top of page

ASPS Winners List 2023 Spring

 

2022 Book of the Year: Five Points South: Poems from an Alabama Pilgrimage by Nancy Owen Nelson

 

2022 Poet of the Year: Dr. Roger Carlisle

 

Category 1: ASPS Spring Contest

1. “Ms. Rhydinghood Remembers” by Joe Whitten, Odenville, AL

2. “It’s Life or Death” by Delbert Reed, Northport, AL

3. “The Great Gate at Kiev” by Virginia Gilbert, Madison, AL

4. “Liminality of Ash” by Melissa Wold, Mobile AL

 

1st HM: “The House on Foxcroft Lane” by Jeanette Willert, Pell City, AL

2nd HM: “Rappahannock” by Nancy Cook, St. Paul, MN

3rd HM: “Does Any Ukrainian Sleep at Night” by Ruth Keally, Athens, GA

 

Category 2: Spring Young Poets Contest

No entries

 

Category 3: Rosemarie Stutts Haiku Contest

         

1. Terry Jude Miller, Richmond, TX

2. “haiku” by Jerri Hardesty, Brierfield, AL

3. “Springtime cherry blossoms” by Daniel Moreschi, Neath, Wales, UK

HM: “Earth – Water – Air – Fire” by Susan Tolle, Birmingham, AL

HM: “This calendar page” by Virginia Gilbert, Madison, AL

 

Category 4: Come to your Senses Contest

 

1. “Southern Circuit, Afternoon Ride Home” by Saundra Grace, Mobile, AL

2. “After Afghanistan” by Shari Crane Fox, Grass Valley, CA

3. “Poem Prayer for Fitting In” by Miriam Calleja Shaw, Birmingham, AL

HM: “In the Dentist’s Chair Just Before the Jaw-Numbing Gel Kicks in for My Second Crown” by Jennifer Grant, Newberry, FL

 

Category 5:Beach Bards Publishing Contest

 

1. “Forever Faun” by Dr. Emory D. Jones, Iuka, MS

2. “Morning in Amber” by Pat Launius, Warrior, AL

3. “Was it Raining” by Charles Firmage, Eloy, AZ

HM: “Time Marches On” by Jerri Hardesty, Brierfield, AL

 

Category 6: Mike & Nancy memorial Award

 

1. “An Unusual Ultrasound” by Sue Brannan Walker, Mobile, AL

2. “Multiverse” by Jonathan Bennett, Lakeland, TN

3. “Trains, Planes, and Automobiles” by Jerri Hardesty, Brierfield, AL

HM: “Of Fabric and Dadaism: My Memo to Gertrude Stein” by Jennifer Grant, Newberry, FL

 

Category 7: Buddy Roberts Memorial Award

 

1. “Bringing” by Lorraine Jeffery, Orem, UT

2. “Happenstance” by Jeanette Willert, Pell City, AL

3. “Sounds you always hear” by Catherine Moran, Little Rock, AR

HM: “More Than a Job” by Jerri Hardesty, Brierfield, AL

 

Category 8: Precious Prodigal Contest

 

1. “October Morning Memory Where Past and Present Meet” by Joe Whitten, Odenville, AL

2. “yellow fanged winter” by Lorraine Jeffery, Orem, UT

3. “Sharing a night walk with ancient voices” by Catherine Moran, Little Rock, AR

HM: “Observe the Nine-Pin Thunder as it Sheds Sparks” by Gurupreet Khalsa, Mobile, AL

 

Category 9: I’ll Take the French Form, S’Il Vous Plait

 

1. “Seurat’s Sunday Afternoon” by

2. “Villon Villanelle” by Jim Ferguson, Birmingham, AL

3. “Ritual” by Virginia Gilbert, Madison, AL

4. “The Ancestors Awoke” by Melissa Wold, Mobile, AL

HM: “Playful Spring” by Dr. Emory D. Jones, Iuka, MS

 

Category 10: Thalassic Contest

 

1. “Set Wide” by Lorraine Jeffery, Orem, UT

2. “I am just a shell in which the ocean is not yet silent” by Miriam Calleja Shaw, Birmingham, AL

3. “Discussing My Fish with Elizabeth Bishop” by Jennifer Grant, Newberry, FL

 

Category 11: Eliza Dargan Ware Memorial Contest

 

1. “Into the Heart of the Mountains” by Nancy Cook, St. Paul, MN

2. “Reunion” by Jeanette Willert, Pell City, AL

3. “My Mountain” by Catherine Moran, Little Rock, AR

HM “Mountainborn” by Lorraine Jeffery, Orem, UT

HM “The Mountain” by Terry Jude Miller, Richmond, TX

 

Category 12: Stork Contest

 

1. “in March storks return to the fields of Ukraine” by Terry Jude Miller, Richmond, TX

2. “Storksville” by Mike Wahl, Athens, AL

3. “The Birth of Myths” by Jerri Hardesty, Biarfield, AL

ASPS Fall 22 Winners List

   

1. ASPS Fall Contest

First: “Women in Flight” by Pamela Manasco, Madison, AL

Second Place: “Unencumbered by Beauty’s Cage” by Lori Lasseter Hamilton, Vestavia Hills, AL

Third Place: “And the Livin’ is Not So Easy” by Gurupreet Khalsa, Mobile, AL

Fourth Place: “A Mother to Hold” by Seb Detling, Mobile, AL

      Honorable Mentions:

  • “That scraping of iron on iron when the wind rises, what is it?” by Miriam Calleja, Birmingham, AL

  • “Thoughts Under a Machine” by Teri Reese, Muscle Shoals, AL

  • “Me, Air That Kills Surreptitiously” by Mike Wahl, Athens, AL

 

2.  Dr. Patricia Burchfield Memorial Contest

First: “Looking Through the Paper Memories” by Catherine Moran, Little Rock, AR

Second: “Grandma’s Recipe Box” by Kimberly Shackelford, Gulf Shores, AL

Third: “Polaroid Pictures” by Lorrain Jeffery, Orem, UT

 

3. Ekphrastic Poetry Award

First: “Ansel Adams” by K.B. Kincer, Marietta, GA

Second: “Le Demoiselles d’Avignon” by Miriam Calleja, Birmingham, AL

Third: “The Two Fridas” by Lori Lasseter Hamilton, Vestavia Hills, AL

Honorable Mentions      

  • “Reflections on Van Gogh’s Skull with a Burning Cigarette” by Jeral Williams, Mobile, AL

  • “Going Dutch: Two World Delft-ly Limned” by Pat Launius, Warrior, AL

  • “The Long View” by Nancy Simmonds, Fort Wayne, IN

  • “Moses in a Roman Basilica, or Damned in Translation” by Saundra Grace, Mobile, AL

 

4. Quantum Poetry Award

First: “A cure for recurrent underwater dreams,” by Miriam Calleja, Birmingham, AL

Second: “Supernova” by Pamela Manasco, Madison, AL

Third: “Duality” by Beth Sherrill, Tuscaloosa, AL

Honorable Mention: “Orchestrated Objective Reduction Theory of Consciousness” by K.B. Kincer, Marietta, GA

5. Beatlemania Award

First: “Where My Daddy is Today” by Beth Sherrill, Tuscaloosa, AL

Second: “Count Me Out [In]” by Nancy Cook, Saint Paul, MN

Third Place: “the god of loneliness” by Terry Jude Miller, Richmond, TX

Honorable Mention: “Goo goo g’joob, goo goo goo g’joob” by Pat Launius, Warrior, AL

 

6. The BKC Award

First: “red car” by Terry Jude Miller, Richmond, TX

Second: “The Totem Animal Speaks” by Jeanette Willert, Pell City, AL

Third: “If Reincarnated” by Seb Detling, Mobile, AL

Honorable Mention: “This is Also Just to Say” by Nancy Cook, St. Paul, MN

 

7. WA Award

First: “Poppies Still Grow There” by Jeanette Willert, Pell City, AL

Second: “Just Show Your Love” by Jerri Hardesty, Brierfield, AL

Third: “Focus Ahead,” by Heidi Schmidt, Foley, AL

Honorable Mention: “She Sings” by Dr. Emory Jones, Iuka, MS

 

8. Precious Prodigal Award

First: “An apostrophe to punctuation” by Catherine Moran, Little Rock, AR

Second: “Speeding” by Mike Wahl, Athens, AL

Third: “Oh My Precious Books” by Kimberly Shackelford, Mobile, AL

Fourth: “Oh Rare Ben” by Pat Launius, Warrior, AL

Honorable Mentions

  • “A Delayed Apostrophe to Eliot” by Jeanette Willert, Pell City, AL

  • “Ode to Chocolate” by Jerri Hardesty, Brierfield, AL

 

9. Buddy Award

First: “Rock ‘n’ Roll at the Lubbock roller rink” by Lori Lasseter Hamilton, Vestavia Hills, AL

Second: “Dream Team” by Terry Jude Miller, Richmond, TX

Third: “That’ll Be the Day” by Mike Wahl, Athens, AL

Fourth: “How do I Keep Your Love” by Tanya R. Whitney

 

10. Tell Me A Story

First: “Old Woman in the Garden” by Pat Launius, Warrior, AL

Second: “Missing Redbirds” by Seb Detling, Mobile, AL

Third: “A Body of Work” by Terry Jude Miller, Richmond, TX

 

11. Mike Flores Memorial Award

First: “Fibonacci Future” by Terry Jude Miller, Richmond, TX’

Second: “Things I have found out” by Catherine Moran, Little Rock, AR

Third: “The Pavilion” by Charles Kinnaird, Birmingham, AL

 

12. Relatives Award

First: “Canning Time” by Jeanette Willert, Pell City, AL

Second: “Interconnected” by Jerri Hardesty, Brierfield, AL

Third: “The buttons they press” by Miriam Calleja, Birmingham, AL

Honorable Mentions

  • “Everything Will Be Better in a Week or Two” by Gurupreet Khalsa, Mobile, AL

  • “The Cheese Stands Alone” by Melissa Wold, Mobile, AL

 

2022 Spring Contest Winners List

2021 Book of the Year: it was never Eden by Jeanette Willert

2021 Poet of the Year: Alina Stefanescu

Category 1: ASPS Spring Contest

          1. “Girlhood” by Kate Duthu

          2. “Patterns” by Virginia Gilbert

          3. “Ella: Just One of Those Things” by Jeanette Willert

          4. “At a Christmas Party I Name My Prosthesis DeLoris after Drawing Names from a Glass Jar” by Lori Lasseter Hamilton

          HMs: “Morning is the Shedding Time” by Catherine Hall Kiser

                    “Final Chapter” by Ruth Keally

                    “Un-Newtonian Love” by Deanna Stephens

 

Category 2: Seasons Contest

  1. “Faerie Alchemy” by Pat Launius

  2. “Summer Repair” by DeAnna Stephens

  3. “When Summer Starts to End” by Nancy Cook

 

Category 3: Thalassic Poetry Contest

  1. “Beauty and Barbed Wire” by Maryella Sirmon

  2. “Mutability” by Saunda Grace

  3. “Salt has Reached My Lips” by Adwiti Subba Haffner

          HM: “Dusk” by Jeanette Willert

 

Category 4: Pictures at an Exhibition

  1. “Notes of Freedom” by Charlie K. Firmage

  2. “Invitation to Escape” by Kathleen Duthu

  3. “The Gnomes and Baba Yaga Team Up” by Gurupreet Khalsa

 

