2016 Poetry Contest

Contest Sponsors:

Amy Carpenter-Leugs • Angélique Jamail • Anonymous • Brenda Levy Tate • Bryan Damien Nichols • Cafe Poets • Carol Dorf and Terri Saul • Carolyn Martin • Clint Hirschfield • Corey Mesler • Cross-Cultural Communications • Denise Weave • D.L. Lang • David Flynn • Douglas Richardson • Dreams & Nightmares Magazine • E. Amato • Ed Werstein • Ellaraine Lockie • Frank Mundo • Hanoch Guy-Kaner • Helen Townsend • Ink Publications • Isobel Cunningham • Jean Colonomos • John Reinhart • Joy Wilson Parrish • Judith R. Robinson • Kaye Voigt Abikhaled • L.B. Sedlacek • Larry Bubar • Leilani Squire • LONE STARS Poetry Magazine • Los Angeles Poet Society • Magdalena Ball • Marianne Szlyk • Marie C Lecrivain • Marsha C. Markman • Martina R. Gallegos • Mary Langer Thompson • Michael Paul Hogan • Muddy River Poetry Review & Muddy River Books • Nancy Shiffrin • Neil Leadbetter • Neil Meili • Pedestrian Press • Rattle • RD Armstrong • Recursive Multimedia • Richard Rensberry • Richard Widerkehr • Rick Lupert • Rolland Vasin • Ron Kolm • Ruth Hill • Sandra Soli, poet/editor • Science Fiction Poetry Association • Spectrum Publishing • StephenMeadArt • Steve Braff • The New Short Fiction Series • The Ontario Poetry Society • The Sacred Beverage Press • Thee Instagon Foundation Sticker Club • Theresa Stuart-One Unique Woman’s Words • Trish Lindsey Jaggers • TrishHopkinson.com • Unlikely Books • Vincent O’Connor • Voices Israel • Winning Writers • WoollyDoc

Prizes | Meet Your Judges | Contest Calendar

Winners and What They Won

First Place:
Jennifer Bradpiece
$593.00

Second Place:
Jo Angela Edwins
$355.80

Third Place:
Luisa Igloria
$237.20

We received 865 entries into the contest. The $865 (one dollar per poem entry fee) was added to the additional $250 donated to the prize pot by contest sponsor Rolland Vasin, plus an additional $71 donated by Brenda Levy Tate, Denise Weuve, Jean Colonomos, and Anonymous.This total ($1186) was divided amongst the top three scoring poets. First place won 50%, Second place took 30%, and Third Place won 20%.

Every single poet who entered the contest will receive at least one prize just for entering thanks to the generosity of the many sponsors who supported this years contest.

Thanks to everyone for entering!

Read the Winning Poems | Listen to the Contest Winners Announcement

Prizes

First Prize: 50% of the entry fees collected plus winning poem featured on the PSH

Second Prize: 30% of the entry fees collected plus winning poem featured on the PSH.

Third Prize: 20% of the entry fees collected plus winning poem featured on the PSH.

In addition, thanks to sponsor Rolland Vasin, an additional $250, plus another $71 from a few other donors, will be added to the entry fees collected and divided with the above percentages among the top three scoring poets.

Thanks to the generosity of our sponsors, we are able to supplement the cash prizes with an impressive array of prizes which would be of interest to poets and writers.

The following prizes will be used to bolster first through third prize as well as distributed to other contest entrants.

Our goal is to be able to send every single person who enters the contest something.

Additional Prizes:

Amy Carpenter-Leugs
3 copies of Voices 2016, an annual journal featuring the poems of the Dyer-Ives Poetry Competition hosted in West Michigan.

Angélique Jamail
http://SapphosTorque.com/
3 copies of the novella “Finis.” by Angélique Jamail

Anonymous
$20 added to the cash prize shared by the winning poets

Brenda Levy Tate
$16 added to the cash prize shared by the winning poets

Bryan Damien Nichols
2 copies of the book “Whispers From Within” by Kjell Nykvist and Alexander Shacklebury (heteronyms of Bryan Damien Nichols)

Cafe Poets
2 copies of the book “Singing Our Song” by four poets

Carol Dorf and Terri Saul
http://Talkingwriting.com/
2 copies of the book “Every Evening Deserves a Title” by Carol Dorf and Terri Saul

