Contest Sponsors
Ain’t Got No Press • B. J. Buckley • Barbara Simmons • Betsey Cullen • Betsy Mars • Bill Cushing • Bruce W. Niedt • Caffeine Media Inc. • Calling All Poets Series, Inc. • Carol Clark Williams • Carrie Magness Radna • Catherine Campbell • Charles A. Perrone • Charlie Brice • Christian Garduno • Compulsive Reader • Dana Ravyn • Daniel S. Irwin • David C. Kopaska-Merkel • David Flynn • David Leo Sirois • Diane Jackman • Eastern Shore Writers Association • Erika Dreifus • Frank Mundo • Frogg Corpse • Greg Bell • Hanoch Guy • Hélène Cardona • J R Turek • J. Barrett Wolf • James Croal Jackson • Jan Harris • Jane Seskin • Jennifer M Phillips • Joan C. Fingon • Joe Caperna • Joey Polisena • John Dorroh • Judith Alexander Brice • Karen Poppy • KB Ballentine • Kristy Snedden • Larry Bubar • Latorial Faison, Poet & Author • Layla Lenhardt • LB Sedlacek • Lines & Faces • Lisa Rhodes-Ryabchich • Lynne Bronstein • Mariko Kitakubo and Deborah P Kolodji • Mary Beth Hines • Melissa R. Mendelson • Nancy Murphy • Nancy Shiffrin • Neil Leadbeater • Patrice M. Wilson • Rachel R. Baum • Randal A. Burd, Jr. • Rolland Vasin • Ron Kolm • Sean J Mahoney • Simple Simons Press • SONIC CHIHUAHUA Zine • Southern California Haiku Study Group • Space Cowboy Books • Steven Deutsch • Stick Figure Poetry Quarterly • Susan Tutors • Suzanne Ondrus • The Science Fiction and Fantasy Poetry Association (SFPA) • Tova Hinda Siegel • Unlikely Stories/Unlikely Books • Venetian Spider Press • Voices Israel Group of Poets in English • Waide Riddle • Winning Writers
Winners
First Place: B. J. Buckley (Power, Montana) has worked in Arts in Schools/Communities programs throughout the west and midwest for over 45 years. She conducts residencies and workshops in schools, libraries, senior centers, homeless shelters, museums, at conferences, with writing groups and book clubs, and with special needs adults and children. Her poems address the stark and dangerous beauty of the west, its animals, plants, weather, geology and geography, as well as the lives of the people who choose it as home.
Second Place: Jan Harris (Kirkby in Ashfield, Nottingham, United Kingdom) writes poetry, flash fiction and short stories. Her work has appeared online at Ink Sweat and Tears and Visual Verse, and in publications such as Mslexia, 14 Magazine, and Envoi. She received second prize in the Earlyworks Press 2015 Web Poetry Competition.
Third Place: Ashley Cline (Carney’s Point, New Jersey) is an avid introvert, full-time carbon-based life-form and pop music scholar, who crash-landed in south Jersey some time ago and still calls that strange land home. A Best of the Net 2020 finalist, her poetry has appeared in 404 Ink, Okay Donkey, and Parentheses Journal—among others—and her debut chapbook, & watch how easily the jaw sings of god, is available now (Glass Poetry Press, 2021). Once, in the summer of 2019, she crowd-surfed an inflatable sword to Carly Rae Jepsen, and her best at all-you-can-eat sushi is 5 rolls in 11 minutes.
Entry Guidelines
The 2023 Poetry Super Highway Contest is now closed for entries. The deadline to enter was the evening of Saturday, October 7th at 12:00am (pacific).
We’ll announce the winners first on Sunday, October 22 at 2pm (pacific) in a special edition of Poetry Super Highway Live streamed to our Facebook page, and then afterward in our emailed newsletter (sign up in the box on the top of the right column of this page) and on our website.
- The Poetry Super Highway Poetry Contest is open to all human beings on planet Earth. (except for the three judges)
- Enter as many poems as you’d like.
- Poems may be of any style, length, or subject matter.
- Previously published poems are accepted. However, because the contest is judged blindly (with names removed from the poems) if a judge recognizes a poem from somewhere, they have the right to mark it as ineligible.
- This contest is separate from weekly Poet of the Week consideration and the same poems may not be submitted for both.
- There is a One Dollar Per Poem (US Funds Only) entry fee.
- Poems are sent to the three contest judges with your name removed. The judges score each poem from 0-5 using quarter point intervals. (0, .25, .5, .75, 1, 1.25, 1.5, etc…)
- Poems are sent to judges only after you fill out the Contest Entry Form and we have received your entry fee.