Category 5: Golden Shovel Contest

  1. “Young Soldier Sent to Fight the Neighbors” by Gurupreet Khalsa

  2. “Love in the Ruins” by Jeff Grill

  3. “Changing Perspective” by Jerri Hardesty

  HM: “Released from Time” by Maryella Sirmon

 

Category 6: I’ll Take the French Form S’il Vous Plait

  1. “I was with him at the end” by Miriam Calleja

  2. “Our old ways of thinking” by Charlie K. Firmage

  3. “Heart…” by Jeanette Willert

 

Category 7: Buddy Roberts Memorial Award

  1. “Learning to be a Man” by Lorraine Jeffery

  2. “Caregivers” by Beth Staas

  3. “Last Japanese Soldier” by Saundra Grace

  4. “A Bright Spot” by Randy Hale

 HM: “More than a Job” by Jerry Hardesty

 

Category 8: Precious Prodigal Contest

  1. “Labels” by Pat Launius

  2. “Save Me Any Way You Can, Lord” by Gurupreet Khalsa

  3. “In a Fevered Dream” by Catherine Hall Kiser

 HM: “Killdeer” by Mike Wahl

 

Category 9: New Dawn Unlimited Award

   1: “Do Something” by Teri Reese

   HM: “Call me Magnanimous” by Nancy Cook

   HM: “Funny How Shopping” by Virginia Gilbert

 

Category 10: Writing from the Inside Out

   1. “All I See and Know, Suspended” by Gurupreet Khalsa

   2. “I Ask the Sea” by Adwiti Subba Hafner

   HM “Within the Rings of Time” by Randy Hale

 

Category 11:

  1. “A Purple Dinosaur Sings at My Neice’s Wedding” by Lori Lasseter Hamilton

  2. “Conjugating Are, Was, Were, Shall Be: Jouissance” by Sue Brannan Walker

  3. “Show me the Way” by Gurupreet Khalsa

   HM:   “Pie in the Sky” by Leonard Temme

                    “You’re no Good” by Ruth Keally

 

Category 12: Carey Link Memorial Prize

  1. “For Matt” by Virginia Gilbert

  2. “A Loose Calligraphy” by Catherine Hall Kiser

  3. “Hippocampus” by Jerri Hardesty

 HM: “The Difference” by Charlie K. Firmage

 

 

Fall 2021 ASPS WINNER’S LIST

ASPS POET OF THE YEAR: Jennifer Horne
ASPS BOOK OF THE YEAR: Codes, by Charlotte Pence

 

Category 1: ASPS Fall Contest

          1st Place: “The Dance of Life” by Seb Detling, Mobile, AL

          2nd Place: “In August, a Gleaning” by Karen McAferty Morris, Huntsville, AL

          3rd Place: “Under Six Heavy Sweaters” by Lori Lasseter Hamilton, Vestavia Hills, AL

          4th Place: “Who is Wise Among You” by Harry Moore, Decatur, AL

          Honorable Mention:

          “Whoever coined the term sandwich generation” by Kate Duthu, Mobile, AL

 

Category 2: William Desak Sirmon Memorial Award

          1st Place: “Moose Tracks in the Sky” by Dr. Monita K. Soni, Decatur, AL

          2nd Place: “Fond Memories” by Jerri Hardesty, Brierfield, AL

          3rd Place: “Ode to a Teacher – General Day” by Rita Aiken Moritz, Pell City, AL

          Honorable Mentions:

“My Teachers Heart by Myra Ward Barra, Pell City, AL

“Somewhere Socrates is Smiling” by Jeral Williams, Mobile, AL

“Thank a Teacher” by Dr. Emory D. Jones, Iuka, MS

 

Category 3: Janet Hale Memorial Award

          1st Place: “Honey Bees” by Ruth Keally, Athens, GA

          2nd Place: “A Vigil” by Jeanette Willert, Pell City, AL

          3rd Place: “Gloriosa Flame Lily” by Lori Lasseter Hamilton, Vestavia Hills, AL

 

Category 4: Youth Contest

          1st Place: Quarantine with Mommy by Diego Balmori, 4th Grade, Mobile, AL

 

Category 5: Haibun Contest

          1st Place: “Winter Haibun” by Jerri Hardesty, Brierfield, AL

          2nd Place: “Today” by Lorraine Jeffery, Orem, UT

          3rd Place: “Now I Understand” by Leonard Temme, Pensacola, FL

          Honorable Mentions:

                    “Preparing for the Poet” by Mike Wahl, Athens, AL

                    “Oak Fall” by Karen McAferty Morris, Huntsville, AL

 

Category 6: Professor Suzanne MacRae Memorial Award

          1st Place: “On Reading Jeannette Wall’s The Glass Castle” by Jeanette Willert, Pell City, AL

          2nd Place: “Moment” by Leonard Temme, Pensacola, FL

          3rd Place: “Ode to Whitman 2” by Jerri Hardesty, Brierfield, AL

 

Category 7: BKC Award

          1st Place: “we live in a small house” by Terry Jude Miller, Richmond, TX

          2nd Place: “Thimble” by Dr. Monita Soni, Decatur, AL

          3rd Place: “Passing Time as an Adopted Child” by Seb Detling, Mobile, AL

          HM: “Eight Seconds” by Lorraine Jeffery, Orem, UT

 

Category 8: Truth Award

          1st Place: “The Reception” by Leonard Temme, Pensacola, FL

          2nd Place: “Greater Mercy” by Dr. Emory D. Jones, Iuka, MS

          3rd Place: “Like Dusty Treasures in a Pawn Shop” by Gurupreet Khalsa, Mobile, AL

 

Category 9: “That’s a Winner”

          1st Place: “Rethinking Leda and the Swan” by Jeanette Willert, Pell City, AL

          2nd Place: “Soft-Lined Box” by Lorraine Jeffery, Orem, UT

          3rd Place: “For My Father” by Virginia Gilbert, Huntsville, AL

 

Category 10: Buddy Roberts Memorial Award

          1st Place: “Stationary Bike” by Harry Moore, Decatur, AL

          2nd Place: “Italian Autumn” by Karen McAfterty Morris, Huntsville, AL

          3rd Place: “Ode to Aging” by Jeral Williams, Mobile, AL

 

Category 11: I’ll Take the French Form

          1st Place: “Cradle Me, a Villanelle” by Myra Ward Barra, Pell City, AL

          2nd Place: “Dawn Can Come” by Karen McAferty Morris, Huntsville, AL

          3rd Place: “American Cinquain” by Jeanette Willert, Pell City, AL

 

Category 12: Humorous Eulogy

          1st Place: “Cat” by Mike Wahl, Athens, AL

          2nd Place: “That Final Dance” by Rita Aiken Moritz, Pell City, AL

3rd Place: “Eulogy for Me” by Linda Busby Parker

          HM: “Loving Mother, Grandmother, and Great Grandmother” by Myra Ward Barra, Pell City, AL

SPRING 2021 Winners List

1.  ALABAMA STATE POETRY SOCIETY FALL CONTEST (Sponsored by ASPS)           26 entries
*THIS CATEGORY IS OPEN TO PAID MEMBERS ONLY
$75, $50, $25, $10, and 3 Honorable Mentions in order of merit

Any Form, Any subject, No line limit.

 

1st       Jessica Temple                    For Sylvia, Born In Pandemic                                Huntsville, AL          

2nd     Nancy Cook                          Where Is the Justice In the Tenth Plague?          St. Paul MN

3rd      Lorraine Jeffery                    Storm on the Oregon Coast                                    Orem, UT

4th      Dargan M. Ware                   Lines Composed on the 101, a Few Miles

                                                            Above Pismo Beach                                                Bessemer, AL

1HM    Jeanette Willert                    Coal Camp on Paint Creek, Revisited                 Pell City, AL             

2HM    Sarah Fechter                      Long, Longer.. Longest...                                        St. Petersburg, FL

3HM    Mike Wahl                             Heat                                                                            Athens, AL

 

 

2.  CHANGE  (Sponsored by W Roger Carlisle)

$100, $75, $50, and Honorable Mentions at judge's discretion                                              21 entries

Any Form.  Subject:  Change.

 

1st       Beth Sherrill                          The Fence                                                                 Tuscaloosa, AL

2nd     Myra Ward Barra                  A School Day, 1963                                                 Pell City, AL

3rd      Lorraine Jeffery                    Neighborhood Meeting                                           Orem, UT

1HM    Catherine Moran                  Taking a look at where we are                               Little Rock, AR

2HM    Ruth Keally                           Autumnal Equinox: The Last Waltz of Summer  Watkinsville, GA

3HM    Randy C. Hale                      Changes                                                                    Oneonta, AL

 

 

3.  FORGIVE. FORGIVING. FORGIVEN.  (Sponsored by Sue Brannan Walker and Negative

Capability Press)                                                                                                                              16 entries

$100 plus a free critique of 2 poems of the writer's choice, $50 plus a free critique of 2 poems

of the writer's choice, $25, and 3 Honorable Mentions  (1st HM will receive a book from

Negative Capability Press.)

Any form, Subject: Forgive. Forgiving. Forgiven.  Take one word or all three.  Limit one page.

 

1st       Jeanette Willert                    let bygones...                                                             Pell City, AL

2nd     Lori Lasseter Hamilton        Facebook friend                                                       Vestavia Hills, AL

3rd      Sarah Fechter                      Hopscotch                                                                 St. Petersburg, FL

1HM    Maryella Sirmon                   Absolution                                                                 Mobile, AL

2HM    Mike Wahl                             Chosen                                                                      Athens, AL

3HM    Terry Jude Miller                  The Unreturnable Sea                                             Richmond, TX

 

 

4.  FOUND POEM  (Sponsored by Black Warrior Wordsmiths)                                               12 entries

$50, $30, $20, and Honorable Mentions at judge's discretion

Any subject, any form, but must include some material found in another source.

Source should be cited at the end of the poem, but specific lines do not need to be annotated.

The entire poem does not have to be found material.

 

1st       Nancy Cook                          In Praise of Taco Bell                                              St. Paul, MN

2nd     Jessica Temple                    The Broken Tower                                                   Huntsville, AL

3rd      Dr. Emory D. Jones             Bright Beam                                                              Iuka, MS

1HM    Jeanette Willert                    Now I lay me down to sleep...                                 Pell City, AL

2HM    Virginia Gilbert                     Headlines                                                                  Madison, AL

 

5.  JOHN FINLAY MEMORIAL PRIZE (Sponsored by Jennifer Horne, Poet Laureate of Alabama)

$50, $25, $15, $10 and Honorable Mentions at judge's discretion                                         19 entries

John Finlay (1941-1991) was an Alabama poet whose poems draw from the classical and Christian

traditions yet often connect to the natural world, specifically that of Alabama. This contest is for a

poem in any form that, in whatever way the author chooses, draws on a connection to religious or

philosophical tradition while connecting to the natural world.

 

1st       Caroline Parkman Barr       Sunday Yoga in the Ecology Preserve                 Mountain Brook, AL

2nd     Sara Gipson                          Autumn Gold                                                             Scott, AR

3rd      Dargan M. Ware                   In the Joyce Kilmer Wilderness Area                    Bessemer, AL

4th      Lorraine Jeffery                    On This Silent Morning                                           Orem, UT

1HM    Margaret Vann                     A spill of daffodils                                                     Huntsville, AL

 

6.  THE BKC AWARD:  In memory of Bettye K. Cannizzo.   (Sponsored by Jessica Temple)

$30, $20, $10, and Honorable Mentions at judge's discretion.                                                            19 entries

Any form, Subject:  something small.  Line limit 40.

