AW Poetry Contest - RESULTS

[Kylabelle]

I knew you'd be back before Monday.

There's internet everywhere.

 

[CassandraW]

I knew you'd be back before Monday.

There's internet everywhere.

Once I get to my friends' place, they'll keep me busy (though insomnia may help free some additional time). Meanwhile, I'll likely pop in to poke and snipe and read poetry. I cannot help myself.

Eta:

And I'll be on a phone, so you can mock my typos.

 

[Kylabelle]

It's the poking and sniping we'll miss.

 

[CassandraW]

It's my favorite, too.

 

[Priene]

how did you know my real first name is er,?

So you don't deny it?

 

[cray]

Congratulations, entrants, on an excellent array of poems. And thank you, all you readers and voters, for your interest and support. We ended with fifty-nine voters altogether, twenty-one of whom were contestants. So the volunteer turnout was strong indeed!

Particular thanks to you who carried the banner throughout the forums. Spare a thought for dear, departed VOTE_BOT, who worked so tirelessly to drum up interest. (Well, robots wouldn't get tired, but you know.)

I've added the authors' usernames to the contest entries, for the besotted and the merely curious.

And now, the winners:

Sixth place: #22, Space, by Stylo

Fifth place: #24, The Journey Back, by Steppe

Fourth place: #10, The Infinity of Minutes, by William Haskins

Third place: #8, Give Me Space, by Ambrosia

Second place: #5, Finding Ancestors on the Internet, by Demeter

And First Place...

#18, Dear Sir, by Katol

Congratulations to all the winners. See you all at the next contests!

thank you to all the poets who participated
and huge congrats to the winners!


i really enjoyed reading all of these in spite of vote_bot so once again,..
thank you!






ps: when is the next contest?

 

[CassandraW]

ps: when is the next contest?

Just a thought -- the comedy cabaret could sponsor a quick contest during its poetry forum whistlestop on the upcoming road trip.

Last year we had quite a bit of horror poetry crop up, even without a contest...

 

[William Haskins]

So you don't deny it?

i do not.

 

[skelly]

I think my favorite part of this contest has been the banter, back and forth, about it. I love how we have managed to make spectacles of ourselves draw a lot of positive attention to the poetry forum and our work. I thought the breakdown on the people who voted was interesting and I was surprised that some who entered chose not to vote, summarily disqualifying themselves if I read the rules right. Love to know who those folks were. Anyway, I voted for the winner...it seemed obvious. Leapt right off the screen at me. Congrats to everyone who placed and all of us who participated. It was a blast and I look forward to our next poetry contest. Rob, love ya bro for all your effort on this, and thanks to Steppe for his gentle guidance as well. Well done you guys and congratulations to all the winners!

 

[Haggis]

I think my favorite part of this contest has been the banter, back and forth, about it. I love how we have managed to make spectacles of ourselves draw a lot of positive attention to the poetry forum and our work. I thought the breakdown on the people who voted was interesting and I was surprised that some who entered chose not to vote, summarily disqualifying themselves if I read the rules right. Love to know who those folks were. Anyway, I voted for the winner...it seemed obvious. Leapt right off the screen at me. Congrats to everyone who placed and all of us who participated. It was a blast and I look forward to our next poetry contest. Rob, love ya bro for all your effort on this, and thanks to Steppe for his gentle guidance as well. Well done you guys and congratulations to all the winners!

Folks, you all really did an exceptional job. Two of my choices were in the top six. My number one didn't make the cut. So it goes. But I had no arguments with the poems that made the top six. Like I said before. It was hard to narrow down the choices.

 

[CassandraW]

I knew you'd be back before Monday.

There's internet everywhere.

Damn straight i'll be back. My friends go to bed at 10! I guess kids kill the 3 am wine and philosophy.

On the plus side, I'll have time to work on my poem in progress and make late night trouble on AW.

 

[Sarita]

But I had no arguments with the poems that made the top six. Like I said before. It was hard to narrow down the choices.

Exactly. All of the top six made my initial and subsequent cuts. And even those cuts were difficult. I took a couple extra drags on the smokes tonight, thinking about those I couldn't vote for. And I don't even smoke. Regularly...

 

[kennyc]

Woo-Hoo!! Congratulations to all the entrants and to the winners!

 

[TedTheewen]

The use of language in poetic form and function is very closely related to building muscle.

Use it or lose it.

I only say this because in recent weeks I have revisited my own efforts at poetry and found myself to be rusty in both execution and appreciation.

A couple of the poems I voted for did not win and that's okay. For me, the hardest part was knowing so many of the poems had such great imagery while others played with the language. Who is your favorite child?

All around, the entrants offered up some surprising delights.

 

[Steppe]

Notice to the winners of AW poetry contest SPACE -

Please send your choice of prizes to Poetinhat with your mailing address. He will forward that to me. #1 winner Katol has chosen "Take Up The Song".

May not be able to start them off till at least Tuesday. Major holiday and everything closed except junk food, gas, and motels.

The owls have been notified and are standing by.

 

[kennyc]

I'll take motels for $100 Alex.

 

[William Haskins]

my vote for third vote placed second; my choices for first and second didn't make the top 6.

it's interesting to see how it all shook out and this was a great thing for poetry and the poets in our community.

thanks again to rob and steppe and everyone else who supported the effort.

 

[Ambrosia]

My original first choice, the poem that gave me chills on the initial reading, was Stylo's poem, Space, which came in 6th. Love that poem!

I changed my second choice for my first on the last day I fretted over the vote before submitting. I had weighed the two poems carefully, reading and rereading numerous times, and finally made the choice to change the order because I absolutely was enthralled by the language and workmanship of William's poem, The Infinity of Minutes. He grabbed me by the throat with the very first image, "Love was a razor she pressed to her neck" and never let go. After endless agonizing because of how deeply Stylo's poem had touched me, I made that switch. I agonized over my third and fourth choice as well. But then, since the moment I read the entries and started trying to create a list of those to consider I have agonized. So I guess it was the nature of the beast.

There was so much agonizing for me over this vote. Because there were no weak poems in the contest. Everyone did such a fantastic job. I am very grateful to have been a contestant and a reader. It has been a wonderful experience.

 

[kborsden]

Congrats to the winners, and all that entered. Drummed up a storm!

Not sure where mine placed, but happy for feedback/comments/discussion on it.

Now, about this anti-Valentine's contest someon mentioned... when's that happening?

 

[Ambrosia]

Your poem was lovely, Kie. I really enjoyed it.

 

[Steppe]

AW contest "SPACE' prizes notice -

#1 winner Katol has chosen "Take Up The Song" by Edna St. Vincent Millay

#2 winner Demeter has chosen "Migrations" by W.S. Merwin

#3 winner Ambrosia has chosen "All The Odes-by Pablo Neruda"

Because six prizes were listed (I did it in case of ties in the top three places) I will send out six.

I still need #4's choice. #6 will take what's left.

 

[Steppe]

Notice - All prizes have been chosen and mailed. The owls are on strike so I had to send them by storks. They are great lumbering birds. You might get them by Christmas.

 

[poetinahat]

Thank you, Steppe - you're more than generous.

The prize announcement was my mistake, and I'll be in touch about your prize.

 

[TedTheewen]

You mods put a lot of work into this and you should be proud of yourselves. I thought it was very well executed. I know things like this can go sideways very easily but you folks did great.