To enter gather your poems into a single document (either Word .doc, .docx or RTF).
- Do not include your name in the document.
- Please use a basic font such as Times New Roman, Helvetica or Arial.
Click here to go to the entry form.
Deadlines Etcetera
- The deadline to enter is Saturday, October 7th, 2023 at midnight (pacific)
- If you are paying by check, the deadline for postmarking your entry fee is Saturday, October 7, 2023.
- Regardless of when you postmark, your entry fees must be received by Wednesday, October 11. So if you are mailing your entry fee (after filling in the contest entry form), please account for the amount of time it will take for your it to travel between your home and Los Angeles.
- This is a not-for-profit contest. All of the collected entry fees will be divided between the top three scoring poems.
- Once your entry fee is received, your poems will be sent with your name removed to the three judges who will score them 0 – 5 (5 being best).
- If you have any questions or need any of the contest details clarified, please e-mail Rick@PoetrySuperHighway.com
Prizes
First Prize: 50% of the entry fees collected plus winning poem featured on the PSH website.
Second Prize: 30% of the entry fees collected plus winning poem featured on the PSH website.
Third Prize: 20% of the entry fees collected plus winning poem featured on the PSH website.
In addition, contest sponsors Rolland Vasin donated $500 which will be added to the prize pot divided by the three winning poets. Also, thanks to the generosity of our sponsors, we are able to supplement the cash prizes with an impressive array of prizes of interest to poets and writers. Our goal is to be able to send every single person who enters the contest something.
Additional Prizes:
Ain’t Got No Press
https://www.poetrysuperhighway.com
1 copy of the book “The Low Country Shvitz” by Rick Lupert
B. J. Buckley
https://wild4verses.wixsite.com/b-j-buckley
3 “Surprise Packages” of Current Literary Journals
Barbara Simmons
1 copy of the book “Offertories: Exclamations and Disequilibriums” by Barbara Simmons
Betsey Cullen
2 copies of the award-winning chapbook “We Hold the Bones” by Betsey Cullen
Betsy Mars
1 copy of the book “Unsheathed: 24 Contemporary Poets Take Up the Knife” edited by Betsy Mars
Bill Cushing
https://www.mywriteronline.net/
2 copies of the book “Just a Little Cage of Bone” by Bill Cushing
Bruce W. Niedt
https://bniedt.blogspot.com
1 copy of the book “The Bungalow of Colorful Aging” by Bruce W. Niedt
Caffeine Media Inc.
upyourars.com
2 copies of the book “Up Your Ars Poetica Anthology” edited by Susan Peters and Morgan Driscoll
Calling All Poets Series, Inc.
www.callingallpoets.net
2 copies of the Calling All Poets 2015 Anthology
2 copies of the Calling All Poets 2020 Anthology
Carol Clark Williams
lucybeanstalk.wordpress.com
1 copy of the book “Unpacking for the Journey” by Carol Clark Williams
Carrie Magness Radna
https://carriemagnessradna.com
1 copy of the book “Shooting Myself in the Dark” by Carrie Magness Radna
Catherine Campbell
https://www.facebook.com/cath4simplicity?mibextid=LQQJ4d
1 copy of the book “The Lotus” by Catherine Campbell
1 copy of the book “Daisy Chains” by Catherine Campbell
Charles A. Perrone
charlesaperrone.blogspot.com
1 copy of the book “Seven Faces: Brazilian Poetry since Modernism” by Charles A. Perrone
1 copy of the “North/South Appalachia, Poetry and Art volume 2” anthology
Charlie Brice
1 copy of the book “Flashcuts Out of Chaos” by Charlie Brice
Christian Garduno
https://linktr.ee/ChristianGardunoWriter
2 copies of the poetry chapbook “Fog & Bone” by Christian Garduno
Compulsive Reader
https://compulsivereader.com
1 one-month Compulsive Reader website and newsletter Ad (worth $40)
Dana Ravyn
https://www.danaravyn.com
1 $50 gift certificate to Thrift Books
Daniel S. Irwin
1 copy of book “Hogwash de Guano” by Daniel S. Irwin
David C. Kopaska-Merkel
https://dreamsandnightmaresmagazine.blogspot.com/
3 one-year (three-issue) PDF subscriptions to Dreams and Nightmares magazine