 

1st       Lorraine Jeffery                    Saving the Past                                                        Orem, UT      

2nd     Jeanette Willert                    Inside -- for a cup of Darjeeling                              Pell City, AL

3rd      Sara Gipson                          Empty Shells                                                                        Scott, AR

1HM    Virginia Gilbert                     haiku:  Among fashion in...                                     Madison, AL

2HM    Beth Sherrill                          To a Potter's Field Copestone                               Tuscaloosa, AL

3HM    Margaret Vann                     Antics                                                                         Huntsville, AL

4HM    Ruth Keally                           The Escaped Poem                                                 Watkinsville, GA

 

7.  THE POETS' CHOICE LONG POEM AWARD (Sponsored by Jeanette Willert)            18 entries

$50, $25, $15 and 2 Honorable Mentions.

Any Form, Any Subject, Line limit:  MORE than 40 lines.

 

1st       Terry Jude Miller                  You and Me                                                               Richmond, TX

2nd     Virginia Gilbert                     Coming Home                                                          Madison, AL

3rd      Dargan M. Ware                   My Brother's Keeper                                                Bessemer, AL

1HM    Jessica Temple                    The Cable Installer Says I'm on My Last

                                                            Incarnation                                                                Huntsville, AL

2HM    Nancy Cook                          Call It War                                                                  St. Paul, MN             

 

 

8.  WRITERS ANONYMOUS CONTEST (I’ll Take the French Form, S’il vous plait)           8 entries        

(Sponsored by Writers Anonymous)

*Must Be a Member of ASPS

$40, $30, $20, $10, and 3 Honorable Mentions as merited.

Subject: Any, Form:  Any French form (Villanelle, Rondeau, Pantoum, Triolet, etc).

*Must name form and put rhyme scheme on entry*  Not doing this will void your entry.

Line Limit: As required by form.

 

1st       Catherine Moran                  Looking at teens                                                       Little Rock, AR

2nd     Roger Carlisle                      Ashley Madison Hacked                                         Birmingham, AL

3rd      Dargan M. Ware                   Advice without Answers                                          Bessemer, AL

4th      Nancy Cook                          Unimpeachable                                                        St. Paul, MN

1HM    Jessica Temple                    Wading                                                                      Huntsville, AL

2HM    Mike Wahl                             Living on the Edge                                                   Athens, AL

3HM    Lorraine Jeffery                    Acid Etched                                                               Orem, UT

 

 

9.  PRECIOUS PRODIGAL CONTEST  (Sponsored by Harry and Rita Moritz)                    5 entries

*Must Be a Member of ASPS

$40, $30, $20, $10, and 3 Honorable Mentions as merited.

Form: Any,  Subject: Masks, whether tangible or emotional. Either a real mask or the mask we

show the world, yours or someone else’s.  Line Limit: Minimum 40, Maximum 80. Developing the

topic will count highly for the win.

 

1st       Nancy Cook                          Life's Breath                                                              St. Paul, MN

2nd     Jeanette Willert                    Deep-rooted things                                                  Pell City, AL

3rd      Catherine Moran                  Details in the coverings                                           Little Rock, AR

4th      Mike Wahl                             Cynic                                                                          Athens, AL

One entry judge did not feel adhered to subject and there were not enough entries to award HM's. 

 

 

10.  THE BUDDY CONTEST (Sponsored by Harry and Rita Moritz In Memory of Buddy Roberts)

*Must Be a Member of ASPS                                                                                                       9 entries

$40, $30, $20, $10, and 3 Honorable Mentions as merited.

Form: Any,  Subject: Second Chances  Line Limit: 60.

 

1st       Jeanette Willert                    Crossing the road at the capitol                             Pell City, AL

2nd     Ruth Keally                           Sea Turtle Rehab Center                                        Watkinsville, GA      

3rd      Beth Sherrill                          A Sestina of Angels                                                 Tuscaloosa, AL

4th      Mike Wahl                             Remodeling                                                              Athens, AL

1HM    Nancy Cook                          Committing To Impermanence                              St. Paul, MN

2HM    Catherine Moran                  Waiting for those second chances                        Little Rock, AR

3HM    Sarah Fechter                      Kawana                                                                      St. Petersburg, FL

 

 

 

11.  THE JOHN LEWIS MEMORIAL AWARD  (Sponsored by Emily Grimes-Henderson) 6 entries

$25, $15, $10, and 3 Honorable Mentions.

Any Form, Subject:  Human rights and human rights heroes.  Line limit 60.

 

1st       Jeanette Willert                    The Cut Rose                                                           Pell City, AL

2nd     Nancy Cook                          Reluctant Witnesses                                                St. Paul, MN

3rd      Tanya R. Whitney                Jim's Stool                                                                 Sorrento, LA

1HM    Susan Hazen Guthrie         Equality                                                                      Owens Cross

                                                                                                                                                Roads, AL

 

12.  TURN AROUND CONTEST  (Sponsored by Myra Ward)                                                 17 entries

$25, $10, $5, and Honorable Mention at judge's discretion.

Any form, Any subject, Line limit 20.

 

1st       Jeanette Willert                    The rotten core                                                         Pell City, AL

2nd     Dargan M. Ware                   Lovers' Lesson                                                         Bessemer, AL

3rd      Jessica Temple                    In the Cry Room                                                       Huntsville, AL

1HM    Beth Sherrill                          Regrets and Resolutions                                        Tuscaloosa, AL

2HM    Lorraine Jeffery                    Rye Grass                                                                 Orem, UT

3HM    Nancy Cook                          Flowers Grow on Gallows Hill                                St. Paul, MN

4HM    Sarah Fechter                      Homeless Car                                                          St. Petersburg, FL

5HM    Nick Sweet                            The Aisle 3 Cashier                                                 Shepherd, TX

 

 

13.  THE KAREN EDWARDS MEMORIAL AWARD (Sponsored by Kirk and Jerri Hardesty)

One prize of $25 and Honorable Mentions at judge's discretion.                                           9 entries

Any form, Subject:  Write about a person who helped make you who you are.

 

1st       Virginia Gilbert                     Mrs. Bensmiller                                                        Madison, AL

1HM    Sarah Fechter                      Great Aunt Lema                                                      St. Petersburg, FL

2HM    Margaret Vann                     Big Sister                                                                   Huntsville, AL

3HM    Tanya R. Whitney                Grandma Mabel                                                       Sorrento, LA

 

 

14.  NEW DAWN UNLIMITED AWARD  (Sponsored by New Dawn Unlimited, Inc.)          23 entries

*NDU editorial staff will judge this category.

One prize of $25 and Honorable Mentions at judge's discretion.

Any form, Any subject, but must be a humorous poem, make us laugh.

 

1st       Jessica Temple                    Elvis's Billiard Room                                               Hunstville, AL

1HM    Jeanette Willert                    I shouldn't be wearing tights!!                                 Pell City, AL

2HM    Caroline Parkman Barr       Somewhere Between Salad and Dessert            Mountain Brook, AL

3HM    Lorraine Jeffery                    Leaching Fields                                                        Orem, UT

          

 2020 Spring winners list
 

2020 Book of the Year was Resisting Ground by Barbara Blanks (barbarablans@aol.com)
2020 Poet of the Year was Steven Gillis


 

1.  ALABAMA STATE POETRY SOCIETY SPRING CONTEST (Sponsored by ASPS)          46 entries    
*THIS CATEGORY IS OPEN TO PAID MEMBERS ONLY    
$75, $50, $25, $10, and 3 Honorable Mentions in order of merit
Any Form, Any subject, No line limit.                                                                           

 

1st      Jeanette Willert                           Rethinking Leda and the Swan               Pell City, AL

2nd     Jessica Temple                           Barge & Blanket                                    Huntsville, AL

3rd     Kathleen Duthu                           Vindicatrix                                             Mobile, AL

4th     W Roger Carlisle                         The Gambler                                         Birmingham, AL

1HM   Janet Anderson                           Little Girl Me                                         Huntsville, AL

2HM   Catherine Moran                         Patching all the holes                             Little Rock, AR

3HM   Harry Moore                               Mark But This                                       Decatur, AL

 

 

2.  THE JOANNE CAGE MEMORIAL AWARD (Sponsored ASPS)                                 18 entries

$125, $50, $25, and Honorable Mentions at judge's discretion.

Any form, Subject:  A tribute to an incredibly talented person you have been fortunate enough to

know in person.  You do not need to name the person, and you may have only known them briefly.

 

1st      Danelle Lejeune                          A Candle for Blessed Santa Barbara          Hinesville, GA

2nd     Randy C. Hale                             A Man's Home is His Castle                   Oneonta, AL

3rd     Lorraine Jeffery                           My Uncle's Light                                    Orem, UT

1HM   Jeanette Willert                           Boundless Silence                                 Pell City, AL

2HM   Maryella Sirmon                          Beautiful Cloth                                       Mobile, AL

 

 

3.  SILENCE (Sponsored by Roger Carlisle)                                                                  29 entries

$75, $50, $25 and Honorable Mentions at judge's discretion.

Any Form, Subject:  Silence.

 

1st      Linda Busby Parker                     Prom Night                                            Daphne, AL

2nd     Dr. Emory D. Jones                     Silence is Golden                                  Iuka, MS

3rd     Mack Knopf                                The Sound of Time                                Birmingham, AL

1HM   Ruth Keally                                 After Thyroid Surgery, Silence Comes          Watkinsville, GA

2HM   Ramey Channell                          Mornings on Moon River                        Leeds, AL

3HM   Maryella Sirmon                          Waiting for the Ambulance                     Mobile, AL

 

 

 4.  THE CURTIS HALLMAN ECO-POETRY MEMORIAL PRIZE      

(Sponsored by Alina Stefanescu Coryell)                                                                      36 entries

*Sponsor will judge this category.

One prize of $100

Any Form, Subject:  A poem about place, nature, and the environment.  Line limit 2 pages.

 

*THERE WAS A TIE FOR FIRST PLACE.  THE PRIZE WILL BE SPLIT BETWEEN THE POETS.

 

*1st    Danelle Lejeune                          Chariton, Iowa: listening to the requiem 

                                                                 Lacrimosa                                        Hinesville, GA

*1st    Virginia Gilbert                            Radical Swing                                       Madison, AL

1HM   Jeanette Willert                           Again, to the boat house                        Pell City, AL

2HM   Jessica Temple                           At Sunrise                                             Huntsville, AL

 

 

5.  THE WRITERS ANONYMOUS CONTEST (Sponsored by Writers Anonymous)          14 entries

*THIS CATEGORY IS OPEN TO PAID MEMBERS ONLY

$50, $30, $20 and Honorable Mentions at judge's discretion.

Any Form, but use an extended metaphor (Your metaphor should be consistent throughout.)

Subject:  The writing life.  Line limit 50.