Carolyn Martin
1 copy of book “Finding Compass” by Carolyn Martin
1 copy of book “The Way a Woman Knows” by Carolyn Martin

Clint Hirschfield
1 copy of the 2015 Pendle War Poetry Competition Anthology

Corey Mesler
http://www.coreymesler.wordpress.com/
1 signed copy of the book “Opaque Melodies that Would bug Most People” by Corey Mesler

Cross-Cultural Communications
http://www.cross-culturalcommunications.com/
2 copies of the book “ABC Bestiary” with art by Alfred Van Loen and poetry edited by Stanley H. Barkan

D.L. Lang
http://www.poetryebook.com/
1 copy of the book “Poet Loiterer” by D.L. Lang
1 download card of the e-book “Happy Accidents” by D.L. Lang

David Flynn
http://www.davidflynnbooks.com/
2 copies of the book “Selected Poems” by David Flynn

Denise Weuve
https://deniserweuve.com/
$10 added to the cash prize shared by the winning poets

Douglas Richardson
1 copy of the book “American Strays” by Douglas Richardson
1 copy of the book “The Book of Good Dreams” by Douglas Richardson

Dreams & Nightmares Magazine
http://dreamsandnightmaresmagazine.blogspot.com/
1 set of of five different issues of the speculative poetry magazine Dreams & Nightmares

E. Amato
https://eamato.wordpress.com/consulting/
2 one-hour sessions of Writing/Editorial/Consulting Services

Ed Werstein
http://www.wfop.org/
1 copy of the chapbook “Who Are We Then?” by Ed Werstein
1 copy of the Wisconsin Poets 2017 Calendar by Wisconsin Fellowship of Poets

Ellaraine Lockie
1 copy of the chapbook “Where the Meadowlark Sings” by Ellaraine Lockie

Frank Mundo
http://www.amazon.com/Frank-Mundo/e/B004KUAB1Y
1 copy of the book “The Brubury Tales (Illustrated Edition)” by Frank Mundo
1 copy of the book “Gary, the Four-Eyed Fairy and Other Stories” by Frank Mundo
1 copy of the book “Different” by Frank Mundo

Hanoch Guy-Kaner
http://hanochguy-kaner.com/
1 copy of the book “Terra Treblinka-Holocaust poems” by Hanoch Guy

Helen Townsend
1 copy of the book “Samadhipada: Word Yoga” by Helen Townsend

Ink Publications
http://www.inkpublications.com/
1 copy of the book “Juggling Fire, Blindfolded” by Eric Evans
1 set of three Ink Publications broadsides (of the publishers’ choosing)

Isobel Cunningham
http://isobelmtl.wordpress.com/
2 copies of the book “Northern Compass” by Isobel Cunningham

Jean Colonomos
http://jeancolonomos.weebly.com/
$25 added to the cash prize shared by the winning poets

John Reinhart
http://www.patreon.com/johnreinhart
1 copy of the book “Kanoli Kaleidoscope” by Fabiyas M V
1 copy of the Poetry Nook Popular Contest Winners Anthology
1 copy of the 2016 Dwarf Stars Anthology from the Science Fiction Poetry Association

Joy Wilson Parrish
https://www.facebook.com/JWilsonParrish/
1 copy of the book “Sojourn” by Joy Wilson Parrish

Judith R. Robinson
http://Judithrrobinson.com/
1 blog post/column at thejewishchronicle.net (Good Poems) featuring your poem.

Kaye Voigt Abikhaled
2 copies of the book “Club des Poétes” by Kaye Voigt Abikhaled

L.B. Sedlacek
http://www.lbsedlacek.com/
1 copy of the chapbook “A Breath of Paint” by L.B. Sedlacek

Larry Bubar
1 copy of the book “Breathe vol. 1” by various writers

Leilani Squire
http://www.leilanisquire.com/
4 40-minute Creativity Coaching sessions

LONE STARS Poetry Magazine
http://www.lonestarsmagaxzine.net/
1 copy of LONE STARS Poetry Magazine

Los Angeles Poet Society
http://www.lapoetsociety.org/
1 Set of 5 Poetry Zines From Poet Jessica Wilson’s Special Collection

Magdalena Ball
http://www.magdalenaball.com/
1 copy of the book “Repulsion Thrust” by Magdalena Ball