David Flynn
1 copy of the book “One Month” by David Flynn
David Leo Sirois
https://reverbnation.com/davidleosirois
2 copies of the book “Humbledoves (Poems to Pigeons & Plants)” by David Leo Sirois
Diane Jackman
www.dianejackman.co.uk
2 copies of the book “Lessons from the Orchard” by Diane Jackman
Eastern Shore Writers Association
https://www.easternshorewriters.org/
3 copies of the Bay to Ocean Journal 2022, edited by Tara Campbell
Erika Dreifus
https://erikadreifus.com
1 copy of the book “Birthright: Poems” by Erika Dreifus
Frank Mundo
https://amzn.to/3NUy0Nx
2 copies of the book “Eleven Sundry Flowers” by Frank Mundo
Frogg Corpse
3 copies of the book “The Mourning Hour” by Frogg Corpse
Greg Bell
1 copy of the book “Looking for Will: My Bardic Quest with Shakespeare” by Greg Bell
Hanoch Guy
http://www.hanochguy-kaner.com/
1 copy of the book “Springtime in Moldova” by Hanoch Guy
Hélène Cardona
https://helenecardona.com
2 copies of the book “The Abduction” by Maram Al-Masri, Translated by Hélène Cardona
J R Turek
1 copy of the poetry marathon collection “DogSpeak” by J R Turek
1 copy of the poetry collection “24 in 24” by J R Turek
1 copy of the full-length poetry collection “Midnight on the Eve of Never” by J R Turek
1 copy of the full-length emblematic & form poems collection “Imagistics” by J R Turek
1 copy of the full-length poetry collection “B is for Betwixt and Between” by J R Turek
1 copies of the full-length poetry collection “A is for Almost Anything” by J R Turek
J. Barrett Wolf
https://www.facebook.com/J-Barrett-Wolf-Poet-Wordsmith-41521019065
1 copy of the book “Kissing The Moon From Your Back -Poems of Love and Longing” by J. Barrett Wolf
James Croal Jackson
http://www.jamescroaljackson.com
1 copy of the book “Our Past Leaves” by James Croal Jackson
Jan Harris
3 copies of the book “Mute Swans on the Cam” by Jan Harris
Jane Seskin
https://www.olderwisershorter.com
2 copies of the book “Witness to Resilience: Stories of Intimate Violence” by Jane Seskin
2 copies of the book “Older Wiser Shorter: An Emotional Road Trip to Membership in the Senior Class” by Jane Seskin”
Jennifer M Phillips
1 copy of the chapbook “A Song of Ascents” by Jennifer M Phillips
Joan C. Fingon
1 copy of The Drunken Honeybee: A Collection of Haiku and Senryu Poetry” by Joan C. Fingon
Joe Caperna
https://www.josephcapernamd.com/
1 copy of the book “The Oxford Book of American Poetry by David Lehman
1 copy of the book “The Norton Anthology of Poetry” by Margaret Ferguson Ph.D.
1 copy of the book “A Poetry Handbook” by Mary Oliver
Joey Polisena
https://scorchedfeathers.com
2 copies of the book “All Shards and Paste” by Joey Polisena
1 large “Poetry” unisex t-shirt
2 wood poetry signs (4×6)
John Dorroh
1 copy of the book “Swim at Your Own Risk” by John Dorroh
1 copy of the book “Personal Ad Poetry” by John Dorroh
Judith Alexander Brice
2 copies of the book “Imbibe the Air” by Judy Brice
Karen Poppy
karenpoppy.com
1 copy of the book “Diving At The Lip Of The Water” by Karen Poppy
KB Ballentine
www.kbballentine.com
1 copy of the book “Spirit of Wild” by KB Ballentine
1 copy of the book “Edge of the Echo” by KB Ballentine
1 copy of the book “Almost Everything, Almost Nothing” by KB Ballentine
1 copy of the book “Gathering Stones” by KB Ballentine plus canvas tote bag with same book/author title on it
Kristy Snedden
1 $25.00 gift certificate to Amazon.com
Larry Bubar
1 copy of the book “War Vol I” by Larry Bubar
1 copy of the book “War Vol III” by Larry Bubar
Latorial Faison, Poet & Author
www.latorialfaison.com
1 copy of the book “Mother to Son” by Latorial Faison
1 copy of the book “28 Days of Poetry Celebrating Black History Volume I” by Latorial Faison
1 copy of the book “28 Days of Poetry Celebrating Black History Volume II” by Latorial Faison
1 copy of the book “28 Days of Poetry Celebrating Black History Volume III” by Latorial Faison
1 copy of the book “I Am Woman” by Latorial Faison
Layla Lenhardt
laylalenhardt.com