 

1st      W Roger Carlisle                         The Poet                                               Birmingham, AL

2nd     Catherine Moran                         Writing the onion                                   Little Rock, AR

3rd     Jessica Temple                           Practice                                                Huntsville, AL

1HM   Mike Wahl                                   Becoming Aware                                   Athens, AL

2HM   Harry Moore                               Easy as ABC -- Literally                         Decatur, AL

3HM   Charles Kinnaird                          Sitting in Minerva's Kitchen                              Birmingham, AL

 

 

6.  HISTORICAL POEM (Sponsored by Dargan Ware)                                                            19 entries

$50, $30, $10 and Honorable Mentions at judge’s discretion.

Any Form, Subject:  A poem about any historical figure or event, pre-20th century. 

 

1st      Catherine Hall Kiser                     Vincent Left His Shoes                          Fairhope, AL

2nd     Danelle Lejeune                          Conjuring Evangeline                             Hinesville, GA

3rd     Lorraine Jeffery                           Nouns                                                   Orem, UT

* Judge selected three equal Honorable Mentions

HM     Barbara Blanks                           Turning Yankees Every Which Way

                                                                 But Loose                                                  Garland, TX

HM     Nancy Cook                                Celestial Reckoning                               St. Paul, MN

HM     Catherine Moran                         A few words about Babel                       Little Rock, AR

 

 

 7.  BUDDY ROBERTS MEMORIAL CONTEST  (Sponsored by Harry and Rita Moritz)          21 entries

$50, $25, $15, $10 and Honorable Mentions at judge’s discretion.

Any Form (If you use a form, name the form), Subject:  Second chances or new beginnings

Line limit 50.

 

1st      Jessica Temple                           Moving Day                                           Huntsville, AL

2nd     Virginia Gilbert                            Saving Face                                          Madison, AL

3rd     Harry Moore                               What Do You Do?                                 Decatur, AL

4th     Jeanette Willert                           Headed Home                                       Pell City, AL

1HM   Lorraine Jeffery                           Spring's Flower Child                             Orem, UT

2HM   Catherine Moran                         We hold the morning in our hands          Little Rock, AR

3HM   Barbara Wiedemann                    Try and Try Again                                  Montgomery, AL

 

 

8.  THE DODIE WALTON HORNE MEMORIAL PRIZE (Sponsored by Jennifer Horne,         

Poet Laureate of Alabama)                                                                                                    27 entries

Awards: $50, $25, $15;  and $10 Honorable Mention

Any Form, Subject:  An experience of change or growth.  No line limit.

 

1st      Harry Moore                               All Things New                                      Decatur, AL

2nd     Jeanette Willert                           Breakup on the edge of a lake in

                                                                 Colorado                                          Pell City, AL

3rd     Janet Anderson                           Change                                                 Huntsville, AL

1HM   Barbara Blanks                           On that dark and stormy night                Garland, TX

 

9.  THE POETS' CHOICE LONG POEM AWARD (Sponsored by Jeanette Willert)          22 entries

$50, $25, $15 and 2 Honorable Mentions.

Any Form, Any Subject, Line limit:  MORE than 40 lines.

 

1st      Nancy Cook                                Workers' Caucus                                   St. Paul, MN

2nd     Jessica Temple                           To the Girl Who Now Lives in My Room          Huntsville, AL

3rd     Lorraine Jeffery                           Night Watch                                          Orem, UT

1HM   Barbara Blanks                           Mending the Sound Barrier                              Garland, TX

2HM   Harry Moore                               Reprise:  Twenty Years Later                 Decatur, AL

 

 

10.  "WHAT PUTS A SPRING IN YOUR STEP?" Award (Sponsored by Emily Grimes Henderson)

$25, $15, $10 and Honorable Mentions at judge's discretion.                                         17 entries                        

Any Form, Subject:  Tell us what puts a spring in your step.  Line limit 60.                     

 

1st      Jeanette Willert                           An old novice takes a dive                     Pell City, AL

2nd     Sharmila Mitra                             Setting Sun In Winter                            West Bengal, India

3rd     Catherine Hall Kiser                     Salt and Pepper Rooster                        Fairhope, AL

 

11.  NEWBIES ONLY (Sponsored by Jessica Temple)                                                  7 entries

*FOR NEW MEMBERS WHO JOINED SINCE FALL 2019

(AFTER THE DEADLINE FOR FALL CONTESTS)

$25, $15, $10 and Honorable Mentions at judge's discretion.

Any Form, Any Subject,  Line limit 60.

 

1st      Lorraine Jeffery                           Soft-lined Box                                       Orem, UT

2nd     Ruth Keally                                 Butch                                                    Watkinsville, GA

3rd     Joan Peterson                             Ant Versus Gladiola: The Tale of Two

                                                                 Winners                                           Mobile, AL

1HM   Jeral R. Williams                         The View From the Middle                     Mobile, AL

2HM   Linda Kornegay                           The Strength of the Tree                       Lake View, AL

 

 

12.  THE PRECIOUS PRODIGAL AWARD (Sponsored by Harry and Rita Moritz)           12 entries

$25, $15, $10, and Honorable Mentions at judge’s discretion.

Subject: Any, Form: Sonnet (List type of sonnet and rhyme scheme, and don’t forget your volta!)

Line limit as dictated by form.

 

1st      Catherine Moran                         In the right time                                     Little Rock, AR

2nd     John W. Crawford                       Thank Heavens for Good Beer               Arkadelphia, AR

3rd     Dr. Emory D. Jones                     Personal Aesthetic                                Iuka, MS

1HM   Jeanette Willert                           How Love Fled                                      Pell City, AL

2HM   Steven Gillis                                Trinity                                                   Cotacachi, Ecuador

 

 

13.  THELASSIC POEM  (related to the sea)  (Sponsored by Jessica Temple)               15 entries

$25, $15, $10 and Honorable Mentions at judge's discretion.

Any Form, Subject:  the sea.  Line limit 60.

 

1st      Nancy Cook                                Water is the Most Powerful Element:      St. Paul, MN

2nd     Virginia Gilbert                            Spiritus Mundi                                       Madison, AL

3rd     Dr. Emory D. Jones                     Moon Streak                                         Iuka, MS

1HM   Barbara Blanks                           State of Mind                                                  Garland, TX

2HM   Janet Anderson                           Beyond the Call                                     Huntsville, AL

3HM   W Roger Carlisle                         Sand Castles                                        Birmingham, AL

 

 

14.  "THE STOP SIGN" (Sponsored by Myra Ward Barra)                                             15 entries

$20, $10, $5 and Honorable Mentions at judge’s discretion.

Any Form, Subject:  The stop sign (either real or metaphorical)

 

1st      Harry Moore                               The Percipient                                       Decatur, AL

2nd     Nancy Cook                                A Quinquagenarian Learns about

                                                                 Poetry                                             St. Paul, MN

3rd     Jeral R. Williams                         When the Stoplight Changes                  Mobile, AL

1HM   Dr. Emory D. Jones                     Shadows in the Mind                             Iuka, MS

2HM   Nancy Simmonds                        Souvenir                                               Ft. Wayne, IN

3HM   Barbara Blanks                           Snake, Rattle, and Go!                          Garland, TX

 

 

15.    THE "FILL IN THE BLANKS" AWARD (Sponsored by Barbara Blanks)                   6 entries

*Sponsor will judge this category.

One prize of $30 and 2 Honorable Mentions at judge's discretion

Any Subject, Form: Single Limerick OR Limerick series of at least 3 stanzas (15 lines),

with a maximum of 6 stanzas (30 lines).  Be sure to use correct limerick meter.

 

* No prize was awarded as none of the entries met the proper form/meter.

 

 

16.  THE KAREN EDWARDS MEMORIAL AWARD (Sponsored by Kirk and Jerri Hardesty)

One prize of $25 and Honorable Mentions at judge's discretion.                                     22 entries

Any form, Subject:  A woman who is smart, strong, sassy, and always classy.              

 

1st      Catherine Moran                         The turning point                                   Little Rock, AR

1HM* Jeanette Willert                           Judy                                                     Pell City, AL

2HM   James Matthew Byers                 Aranyani                                               Odenville, AL

3HM   Hanh Chau                                 The Beauty She Is                                 San Jose, CA

 

*  The judge wished they could award two 1st place awards.

 

 

17.  THE NEW DAWN UNLIMITED AWARD (Sponsored by New Dawn Unlimited, Inc.)  

*NDU editorial staff will judge this category.                                                                  21 entries

One prize of $25 and Honorable Mentions at judge's discretion.

Any form, Subject:  “Imagine This!”  Line limit 50.

 

1st      Virginia Gilbert                            The Land                                              Madison, AL

1HM   Harry Moore                               Imagination:  What If?                           Decatur, AL

2HM   Ramey Channell                          I Dreamed I Floated High Above the

                                                                 Earth                                               Leeds, AL

3HM   Mike Wahl                                   Fancy That                                           Athens, AL   

 

2019 Fall Contests

1.  ALABAMA STATE POETRY SOCIETY FALL CONTEST  (Sponsored by ASPS)         46 entries
*THIS CATEGORY IS OPEN TO PAID MEMBERS ONLY

 

1st       Harry Moore                                      The Sentence                                               Decatur, AL

2nd     Amanda J. Gillis                               Playground with My Father                         Orange Beach, AL

3rd      Catherine Moran                              Balancing out                                                Little Rock, AR

4th      Steven A. Gillis                                 Five years on the strand                             Orange Beach, AL

1HM    Jeanette Willert                                Toni Morrison, before the Nobel               Pell City, AL

2HM    Roger Carlisle                                  Walking the dog.........                                  Birmingham, AL

3HM    Virginia Gilbert                                  Patterns                                                         Madison, AL

 

2.  ADDICTON...TOO MUCH PAIN  (Sponsored by Roger Carlisle)                                      19 entries

 

1st       Barbara Blanks                                Smoking Guns                                              Garland, TX

2nd     Harry Moore                                      Home Again                                                  Decatur, AL

3rd      Virginia Gilbert                                  Therapy # 2                                                   Madison, AL

1HM    Angie Bell                                          Everything's Fine                                         Birmingham, AL

 

3.  THE BUDDY ROBERTS AWARD  (Sponsored by Harry and Rita Moritz in memory of

their son, Buddy.)                                                                                                                             16 entries

Subject:  My Christian Faith.  

 

1st       Lynanne Carroll                               I sold the field                                               Pell City, AL

2nd     Catherine Moran                              Moved by the ordinary around us             Little Rock, AR

3rd      Barbara Blanks                                Listen, Kids                                                   Garland, TX

1HM    Mike Wahl                                         Directions                                                      Athens, AL

2HM    Dr. Emory D. Jones                         Katrina:  God's Blessings                           Iuka, MS

3HM    Steven A. Gillis                                 Our Perfect Bible                                         Orange Beach, AL

 

4.  THE ANHINGA AWARD  (Sponsored by Susan Luther)                                                    29 entries

*THIS CATEGORY IS OPEN TO PAID MEMBERS ONLY

Any form, Subject:  Birds of a different feather, literal or figurative --

anything or anyone that is somehow "different." 