Marianne Szlyk
http://thesongis.blogspot.com/
2 copies of the book “I Dream of Empathy” by Marianne Szlyk
3 copies of anthologies by Kind of a Hurricane Press

Marie C Lecrivain
http://www.poeticdiversity.org/
3 copies of the book “The Virtual Tablet of Irma Tre” by Marie C Lecrivain

Marsha C. Markman
4 copies of the book “If We Dance . . . A Collection of Poems” edited by Joan Wines
2 copies of the book “Out of the Shadows” by Piri Piroska Badnar

Martina R. Gallegos
http://poetry309.wordpress.com/
2 copies of the book “Grab the Bull by the Horns” by Martina Robles Gallegos

Mary Langer Thompson
1 copy of the book “Poems in Water” by Mary Langer Thompson

Michael Paul Hogan
1 signed copy of the book “Chinese Bolero” by Michael Paul Hogan, with illustrations by the contemporary Chinese painter Li Bin.

Muddy River Poetry Review & Muddy River Books
http://www.muddyriverbooks.com/
http://www.muddyriverpoetryreview.com/
1 copy of the book “Fire Tongue” by Zvi A. Sesling

Nancy Shiffrin
http://home.earthlink.net/~nshiffrin
1 copy of the book “What She Could Not Name” by Nancy Shiffrin

Neil Leadbeater
2 copies of the book “The Loveliest Vein of Our Lives” by Neil Leadbeater

Neil Meili
http://NeilMeili.com/
2 copies of the book “Putting Aside the Mask For the Moment” by Neil Meili

Pedestrian Press
http://thepedestrianpress.weebly.com/
1 copy of the book “The Water Wars” by Cassandra Dallett

Rattle
http://www.rattle.com/
2 one-year (4-issue) subscriptions to Rattle magazine

RD Armstrong
http://www.lummoxpress.com/lc/
2 copies of Lummox Poetry Anthology #5

Recursive Multimedia
http://www.recursivemediaone.com/
1 12″ X 12″ print from the Crate Label Series by Jim D. Babwe.

Richard Rensberry
http://www.richardrensberry.com/
1 copy of the book “The Wolf Pack Moon” by Richard Rensberry

Richard Widerkehr
2 copies of the book “Disappearances” by Richard Widerkehr
2 copies of the book “Mountain” by Richard Widerkehr

Rick Lupert
http://www.poetrysuperhighway.com/
1 copy of the spoken word CD “Rick Lupert Live and Dead”
3 copies of the book “Making Love to the 50 Ft. Woman” by Rick Lupert
40 copies of the e-book version of “Ekphrastia Gone Wild: Poems Inspired By Art” (pdf format)

Rolland Vasin
$250 added to the cash prize shared by the winning poets

Ron Kolm
http://unbearables.com/
2 copies of the book “Night Shift” by Ron Kolm

Ruth Hill
1 set of three poetry reviews including 1 copy of the “2016 Florida Poetry Review”, 1 copy of the “2016 Mississippi Poetry Review” and 1 copy of the “2016 Prism Poetry Review”

Sandra Soli, poet/editor
1 copy of the book “The Magnetic Poetry Anthology” includes portable word pack and poetry game board

Science Fiction Poetry Association
http://sfpoetry.com/
2 one-year subscription to all SFPA publications

Spectrum Publishing
http://spectrumpublishing.blogspot.com/
1 copy of the poetry anthology “Spectrum 1: 140 So Cal Poets”
1 copy of the poetry anthology “Spectrum 2: The Gift”
1 copy of the poetry anthology “Spectrum 3: Love Love Love”
1 copy of the poetry anthology “Spectrum 4: 2016’s Top Ten San Gabriel Valley Poets”
1 copy of the poetry anthology “Spectrum 5: Every Poem Is An Idea”

StephenMeadArt
http://www.amazon.com/Stephen-Mead/e/B002P5TVQC
2 Poetry-Art Montage Prints (Broadsides), 8 x 10 inches

Steve Braff
http://stevebraff.blogspot.com/
1 autographed copy of the book “A Hundred Million Years of Nectar Dances” by Richard Jarrette

The New Short Fiction Series
http://www.newshortfictionseries.com/
2 tickets to the October 9, 2016 and November 13, 2016 performances of The New Short Fiction Series’ 20th Anniversary season at The Federal Bar in North Hollywood. Tickets include parking validation for each performance.