4 Copies of the book “Mother Tongue” by Layla Lenhardt
LB Sedlacek
https://www.lbsedlacek.com
1 copy of the poetry book “Night Swim” by LB Sedlacek
1 copy of the poetry book “Trust Me, It’ll Be Fun: West Virginia Poems” by LB Sedlacek
Lines & Faces
www.linesandfaces.com
1 copy of the book “In the Pace of the Path” by Alan Bern
1 copy of the book “Greater Distance” by Alan Bern
1 copy of the book “Waterwalking in Berkeley” by Alan Bern
Lisa Rhodes-Ryabchich
https://lisarhodesryabchichpoetryblog.wordpress.com/
2 copies of the book “ Breaking Out of the Cocoon” by Lisa Rhodes-Ryabchich
2 copy of the chapbook “We Are Beautiful Like Snowflakes” by Lisa Rhodes-Ryabchich
2 copies of the book “Peripeteia” by Lisa Rhodes-Ryabchich
2 copies of the book “ Dear Blue Harp Strumming Sky” by Lisa Rhodes-Ryabchich
2 copies of the chapbook “ Opening the Black Ovule Gate” by Lisa Rhodes-Ryabchich
Lynne Bronstein
2 copies of the book “Nasty Girls” by Lynne Bronstein
Mariko Kitakubo and Deborah P Kolodji
Deborahpkolodji.com
2 copies of the book “Distance” by Mariko Kitakubo and Deborah P Kolodji
1 copy of the book “highway of sleeping towns” by Deborah P Kolodji
1 copy of the book “Indigo” by Mariko Kitakubo
Mary Beth Hines
https://www.marybethhines.com
1 copy of the book “Winter at a Summer House” by Mary Beth Hines
Melissa R. Mendelson
2 copies of the book “This Will Remain With Us” by Melissa R. Mendelson
Nancy Murphy
www.nancymurphywriter.com
2 copies of the book “The Space Carved by the Sharpness of Your Absence” (Gyroscope Press) by Nancy Murphy
Nancy Shiffrin
https://www.NancyShiffrin.net
1 copy of the book “Game With Variations” by Nancy Shiffrin
Neil Leadbeater
2 copies of the book “Journeys in Europe” by Neil Leadbeater and Monica Manolachi
Patrice M. Wilson
pmwilsonpoet.com
1 copy of the book “Hues of Darkness, Hues of Light” by Patrice M. Wilson
1 $15.00 Gift Certificate to Amazon.com
Rachel R. Baum
https://www.rachelrbaum.net/
1 copy of the book “Funeral and Memorial Service Readings Poems and Tributes” by Rachel R. Baum
Randal A. Burd, Jr.
http://www.sparksofcalliope.com/memoirs-of-a-witness-tree/
2 signed and numbered copies of the book “Memoirs of a Witness Tree” by Randal A. Burd, Jr.
Rolland Vasin
$500 added to the prize pot shared by the top three scoring poets
Ron Kolm
5 copies of the book “The Bookstore Book: A Memoir” by Ron Kolm
Sean J Mahoney
2 copies of the book “Politics or Disease, please…” by Sean J Mahoney
Simple Simons Press
www.simple-simons-press.com
1 copy of the book “Streetlight Sonata” by JR Simons
1 copy of the book “The Naked Truth” by JR Simons
1 copy of the book “Mad As Hell: An Anthology of Angry Poems” edited with an introduction by JR Simons
1 copy of the book “Hope Springs Eternal: An Anthology of Hopeful Poetry” edited with an introduction by JR Simons
SONIC CHIHUAHUA Zine
www.SapphosTorque.com
3 sets of two issues of SONIC CHIHUAHUA Zine (publisher’s choice of issues)
Southern California Haiku Study Group
Socalhaiku.org
1 copy of the book “Red Paper Parasols” edited by Kathabela Wilson, Marcyn Del Clements, and Lorraine A Padden
Space Cowboy Books
https://spacecowboybooks.com/
1 copy of the book “Complete Poems 1965-2020” by Michael Butterworth
1 copy of the Audiobook CD + Digital Download “Selected Poems 1965-2020” by Michael Butterworth
1 copy ofthe book “Time’s Arrow” by Jean-Paul L. Garnier
1 copy of the book “Utopian Problems” by Jean-Paul L. Garnier
Steven Deutsch
stevieslaw.wordpress.com
2 copies of the book “Brooklyn” by Steven Deutsch
Stick Figure Poetry Quarterly
stickfigurepoetry.com
2 copies of the book “Twists: Gathered Ephemera (Expanded Edition)” by Darrell Parry
2 copies of the book “Find Me in the Iris” by E.Lynn Alexander
Susan Tutors
1 $15 gift certificate to Writers Ink
Suzanne Ondrus
http://suzanneondrus.com/
1 critique of 3 of your poems via email
The Science Fiction and Fantasy Poetry Association (SFPA)
Sfpoetry.com
2 digital memberships to the Science Fiction Poetry Association
Tova Hinda Siegel
1 copy of the book “Uncertain Resident” by Tova Hinda Siegel