 

Note:  Three equal prizes

 

Harry Moore                                      Hands                                                            Decatur, AL  

 Jeanette Willert                                Schism on a Road Trip Out West              Pell City, AL

Steven A. Gillis                                 Mirror Bird                                                     Orange Beach, AL

 

Note:  Three equal Honorable Mentions

 

HM      Virginia Gilbert                               An Ode on Greatness: A

                                                                        Personal Observation                                  Madison, AL

HM      Angie Bell                                          Home Ec                                                        Birmingham, AL

HM      Joanne Ramey Cage                      The Adventures of Red River Dan, a

                                                                        Cowboy of Color                                          Leeds, AL

 

5.  LEAVING  (Sponsored by Steven and Amanda Gillis)                                                        31 entries

Any Form, Subject:  Leaving -- actual or metaphorical, in honor of our exodus from the US. 

 

1st       Dargan M. Ware                               Transplanting                                                Birmingham, AL

2nd     Virginia Gilbert                                  Photographs                                                 Madison, AL

3rd      Harry Moore                                      Packing Up                                                    Decatur, AL

1HM    Edward Wilson                                 Wednesday in Mississippi                          Birmingham, AL

 

6.  THE WRITERS ANONYMOUS AWARD  (Sponsored by Writers Anonymous)             27 entries

*Sponsor will select judge for this category.

Any form, Subject:  Life as a poet.  

 

1st       Lori Lasseter Hamilton                    parchment guard                                          Vestavia Hills, AL

2nd     Randy C. Hale                                  How Poems are Born                                  Oneonta, AL

3rd      Catherine Moran                              Writing on the edge                                     Little Rock, AR

4th      Barbara Blanks                                If I'm the Boss, Then I Need a Raise        Garland, TX

1HM    Harry Moore                                      Ars Poetica:  What to Make of It                Decatur, AL

2HM    Charles Kinnaird                              What Virgil Said in that Dream You

                                                                        Almost Remembered                                  Birmingham, AL

3HM    Christine Riddle                               Life as a Poet                                                Foley, AL

4HM    Lynanne Carroll                               After Hours                                                    Pell City, AL

 

7.  POETS' CHOICE / LONG POEM  (Sponsored by Jeanette Willert)                                 29 entries

Any form, Any subject, Line limit:  A poem more than 40 lines.

 

1st       Harry Moore                                      Musing on Good Friday                              Decatur, AL

2nd     Joanne Ramey Cage                      Cleopatra                                                       Leeds, AL

3rd      Dr. Emory D. Jones                         Sacred Music                                                Iuka, MS

1HM    Virginia Gilbert                                  Getting the Bones Right:  Reunion '65     Madison, AL

2HM    Catherine Moran                              Pasta and Poetry                                         Little Rock, AR

 

 

8.  SESTINA FOR STEVEN  (Sponsored by Dargan Ware)                                                    13 entries

Form:  Sestina.  Any Subject.  

 

1st       Steven A. Gillis                                 Why I Am Not a Soldier                              Orange Beach, AL

2nd     Barbara Blanks                                Ogden Nash -- Nashurally!                        Garland, TX

3rd      Dr. Emory D. Jones                         The Spirit Moves You:  A Sestina             Iuka, MS

1HM    Melissa Wold                                    Lyrics of a Saffron Dress                            Mobile, AL

2HM    James Matthew Byers                     Teatime                                                         Odenville, AL

3HM    Sara Gipson                                      A Special Journey                                        Scott, AR

4HM    Jonathan Bennett                            The Edge                                                       Lakeland, TN

 

9.  THE PRECIOUS PRODIGALS AWARD  (Sponsored by Harry and Rita Moritz)            17 entries

Form:  Trimeric.  Any subject, Line limit 13, as dictated by form.

 

1st       Jeanette Willert                                Poe's Ladies                                                 Pell City, AL

2nd     Mike Wahl                                         Again                                                              Athens, AL

3rd      Amanda J. Gillis                               Waiting                                                           Orange Beach, AL

1HM    Barbara Blanks                                In A New Year Minute                                 Garland, TX

2HM    Roger Carlisle                                  Don't Ever Stop                                            Birmingham, AL

 

10.  POETS' CHOICE AWARD  (Sponsored by Joanne Cage)                                              41 entries

Any form, Any subject. 

 

1st       Jeanette Willert                                Photo of my grandfather                             Pell City, AL

2nd     Roger Carlisle                                  Chemotherapy                                              Birmingham, AL

3rd      Amanda J. Gillis                               The Red-Eyed Flight                                   Orange Beach, AL

1HM    Barbara Blanks                                I Can't Write Limericks Either                     Garland, TX

2HM    Angie Bell                                          It's Okay                                                         Birmingham, AL

 

11.  HOME SWEET HOME CONTEST  (Sponsored by Jessica Temple)                             21 entries

Any form, Subject:  Write a poem about the people, places, or things of Alabama.

 

1st       Roger Carlisle                                  Alabama the Proud                                      Birmingham, AL

2nd     Steven A. Gillis                                 Our Favorite Nazi                                        Orange Beach, AL

3rd      Ramey Channell                              The Farmer from Arab                                Leeds, AL

1HM    Dargan M. Ware                               The Exit Formerly Known as Brompton   Birmingham, AL

2HM    Harry Moore                                      Albany:  Where the Twain Met                   Decatur, AL

3HM    James Matthew Byers                     Backbeat and Birmingham                        Odenville, AL

4HM    Mike Wahl                                         The Wilderness of Choice                          Athens, AL

5HM    Harry Moritz                                      Bayou La Batre                                             Pell City, AL

 

 

 

 

12.  THE "BLACK DRESS" AWARD  (Sponsored by Myra Ward Barra)                               17 entries

*Sponsor will judge this category.

Any form, Subject:  The Black Dress.  

 

1st       Ramey Channell                              The Widow                                                    Leeds, AL

2nd     Catherine Moran                              Touching the blackness                              Little Rock, AR

3rd      Steven A. Gillis                                 Last Dress                                                     Orange Beach, AL

1HM    Lori Lasseter Hamilton                    Maybe I am                                                   Vestavia Hills, AL

2HM    Jeanette Willert                                little black dress                                            Pell City, AL

3HM    Barbara Blanks                                The Effortlessly Elegant LBD                     Garland, TX

 

13.  "I'LL TAKE THE SHORT FORM, PLEASE!"  (Sponsored by New Dawn Unlimited)   30 entries

Form:  Any short form, but not free verse, ( ie. couplet, haiku, sijo, quatrain, tanka, cinquain,

limerick, beech, etheree, fibonacci, triolet, rondelet, Lil Ann, octet, oriental octet, etc.).  Please

include the name of the form.  Any subject,  Line limit 10.

 

1st       Beth Sherrill                                      American Sentence                                     Tuscaloosa, AL

1HM    Myra Ward Barra                              Plastic Flowers                                             Pell City, AL

2HM    Mike Wahl                                         Progressing                                                   Athens, AL

3HM    Catherine Moran                              Of poodles and poems                                Little Rock, AR

4HM    Melissa Wold                                    Boyhood                                                        Mobile, AL




ALABAMA STATE POETRY SOCIETY 2019 SPRING CONTESTS

2019 Book of the Year was Blood Harmony by Lana K. W. Austin
2019 Poet of the Year was Jessica Temple

 

Winners' List

1. ALABAMA STATE POETRY SOCIETY SPRING CONTEST (Sponsored by ASPS)  

1st       Lana K. W. Austin                           Consequence                                      Huntsville, AL

2nd     Harry Moore                                   The Compulsive Semiologist          Decatur, AL

3rd      James Matthew Byers                    Annabel Lee and Zombie Me          Odenville, AL

4th      Ellaraine Lockie                              Stepping Over Arizona                     Sunnyvale, CA

1HM    Catherine Moran                            Stranded                                             Little Rock, AR

2HM    Joy Godsey                                      Gentrification                                    Birmingham, AL

3HM    Dargan M. Ware                               Reflections                                       Birmingham, AL

 

 

2.  THE MARY (MICKEY) CLEVERDON MEMORIAL AWARD (Sponsored by Sue Brannon Walker)

$100, $50, $25 and Honorable Mentions at judge's discretion.                                              

 

1st       Dargan M. Ware                               The Concept of Motion on Lake    Birmingham, AL

                                                                        Okeechobee            

2nd     Art Thompson                                   Spring NIghts on the River            Decatur, AL

3rd      Angie Bell                                          Music of Creation                             Birmingham, AL

1HM    Rebecca L. Oxford                           Super Red Blood Wolf Moon         Huntsville, AL

2HM    Harry Moore                                    Hunter's Remorse                             Decatur, AL

3HM    LaVern Spencer McCarthy             The Winds Of November               Blair, OK

4HM    Bettye Cannizzo                              Of a Mississippi Mockingbird         Huntsville, AL

5HM    Margaret Rush                                 Changing Seasons                             Pell City, AL 

 

 

3.  A SPIRITUAL JOURNEY (Sponsored by Roger Carlisle)                                                  

$100, $50, $25 and Honorable Mentions at judge's discretion.

Any Form, Subject:  A spiritual journey.

 

1st       Angie Bell                                          Instructions                                         Birmingham, AL

2nd     Dargan M. Ware                               Pilgrimage to Plains                           Birmingham, AL

3rd      Dr. Virginia Gilbert                           Nomads                                              Madison, AL

1HM    Ellaraine Lockie                               Guardian Angel                                  Sunnyvale, CA

2HM    Rebecca L. Oxford                           Meeting Spirit                                    Huntsville, AL

3HM    Mike Wahl                                         The Line                                              Athens, AL

4HM    Harry Moore                                      Advent                                                Decatur, AL

5HM    Nick Sweet                                        Barbara, Marian, and the Elder        Shepherd, TX

 

4.  WE ARE MADE OF STARSTUFF (Sponsored by Steven and Amanda Gillis)              

*Sponsor will judge this category.

$50, $30, $20 and Honorable Mentions at judge's discretion. 

Any Form, Subject:  Astronomy / Astrophysics.  Line limit 60.

 

1st       Sarah E. Morin                                 Princess Di's Rings                          Fishers, IN

2nd     Urainah Glidewell                            Before the Stars Fell                       Pell City, AL

3rd      Dargan M. Ware                               The Space Before Your Eyes        Birmingham, AL

1HM    Myra Ward Barra                              Cosmic Faces                                  Pell City, AL

2HM    Mike Wahl                                         The Confinement Of Infinity      Athens, AL

3HM    Barbara Blanks                                Do Not Disturb                                Garland, TX

 

 

5.  THE WRITERS ANONYMOUS CONTEST (Sponsored by Writers Anonymous)          

*THIS CATEGORY IS OPEN TO PAID MEMBERS ONLY

$50, $25, $15 and Honorable Mentions at judge's discretion.

Any form except Narrative, Subject:  Words and writing.  Line limit one page.

 

1st       Harry Moore                                      Texting                                             Decatur, AL

2nd     Sarah E. Morin                                 Half-Tamed Verse                            Fishers, IN

3rd      Urainah Glidewell                            Lines                                                  Pell City, AL

1HM    Catherine Moran                              The chance to choose                     Little Rock, AR

2HM    Charles Kinnaird                              Word Limit                                      Birmingham, AL

3HM    Frank Battles                                     Consider Poetry                              Altoona, AL

4HM    Catherine H. Kiser                           A Mother's Guide to Happiness -  Fairhope, AL

                                                                        From A to Z and Z to A                  

5HM    Dargan M. Ware                               Donald Trump and Derrida            Birmingham, AL                  

                                   

 

6.  THE POETS' CHOICE AWARD (Sponsored by Jeanette Willert)                                     

$40, $25, $10 and 2 Honorable Mentions.