The Ontario Poetry Society
http://theontariopoetrysociety.ca/
2 copies of the book “Scarlet Thistles, A Canadian Poetry Anthology”

The Sacred Beverage Press
10 copies of the book “Percy, Bob and Assenpoop” by Elliott Baker

Thee Instagon Foundation Sticker Club
http://www.tif.org/stickerclub/
1 one year SOLO 2016 subscription to TIF Sticker Club (12 stickers)

Theresa Stuart-One Unique Woman’s Words
http://www.OneUniqueWomansWords.webs.com/
5 copies of the book “One Unique Woman’s Words” Release 1

Trish Lindsey Jaggers
https://www.facebook.com/trish.jaggers
1 signed copy of the book “Holonym: a collection of poems” by Trish Lindsey Jaggers

TrishHopkinson.com
https://trishhopkinson.com/
1 copy of the book “Orogeny, Vol. 2” by Rock Canyon Poets

Unlikely Books
http://www.unlikelystories.org/
2 copies of the book “Ashes and Seeds” by Michelle Greenblatt
2 copies of the book “Anchor What” by Vernon Frazer
2 copies of the book “Definitions of Obscurity” by Vernon Frazer and Michelle Greenblatt

Vincent O’Connor
http://vinceoconnor.com/
1 copy of the book “Memories” by Lang Leav

Voices Israel
https://www.voicesisrael.com/
1 copy of the book “A Second Decade of Poems from Voices Israel”
1 copy of the book “Voices Israel 2015 vol 41” Poetry from Israel and abroad.

Winning Writers
https://winningwriters.com/
2 copies of the book “Two Natures” by Jendi Reiter

WoollyDoc
http://www.woollydoc.com/
1 small WoollyDoc notebook with a black velvet cover
1 small WoollyDoc notebook with a blue velvet cover

Meet Your Judges

Brett Gaffney (Cincinnati, Ohio)
M. Brett Gaffney, originally from Houston, Texas, holds an MFA in Poetry from Southern Illinois University and edits art and poetry for Gingerbread House. Her poems have appeared in Exit 7, Penduline, Permafrost, Devilfish Review, Still: the Journal, Fruita Pulp, museum of americana, BlazeVOX, and Zone 3, among others. Her chapbook, Feeding the Dead, is forthcoming in 2016 from Porkbelly Press. She lives in Cincinnati, Ohio with her partner and their dog, Ava, and works across the river in northern Kentucky as a library associate, promoting poetry whenever she can.

Helen Townsend (Indianapolis, Indiana)
Helen Townsend grew up in Fort Scott, Kansas, has lived in different spots around the world, and now finds herself in Indianapolis. If she were independently wealthy, she would spend her days hopping planes, practicing yoga, writing poetry, going for runs, and saving all the animals in the world. Because she is not independently wealthy, and has a short attention span, Helen has done many things over the years—taught English to speakers of other languages, taught high school English, taught yoga, coordinated the Indiana State Refugee Health Program, to name a few. Currently, she is a TB Nurse Case Manager.

Trish Hopkinson (Provo, Utah)
Trish Hopkinson has always loved words—in fact, her mother tells everyone she was born with a pen in her hand. She has two chapbooks Emissions and Pieced Into Treetops and has been published in several anthologies and journals, including Stirring, Chagrin River Review, and The Found Poetry Review. Hopkinson is co-founder of a local poetry group, Rock Canyon Poets. She is a product director by profession and resides in Utah with her handsome husband and their two outstanding children. You can follow her poetry adventures at http://trishhopkinson.com/.

Contest Calendar

• July 13: Contest begins
• July 18 – 24: Judges featured as Poets of the Week
• August 14, 2:00 pm (pacific): PSH Live Judges Event: Live broadcast where Judges will have the chance to read poems and discuss the contest and you can call in live and ask them questions. Click here to listen.
• October 1: Final deadline for contest entries. (Entry fees must be received by PayPal, Venmo, or postmarked by October 1 or they’ll be returned.)
• October 7: Judges deadline for returning scored poems.
• October 14: Second round scoring deadline (in the event of tied scores.)
• October 16: 2pm (pacific) PSH Live Event: “Winners Announced” in a special broadcast. Listen to it live and if any of the winners happen to be listening, they’ll be invited to call in and read their winning entries live on the air.
• October 17 – 23: Contest Winners featured as Poets of the Week.