Unlikely Stories/Unlikely Books
https://www.unlikelystories.org/
3 copies of the book “Dora/Lora” by Larissa Shmailo
3 copies of the book “Here, Which Is Also a Place” by Mark DuCharme
3 copies of the book “Handling Filth: Simple Sabotage Field Manual” by Jared Schickling
3 copies of the book “White Van” by Meg Tuite
1 copy of the book “ASHES AND SEEDS” by Michelle Greenblatt
1 copy of the book “brain : storm” by Michelle Greenblatt
1 copy of the book “Ghazals 1-59 and Other Poems” by Sheila E. Murphy and Michelle Greenblatt
Venetian Spider Press
venetianspiderpress.com
1 set of Three books from the Venetian Spider Press catalogue including: “EROica” by William F. DeVault, “City of Hammers by R. Nikolas Macioci” and “Rattle and Numb” by John Burroughs
Voices Israel Group of Poets in English
VoicesIsrael.com
3 copies of the 2021 Voices Israel poetry anthology
Waide Riddle
https://www.amazon.com/author/waideriddle
1 copy of the book “The Power of Summer!” by Waide Riddle
Winning Writers
https://winningwriters.com
2 copies of the book “Poems to See By” by Julian Peters
Meet Your Judges
Ashley Cline (Carney’s Point, New Jersey)
An avid introvert, full-time carbon-based life-form & aspiring himbo, Ashley Cline’s poetry has appeared here, & also there. A two-time Pushcart nominee & Best of the Net 2020 finalist, she is the author of four chapbooks of poetry: “& watch how easily the jaw sings of god” (Glass Poetry Press, 2021), “electric infinities” (Variant Lit, 2023), & “cowabungaly yours at the end of the world” (Gutslut Press, 2023) are available now, while “should the earth reclaim you” (Bone & Ink Press) is forthcoming. Once, in the summer of 2019, she crowd-surfed an inflatable sword to Carly Rae Jepsen, & her best at all-you-can-eat sushi is 5 rolls in 11 minutes. Twitter: @the_Cline. Instagram: @clineclinecline. Linktree: @ashleycline.
Jan Harris (Nottinghamshire, United Kingdom)
Jan Harris lives in Nottinghamshire, UK. Her poems have appeared in literary journals including Acumen, Atrium, and Poetry Wales, and in various anthologies, including several e-books published by Poetry Kit. Her poems also feature in the Iamb poetry archive. Jan was awarded third place in the Wales Poetry Award, 2019 and came second in the Poetry Superhighway 2022 Competition. Her first collection, Mute Swans on the Cam, was published in July 2020 by Oversteps Books.
Kathrynn Axton (Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, Canada)
Kathrynn Axton is a poet, spoken word artist, Indigenous advocate and nationally certified Canadian addictions counsellor. She is the author of Uncultured Girl (That Writer Kwe Publications, 2017) and was awarded fourth place in the 2022 PoetrySuperHighway summer contest. Her poetry has been featured on AllPoetry Spotlight, Bywords, PoetrySuperHighway, The Peregrine Journal and elsewhere. Her editorials have been featured in Native Hoop Magazine, and elsewhere. When she is not writing she spends her time dedicated to supporting the development and implementation of therapeutic communities within the correctional system as a Team Lead with Rosc Solutions Group in Alberta, Canada.
Contest Calendar
- July 23: Contest begins
- July 31 – August 6: Judges featured as Poets of the Week
- August 6, 2:00 pm (pacific): PSH Live Judges Event: Live broadcast (Via Zoom and Facebook Live) where Judges will have the chance to read poems and discuss the contest and you can call in live and ask them questions. More info coming soon on how to tune in.
- October 7: Final deadline for contest entries. (Entry fees must be received or postmarked by October 8 or they’ll be returned.)
- October 13: Judges deadline for returning scored poems.
- October 20: Second round scoring deadline (in the event of tied scores.)
- October 22, 2:00pm (pacific): PSH Live Event: “Winners Announced” in a special broadcast via Zoom. Watch 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 23 – 29: Contest Winners featured as Poets of the Week.