Any form, Any subject, Line limit 100.

 

1st       Kathleen Duthu                                Post-Katrina Pass Christian           Mobile, AL

                                                                        Mississippi

2nd     Nick Sweet                                        The Preacher and the Paperboy   Shepherd, TX

3rd      Dr. Emory D. Jones                         Delta General                                   Iuka, MS

1HM    Art Thompson                                   Sweet as Sugar                               Decatur, AL

2HM    Ellaraine Lockie                               Cutting the Family Tree                Sunnyvale, CA

7.  HER STORY  (Sponsored by Jerri Beck)                                                                            

*THIS CATEGORY IS OPEN TO PAID MEMBERS ONLY

$30, $20, $15 and Honorable Mentions at judge's discretion.

Any form, Subject:  Tribute to a woman (not a relative).

 

1st       Amanda Gillis                                   Ms. Mackinny                                  Orange Beach, AL

2nd     Steven A. Gillis                                 My seat on the bus                          Orange Beach, AL

3rd      Sarah E. Morin                                 Twist                                                  Fishers, IN

1HM    S. E. B. Detling                                The Fan                                              Mobile, AL

2HM    Jessica Temple                                Josephine Baker, Circa 1950           Huntsville, AL

3HM    Jeanette Willert                                Lament for Barbara Stevens         Pell City, AL

4HM    Mike Wahl                                         For Patricia                                      Athens, AL

5HM    Rita Aiken Moritz                              I'm Nobody. Who are You?          Pell City, AL

 

 

8.  THE GOLDEN SHOVEL AWARD (Sponsored by Consuelo Marshall)                           

Form:  Golden Shovel,  Any subject.

 

1st       Dargan M. Ware                               The Black Spade                              Birmingham, AL

2nd     Rita Aiken Moritz                              You're Too Late                              Pell City, AL

3rd      Terry Miller                                        The Walk                                        Richmond, TX

1HM    Barbara Blanks                                Descent into Dementia                   Garland, TX

2HM    Sarah E. Morin                                 A Rebuttal To Mr. Herrick            Fishers, IN

3HM    Amanda Gillis                                   My Power                                        Orange Beach, AL

4HM    Mike Wahl                                         Innovative Math                             Athens, AL

5HM    Susan Martinello                              Balancing the Checkbook,            Gulf Shores, AL

                                                                        A Marriage

 

 

9.  THELASSIC POEM  (related to the sea)  (Sponsored by Jessica Temple)                    

*Sponsor will select judge for this category.

$25, $15, $10 and Honorable Mentions at judge's discretion.

Any form, Subject:  the sea.  Line limit 60.

 

1st       Steven A. Gillis                                 Channel Deep                                  Orange Beach, AL

2nd     Dr. Emory D. Jones                         Moon Streak                                     Iuka, MS

3rd      James Matthew Byers                     Grainne O'Malley                            Odenville, AL

1HM    Mike Wahl                                         Fulgurites                                         Athens, AL

2HM    Bettye Cannizzo                              Scrimshaw                                        Huntsville, AL

3HM    Angie Bell                                          Starfish                                             Birmingham, AL

4HM    Urainah Glidewell                            Blue Shore                                       Pell City, AL

5HM    Maryella D. Sirmon                          Unchanging Sea                             Mobile, AL

 

 

 

 

10.  PRECIOUS PRODIGAL/BUDDY ROBERTS MEMORIAL CONTEST 
(Sponsored by Harry and Rita Moritz)                                                                                                                     

$25, $15, $10 and Honorable Mentions at judge's discretion.

Any form, Subject: Relationships, good, bad, broken, healed, old, new, lost, etc.  Line limit 50.

 

1st       Rebecca L. Oxford                           Aging in Place                                    Huntsville, AL

2nd     Susan Martinello                              Through the Lens of a Wedding    Gulf Shores, AL

3rd      Lynn Veach Sadler                          Against "Closing Down"                    Burlington, NC

1HM    Allen Berry                                        Separation Tango                             Huntsville, AL

2HM    Jessica Temple                                My Mother's Voice                             Huntsville, AL

3HM    Harry Moore                                      About Time                                     Decatur, AL

4HM    Steven A. Gillis                                 Palimpsest                                         Orange Beach, AL

5HM    Jeanette Willert                                Triangulation                                    Pell City, AL

 

11.  THE "FILL IN THE BLANKS" AWARD  (Sponsored by Barbara Blanks)                       

*Sponsor will judge this category.

One prize of  $25, Honorable Mentions at judge's discretion.

Any form, Any subject, Line limit 35.

 

1st       Amanda Gillis                                   The Child and the Challenger         Orange Beach, AL

1HM    Terry Miller                                      Too Tired to Sleep                            Richmond, TX

2HM    Jeanette Willert                                Listening to Elvis in a parked         Pell City, AL

                                                                        Chevrolet

3HM    Jessica Temple                                Whisper Work                                     Huntsville, AL

4HM    Ellaraine Lockie                               Survival Guide                                   Sunnyvale, CA

5HM    Urainah Glidewell                            Mid-Life Crisis                                  Pell City, AL

 

12.  THE NEW DAWN UNLIMITED AWARD  (Sponsored by New Dawn Unlimited, Inc.)

*NDU editorial staff will judge this category.                                                                                

Entries will be considered for publication in upcoming anthology with poets' permission.

One prize of $25, Honorable Mentions at judge's discretion.

Any form, Subject:  Speculative Poetry (SciFi, Fantasy, Horror, Paranormal, Alt. History, etc.)

No line limit. 

 

1st       Charles Kinnaird                              Curiosity Takes a Turn                      Birmingham, AL      

1HM    Jeanette Willert                                The idea of parallel universes          Pell City, AL

2HM    Nick Sweet                                        The Cobbler                                       Shepherd, TX

3HM    Urainah Glidewell                            Infinite Possibilities                          Pell City, AL 

2018 Alabama State Poetry Society Fall Contest

October 27th, Birmingham, Alabama

 

1.  ALABAMA STATE POETRY SOCIETY CONTEST  49 entries

            (Sponsored by ASPS)  Open to PAID MEMBERS ONLY. 

            Any form and topic; no line limit.

            Awards:

          1ST PLACE $75,   Ramey Channell

          2ND PLACE $50,   Barbara Blanks

          3RD PLACE $25,   Susan Martinello

          4TH PLACE $10    Rita Aiken Moritz

                        1st HM       Joseph L. Whitten

 

2.  POET’S CHOICE  52 entries

            Sponsored by Jeanette Willert   ASPS members only.

            You choose topic and form.  Line limit:  200 lines.        

            Awards: 

            1ST PLACE $50  SUSAN MARTINELLO

            2ND PLACE, $25  JESSICA TEMPLE

            3RD PLACE, $15.  URAINAH GLIDEWELL

            Honorable Mention #1  CATHERINE MORAN

            Honorable Mention #2  RANDY HALE

 

3.  A WILD ANIMAL THAT INSPIRES YOU  22 entries

            Sponsored by Roger Carlisle.    Any style..No line limit.
            Awards

            1ST PLACE$50, DR. VIRGINIA GILBERT

            2ND PLACE$30,  C.I. MARSHALL

            3RD PLACE$25,   CATHERINE MORAN

            1st honorable mention  LINDSEY HANNAHAN

            2nd honorable mention  VINCENT J. TOMEO

 

4.   SWEET HOME ALABAMA  27 entries

            Sponsored by Jessica Temple

            Any form; any length.  About people, places, and things in Alabama.

            Awards:          

          1ST PLACE $30,  JOSEPH WHITTEN

            2ND PLACE $20, DARGAN WARE

            3RD PLACE$10, LINDSAY HANAHAN

            Honorable mention.

                        1)  BARBARA BLANKS

                        2)  JAMES MATTHEW BYERS

                        3)  RITA MORITZ

                        4)  STEVEN GILLIS

                        5)  HARRY MORITZ

 

5.  THE JOYS OF LEMONADE  15 entries

            Sponsored by Bettye Cannizzo              Subject: Lemonade.

            Any form; 40 line limit.

            Awards: 

            1st  PLACE $15,  STEVEN A. GILLIS

            2ND PLACE$10.  RITA MORITZ

 

 

6.  GENERATIONS AWARD  `~   No Eligible Submissions

           

 

7.  THE GREAT AMERICAN ROAD TRIP  11 entries

            Sponsored by Susan Luther       Must be a resident of Alabama.

            Subject: Road trip in Central, North and/or South America.

            Any kind of road trip- for business, health, education,

            pleasure, family reunion, escape, etc.

            Free verse or any form you choose.

            Awards:          Three equal winners- $30 each

            1.  SUSAN MARTINELLO

            2.  JERRI HARDESTY

            3.  MIKE WAHL

            Honorable Mentions – up to three

                        1.  JESSICA TEMPLE

                        2.  AMANDA GILLIS

                        3.  JOSEPH WHITTEN

 

8.  WRITERS ANONYMOUS CONTEST  40 entries

            Sponsored by the WA group in Pell City.     Subject:  A Significant Memory

            Form:  Any; 100 line limit.

            Awards:

            1ST PLACE $50, JAMES MATTHEW BYERS

            2ND PLACE $25, SUSAN MARTINELLO

            3RD PLACE $15, VIRGINIA GILBERT

            4TH PLACE $10  SARA GIPSON

            1ST  Honorable Mention  JANIE GOUGE

            2ND Honorable Mention.  DIANA DAVIDSON

 

9.  PRECIOUS PRODIGAL CONTEST  18 entries

            Sponsored by Rita and Harry Moritz      Subject: The Future

            Form:  Any, 50 line limit

            Awards: 

            1ST PLACE $50,   JESSICA TEMPLE

            2ND PLACE $25  BARBARA BLANKS

            3RD PLACE $15,  RAIMY CHANNELL

            4TH PLACE $10   STEVEN GILLIS

 

10.  A Country Song!  19 entries

            Sponsored by Joe Whitten         Subject:  Write a country song

             in the spirit of Hank Williams’ “Your Cold, Cold Heart”.

            Awards: 

            1ST PLACE $30,  DARGAN WARE

            2ND PLACE $20,   RITA MORITZ

            3RD PLACE $10  BARBARA BLANKS




2018 Alabama State Poetry Society Spring Contest Winners

April 28, 2018,  Orange Beach, Alabama

40 poets ~ 340 submissions ~ 10 judges

 

1.  ALABAMA STATE POETRY SOCIETY CONTEST    46 submissions

            (Sponsored by ASPS)  Open to PAID MEMBERS ONLY. 

            Any form and topic; no line limit.

 

                      Awards:  1st,  $75          Jerri Hardesty  “My Addiction”           AL

                                     2nd, $50         Alina Stefanescu  “Pinprick Aubade AL

                                     3rd, $25          Adwiti Subba Haffner  “When Green Apples Speak”, AL

                                     4th, $10           Joshua Baker  “the house”      AL

                                     HM                  Barbara Blanks  “At Close of Day”     TX

 

2.  POET’S CHOICE         41 submissions

            Sponsored by Jeanette Willert.       

            ASPS members only.

            You choose topic and form.  Line limit:  200 lines.

