 1983 at the UW Fox Valley, Menasha.  Two of these pioneers are still members today:  Tony Ansems, Neenah; and Jim Purtell, Oshkosh.  Today the SOWI family has grown to about 150 worldwide.

SOWI MONTHLY MEETINGS - Meetings are held at Heid Music, 308 E. College Ave. , Appleton, WI on the last Wednesday of each month (except there are no meetings held in Nov. and Dec. due to proximity to the Holidays).  (Special meetings or events may be planned for other dates, please check the schedule below.)  There is no cost to attend a SOWI meeting.  Various members are presenters (hosts) each month.  Meetings include song critiques, whereby original songs (either played in demo form, or performed live with your instrument of choice) are critiqued by the songwriters present.  Any person who wishes to have an original song(s) critiqued should bring a CD (or cassette), and 10-15 copies of the lyrics to pass out for review.  Songs are critiqued after the host's presentation between 7:00 p.m. until approximately 9:30 p.m., give or take a half hour.    

The annual Songwriting Contest has a deadline of June 15.  (Check the contest page for complete information.)  All day songwriting seminars are held every third Saturday in September at the Holiday Inn Riverwalk, Neenah, followed by the annual Awards Banquet, when results of the annual Songwriting Contest will be presented, followed by a songwriter's showcase. In the past many local professionals have been seminar presenters such as Patrick Leigh, Maury Laws, Larry Darling, John Harmon, Keith Irish, Ken Anderson, Dennis Provisor, Cooky Coquoz, Jay Wells, Tim Dorsey, Lois Skiera-Zucek, etc.  National presenters who are professional songwriters include Steve Seskin, Moe Loughran, Jerry Vandiver, John Ims, Tony Haseldon, Scotty Turner, Marc-Alan Barnette, Chris Van Belkom, Cham Laughlin, Dale Burie, and others.     

For any issues with this site, contact the Webmaster: Patrick Leigh Smolinski, pat@alternativemidi.com

SOWI e-mail: sowi2012(at)gmail.com  *You must type this into your email program manually, replacing (at) with the "@" sign.  This is to prevent us from getting spammed.

Mailing address:  SOWI, PO Box 1027, Neenah, WI 54957

2013 Meeting Schedule And Events:

Location Change!!!

Heid Music

308 E. College Avenue

APPLETON, WISCONSIN

Meetings 7:00 p.m-9:00 p.m. on the last Wednesday of each month (except September, November, and December. No regular meeting in September because the banquet/seminar is that month.) Please note some meetings are on the 5^th Wednesday when there are 5 in certain months.

-Annual song contest with deadline June 15, 2013

-Banquet/Seminar/Awards Presentations September 28, 2013

-Live showcases as planned