           

                      Awards: 1st, $50,           Roger Carlisle  “Frozen Ground” - AL

                                   2nd, $25,          Joseph Whitten  “Look away, look away, Dixieland” - AL

                                   3rd, $15.          Adwiti Subba Haffner 

                                                                  “Shhh: The Bluebruisepurple Shades of #metoo” - AL

                                   1st HM              Jessica Temple  “Elegy”- AL

                                   2nd HM             Dr. Emory D. Jones  “Magic Medicine Show” - MS

                                   3rd HM              Susan Martinello  “Goodwill Kitchen Table” - AL

 

3.  MEMORIES      51 submissions

            Sponsored by Roger Carlisle.

            A poem about any significant memories or events in your own life.
            Any style.  Up to 42 lines or 500 words if a prose poem.


                Awards   1st, $75           Alina Stefanescu  “In My Green Girl Scout Uniform” - AL

                ,                   2nd,$50           Jessica Temple  “First Christmas”- AL

                                    3rd, $25           Susan Martinello  “Barcelona Apollo, July 21, 1969” - AL

                                    HM.                  Myra Ward Barra  “At the Screen Door” - AL

 

 

4.  THALASSIC POEM (related to the sea)          20 submissions

            Sponsored by Jessica Temple.

            Any form; line limit 60.

 

                Awards: 1st, $25,                           James Matthew Byers  “Thalassic” - AL

                                    2nd,  $15                    Janet Lombard  “Drought”- GA

                                    3rd , $10                     Emory Jones  “Night Tides”- MS

                                    HM                             Lindsay Hannahan  “As Eventide Approaches” -AL

 

5. SAVE THE ENVIRONMENT             10 submissions

            Sponsored by Mavis Jarrell

            Poem should educate and encourage any age reader the importance

                         of recycling or other ways to save our environment.

            Any form. Maximum 60 lines.

            Must be an ASPS member.

 

            Awards:1st, $25                             Barbara Blanks  “Our Deadly Oceans”- TX

                                   2nd, $15                   Jerri Hardesty  “The Three R’s - AL”

                                   3rd, $10.                  Sara Gipson   “Recycle to Reduce”- AZ

                                   1st HM                     Peggy East  “Pavanne for an Albatross - AL”

                                   2nd HM                  Dargan Ware  “River Elegy”- AL

 

6.  LYDIA STEFANESCU MEMORIAL CONTEST     32 submissions

            Sponsored by Alina Stefanescu.

            Form requirement is open, limited to one page of text, whether lineated or

             block prose poetry.

 

            Awards:  1st, $50           Joanne Ramey Cage

                                                                 “Saturday Morning with a Stack of Old New Yorkers”, AL

                           HM $25           Rita Aiken Moritz  “The Birds All Hushed” - AL

 

7.  SANDCASTLES           16 submissions

            Sponsored by Myra Ward Barra.

            Any form; any length.

 

                Awards: 1st   $20          Steven Gillis   “Here We Know Permanence”  AL

                              2nd  $15          Mike Wahl        “”Shoreline Antics”                    AL         

                              3rd  $10           James Matthew Byers  “Life on a Beach”          AL

                              HM                  Susan Martinello  “Finding William”                AL

 

 

8.  THE DODIE WALTON HORNE MEMORIAL PRIZE      29 submissions

            Sponsored by Jennifer Horne, Poet Laureate of Alabama.

            Subject: An experience of change or growth.

            Any length, any form.

 

                      Awards: 1st -  $50          Susan Martinello  “Coming Back”     AL

                                    2nd - $25         Joseph Whitten  “Drought’s End—Journal Notes”  AL

                                    3rd - $15         Roger Carlisle

                                                                    “A Father Learns from His Son’s Tattoos”  AL

                                    4th - $10           Mike Wahl  “Witness”                              AL

                                    HM                    Catherine Moran  “In vino veritas”  AR

 

9. A-MUSE ME!     14 submissions

            Sponsored by P.T.  Paul.

            Choose an animal - real or imaginary - to be your muse. Then,

            let that animal tell us - in their own voice – how they inspire,

            comfort, console, and rejoice with you in your poetic endeavors! 

                        Remember: it is your Muse who is speaking, not you!

                        Any form, any style, minimum 20 lines, limit one page.

 

                      Awards:: 1st,  $25         Roger Carlisle  “My Dog the Muse” - AL

                                     2nd, $15         Jessica Temple  “Field Work” - AL

                                     3rd, $10.        James Matthew Byers  “The Vulture Muse” - AL

 

10.  HUMOR ME!             31 submissions

            Sponsored by Brianna and Paula Hicks Smith.

            No form restrictions.  No more than 60 lines.

            Topic:  Anything that brings joy or a smile.

           

                      Awards:  1st,  $25,        Marjorie Littleton  “A Day in the Life of a Mom” AL

                                    2nd, $15          Sally Clark   “How to Make It Rain”                    TX

                                    3rd, $10.         Jessica Temple 

                                                                   “A Collection  of Small, Blue Things”            AL

                                    HM                    Joanne Cage   “Marsupial Strabismus”            AL

 

11. ODE TO MY PET ROCK     10 submissions

            Sponsored by Vincent Tomeo .

            Humorous, Free Verse, Line Limit: 25.


                       Awards:  1st, $25           Mike Wahl        “Ode to a Geode”      AL

                                     2nd, $15         James Matthew Byers  “Stony”            AL

                                     3rd, $10          Steven Gillis  

                                                                  “An Ode-TypeThing to My Pet Rock”, AL

                                     4th,  $5            Jerri Hardesty  “Solid”              AL

 

12.  WRITERS ANONYMOUS CONTEST    14 submissions

            Sponsored by the Writers Anonymous group in Pell City.

            Must Be a Member of ASPS.

            Form: Villanelle    Subject: Any.   Line Limit: As dictated by form.

       Awards:: 1st, $50,         Dargan Ware 

                                                  “Aftermath of a Fiery Crash  Inside My Head”  AL

                     2nd, $25         Catherine Moran 

                                                 “Watching the Asteroid  Belt Twist By”        AR

                     3rd, $15          Jerri Hardesty   “A Matter of Time”   AL

                     4th, $10.         Sara Gipson   “Is Spring Here?”           AR 

                     1st HM            Mike Wahl   “Persistence”      AL

                     2nd HM           James M. Byers   “The Spring’s Parade”. AL

 

13.  PRECIOUS PRODIGAL CONTEST        18 submissions

            Sponsored by Harry and Rita Moritz. 

            Must Be a Member of ASPS.

            Form: Any.  Line Limit: 50.

            Subject: “There’s a New Day Dawning” (literal or symbolic).

 

            Awards: 1st,  $30                    Jessica Temple  “In the Parking Lot, Waiting”  AL

                                    2nd, $20         Barbara Blanks  “After the Rain”         TX

                                    3rd, $15           Ramey Channell  “City Sanctus”          AL

                                    4th, $10           Bettye Cannizzo  “A Gentle Reminder”   AL

                                    HM                    Steven Gillis  “For the Shortest Day Shines”   AL

 

14. The Horace Ray (Buddy) Roberts, Jr. MEMORIAL     8 submissions

           

            Sponsor: Harry & Rita Moritz (ritamoritz.com).    

            Open to Non-Members of ASPS.  Must Be Present to Win.

            For Buddy, who loved words and books more than anyone else we’ve

                        ever known.

            Subject: Words and/or the People Who Read or Write Them.

            Form: Any. If you use a form, name the form.

            Line Limit: No less than 30, no more than 80.

 

                Award: 1st, $100 -           Jessica Temple  “In the Studio”         AL

           

 

  Judges for the 2018 ASPS Spring Contest were from Georgia, Pennsylvania,

  Ohio, Tennessee, Mississippi, Arkansas and Alabama.

FALL 2017 AWARDS:

.

The Andy Smith Memorial Poetry Award – 22 entries

  Sponsora: Paula and Brianna Smith``~~~ $250 Award won by JAMES MATTHEW BYERS

                                                                                    for his poem, The Questing Beast of Camelot

           

THE 17 ASPS CONTESTS:  39 poets participated  ~  15 judges

 

1.  ALABAMA STATE POETRY SOCIETY CONTEST – 39 entries

            (Sponsored by ASPS)  Open to PAID MEMBERS ONLY. 

            Any form and topic; no line limit.

 

            $75, JAMES MATTHEW BYERS      Amaranth                                Wellington, AL

            $50  JOE WHITTEN                          But God!                                 Odenville, AL

            $25  RANDY HALE                           Strawberries                            Oneonta, AL

            $10   ELIZABETH BUTTIMER         No Cars or Crows in Heaven    Bowdon, GA  

                        1ST HM  RITA MORITZ         The Day Will Come                  Pell City, AL

 

2.  THE DAVID KATO PRIZE  - 17 entries

            In honor of murdered Ugandan gay activist David Kato (1964-2011).

            Subject: Human rights of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered people.

            Any form, no line limit.

 

            $50    BARBARA BLANKS                Between the Covers                  Garland, TX

            $30,   CATHERINE MORAN             Watching Out for Others          Little Rock, AR

            $20    JANET ANDERSON                 Coming of Age                         Huntsville, AL

            Sponsored byJendi Recter.

 

3.  POET’S CHOICE  - 44 entries

             ASPS members only.

            You choose topic and form.  Line limit:  60 lines.          

           

            $50  SUE BRANNAN WALKER        Tuning in to Thomas                Mobile, AL

            $25  PEGGY BROSIUS EAST            Chrysalis                                 Huntsville, AL

            $15.  ELIZABETH BUTTIMER         The Man with the Red Sail Boat     Bowdon, GA

                        1ST HM  MAVIS JARRELL   Under the Pumpkin Moon        Mobile, AL

                        2ND HM  DARGAN WARE     Nocturne                                

            Sponsored by Jeanette Willert

 

4.  The BKC AWARD (in honor of Betttye Kramer Cannizzo).  -25 entries

            Must be a resident of Alabama to enter.

            Any form and/or topic, 50 line limit..

 

            $50   VIRGINIA GILBERT                Photographs                            Madison, AL

            $30   SATCH SAMPSON                    The Afterspat                           Spanish Fort, AL

            $20   JANET ANDERSON                  Irises                                       Huntsville, AL

                        1st HM  RITA MORITZ         Why I speak to Strangers

                                                                             at the Mall                                      Pell City, AL

                        2nd HM  BRENDA THORNTON  Taize Service         

            Montgomery, AL

                        3rd HM  WORTH BARHAM  Visit to the Past                        Pell City, AL

            Sponsored by Susan Luther

 

5.  THE “WINNER TAKE ALL” AWARD  -16 entries 

            Must be a resident of Alabama to enter.

            Theme:  Taking a Chance.  Any form.  50 line limit.

 

            1st Place award only:  $50. JOE WHITTEN                          Odenville, AL

                                                            Old Memories, and Poetry

                                                                At the Blind Mule Bar and Grill, Mobile, AL

            Sponsored by Susan Luther

 

 

6.  GENERATION GAPS IN AMERICAN FAMILIES  -13 entries

            ASPS Members Only.  Any form.  40 line limit.   Extra points for humor!

 

            $25  JAMES MATTHEW BYERS      An Outcast in the Land            Wellington, AL

                                                                               of Digital Natives

             $15  JERRI HARDESTY                   Crossed Wires                          Brierfield, AL

             $10  SYLVIA DODGEN                    What Matters                           Orange Beach, AL 

            Sponsored by Mavis Jarrell

           

7.  F0RMALISM AWARD  -23 entries

            Any traditional poetic form may be used.  Modification of meter is allowed.

            ANY LENGTH!  State the form being used on the submission

 

            $50  -CATHERINE MORAN             The Master is Served               Little Rock, AR

            $30  - RITA MORITZ                         Colors We Can’t See                Pell City, AL

            $20  - BARBARA BLANKS                Hot Air                                       Garland, TX

            Sponsored by Steven A. Gillis.

 

8.  WHO AM I?  - 19 entries

            “Show” us an animal or plant without naming it.  Rhymed and metered—or not!

            Maximum length 30 lines

 

            $15   CATHERINE MORAN               Across the asphalt                    Little Rock, AR

            $10   JAMES MATTHEW BYERS      Social Etiquette                        Wellington, AL

             $5   BARBARA BLANKS                    Scavenger Hunt                       Garland, TX

                        1st HM  SYLVIA DODGEN     Shiny Gifts                               Orange Beach, AL

                        2ndHM  MARGARET RUSH  Ode to ???                               Pell City, AL

            Sponsored by P.T. Paul.

 

9.  I AM AN INANIMATE OBJECT  -17 entries

            Write a poem from the point of view of an inanimate object.

            Do not reveal what the object is until the end.

            No form limit.  40 line limit.

           

            $50   BARBARA BLANKS                 Transfiguaration                     Garland, TX

            $25   CHRISTINE RIDDLE               HOMES                                   Foley, AL

            $10.   JANE E. ALLEN                       The Traveler                            Arab, AL

                        1st HM   RITA MORITZ         From the Palace to the Hovel  Pell City, AL

                        2nd HM  FRANKLIN BATTLES  Old Red Barn                           Altoona, AL

            Sponsored by Dargan Ware..

 

10.  THE SCARIEST HALLOWEEN YOU EVER HAD!  - 5 entries

            Any style.  40 lines or less.  MUST BE PRESENT TO WIN!

            Sponsored by Margaret Rush.

 

            $25  JAMES MATTHEW BYERS      The Terror Trail                                  Wellington, AL

            $15  JERRI HARDESTY                    Trespassers                                          Brierfield, AL

            $10   MIKE WAHL                             The Ultimate Halloween Trick             Athens, AL

           

11.  PRECIOUS PRODIGAL AWARD  -14 entries

            Topic: Extended metaphor with poetry as the subject.   Compare poetry to one specific thing and then build your     metaphor around that one thing. What is the good, the bad, the sweet and bittersweet, the cost and the payoff of

             writing poetry?  Form:  poet’s choice.

 

            $30  ELIZABETH BUTTIMER         Ars Poetica: How to Wear a Scarf        Bowdon, GA

            $20  BARBARA  BLANKS                 Tapestry                                              Garland, TX

            $15,  JOANNE CAGE                         On Diving into Poetry                          Leeds, AL

            Sponsored by Harry and Rita Moritz.

 

12.  CHOOSE YOUR OWN TOPIC  - 35 entries

                Length 40 lines.

 

                $25,  GEORGETTE PERRY

                $15    JOE WHITTEN                                    Blueberries                                                        Odenville, AL

                $10.   JANET ANDERSON                           The Homeless                                                 Huntsville, AL

                          HM   SUE BRANNAN WALKER     No Telling But Annie Doesn’t                 Mobile, AL

                                                                                                Live Here

            Sponsored by Joanne Cage.

 

13. VILANELLE ~ POET’S CHOICE OF TOPIC  -12 entries

            line limit: 19 (as required by the villanelle form).

 

            $40  DARGAN WARE                        Downstream                                        Birmingham, Al

            $30  SYLVIA DODGEN                     I Cannot Bear the Light                       Orange Beach, AL

            $20  JOE WHITTEN                          Villanelle to Night                                Odenville, AL

            $10.BARBARA BLANKS.                  Needing My Glasses & a                      Garland, TX

                                                                        Shower After Working in the Garden

            Sponsored by Writers Anonymous

           

14.  REJECTION REFLECTION  (A “contestivus for the rest of us”).  -17 entries

            Submit a poem (only one please) that you believe is a keeper but which you have submitted for publication only             to be rejected by one or more publishers (or contests). So as to not tax the patience of the judge(s), poems must             consist of 30 lines or less. In brackets below the poem (or above if you prefer) please name one (or more)             publication(s) or contest(s) which rejected your pride and joy. Meter & or rhyme:  Poems must be in verse,             rhymed or unrhymed, metered or not, as opposed to prose (i.e., no prose poems, flash fiction, etc.).

             

            $ 25  - CHRISTINE RIDDLE             Solstice Song                                       Foley, AL

            $10  - CATHERINE MORAN            All the Silent Marks                             Little Rock, AR

            $5    - VINCENT TOMEO                  Paper Clip Exchange—Strip 4             Flushing NY

            Sponsored by Jim Ferguson

 

15.  HOME SWEET HOME CONTEST  -24 entries

            Write a poem about the people, places, or things of Alabama.

            No form or rhyme scheme specified.  40 line limit.

 

             $25  SYLVIA DODGEN                     The Estuary: Weeks Bay AL                Orange Beach, AL

             $15  JOE WHITTEN                         Their Home—Our Home                     Odenville, AL

             $10.   ELIZABETH BUTTIMER       Fresh Coat for an Alabama                  Bowdon, GA

                                                                        Farm House

                 1st  HM.  JANET ANDERSON       Selma                                                  Hutsville, AL  

                 2nd HM  ROSANNE GULISANO   Bicycle Joe                                          Fairhope, AL

            Sponsored by Jessica Temple.

 

16.  THE TIME YOU "BARRA-LI-MADE-IT"  -5 entries

            No line limit.  Must be present to win.

 

            $25  SUE WALKER                           Find…Finding…Found…Freud         Mobile, AL

                                                                        …Fliess

            $15  MIKE WAHL                             Like Being Dead                                  Athens AL

            $10.  WORTH BARHAM                   One Road I Took                                 Pell City, AL

            Sponsored by Myra Barra

 

17.  NO LIMITS - In memory of Debra Self.   -20 entries

            Any subject; any form.  Must be an ASPS member to win an award.

 

            $15  ADWITI HAFFNER                   Tonight…Let me not cry                      Gulf Shores, AL

            $10  URAINAH GLIDEWELL           Butterflies                                            Pell City, AL

             $5.  MARGARET RUSH                   The River                                             Pell City, AL

            Sponsored by Jerri Beck

 

2017 Spring Contest Winners:

1. ALABAMA STATE POETRY SOCIETY CONTEST (Sponsored by ASPS) Open to ASPS PAID MEMBERS ONLY. Any form, no line limit. 
    1st Place Steven Gillis -"Father's War, Pictures"
    2nd Place Adrienne Welch
    3rd Place Susan Martinello
    4th Place Urainah Glidewell
    1st HM Mike Wahl
    2nd HM Randy Hale

2. THE DAVID KATO PRIZE - In honor of murdered Ugandan gay activist David Kato (1964-2011). Subject: Human rights of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered people. Any form, no line limit.
    1st Place Jessica Temple 
    2nd Place Lynn Veach Sadler
    3rd Place Catherine Moran
    1st HM Barbara Blanks
    2nd HM James Matthew Byers

3. EXTENDED METAPHOR AWARD Write a poem about poetry, writing, or any other artistic endeavor as an extended metaphor with something that isn't readily apparent. Example "Poems are a romantic relationship." Any form. Line limit 16. Sponsored by Jodi Adamson.
    1st Place Rita Aiken Moritz
    2nd Place Karen McAferty Morris
    3rd Place Faye Gaston

4. NEW DAWN UNLIMITED AWARD Topic: Tell Me Something Beautiful Any form, 50 line limit. Sponsored by Jerri and Kirk Hardesty
    1st Place Shawnette Daniel
    2nd Place Barbara Blanks
    3rd Place Charles Firmage
    1st HM Catherine Moran
    2nd HM LaVern Spencer McCarthy

5. Topic: SOWING SEEDS Related to gardening, landscaping, etc. or sowing seeds of kindness. Any form, 40 line limit. Sponsored by Margaret Rush
    1st Place Catherine Moran
    2nd Place Jessica Temple
    3rd Place Becky Alexander
    1st HM Faye Adams

6 POET'S CHOICE - ASPS members only. You choose topic and form. Line limit: 60 lines. Sponsored by Jeanette Willert 
    1st Place Jessica Temple
    2nd Place Vincent Tomeo
    3rd Place Randy Hale
    1st HM Bev Gattis
    2nd HM Sue Scalf

7. IT'S UP TO YOU Sponsored by Faye Hall Any subject, any form. 40 line limit.
    1st Place Steven Gillis -"Eye and Lightning, Hourglass Reflections"
    2nd Place Ellararne Lockie
    3rd Place Cartherine Moran
    1st HM Becky Alexander
    2nd HM Barbara Blanks
    3rd HM Sally Clark

8. Topic: MOUNTAINS (real, metaphorical or otherwise) Length and form up to the poet. Sponsored by Dargan Ware
    1st Place Barbara Blanks
    2nd Place Sally Clark
    3rd Place Mike Wahl
    Judge noted that some poems were disqualified because they exceeded 40 line limit.


9. Topic: A FRAGRANCE OR FLOWER OF RURAL ALABAMA Any form, 8-10 lines*. Must be present to win. Sponsored by Myra Ward Barra. 
    1st Place James Matthew Byers 
    2nd Place Rita Aiken Moritz
    *Several entries exceeded the specified line limit for this contest.

10. Topic: POETRY or WRITING POETRY - ASPS members only. Any form. No more than 45 lines. Sponsored by Writers Anonymous (Pell City).
    1st Place Catherine Moran
    2nd Place Christine Riddle
    3rd Place Jessica Temple
    4th Place Vincent Tomeo
    1st HM Mike Wahl
    2nd HM Faye Adams

11. Topic: FALLING IN LOVE or STAYING IN LOVE - ASPS members only. Choose a form that uses meter and/or a set rhyme scheme. (Identify the form you have chosen to use on your submitted poem.**) 40 line limit Sponsored by Precious Prodigal (Harry and Rita Moritz) 
    1st Place Barbara Blanks
    2nd Place Jerri Hardesty
    3rd Place James Matthew Byers
    4th Place Karen McAferty Morris
    1st HM Mike Wahl
    **Some entries in this contest did not qualify ~ failed to use or identify a metered/rhymed FORM of poetry.

12. Topic: WRITE A POEM ABOUT YOUR DEATH Extra points for funny! Any form. 30 line limit. Must be present to win. Sponsored by Debra Self.
    1st Place Mavis Jarrell
    2nd Place Randy Hale
    1st HM Mike Wahl


13. Topic: WINTER Any form, 30 lines or less. Sponsored by Joanne Cage. 
    1st Place Virginia Gilbert
    2nd Place Dargan Ware
    1st HM Urainah Glidewell
    2nd HM Ellararne Lockie

14. FILL IN THE BLANKS AWARD Any form, any subject. Sponsored by Barb Blanks
    1st Place Catherine Moran
    2nd Place Sara Gipson
    1st HM Kimberly Wright

15. A PERSONAL HERO Think along the lines of "The Truly Great" by Stephen Spender. Any format and length. Sponsored by Jerri Beck  
    1st Place Jessica Temple
    2nd Place Grady Sue Loftin Saxon
    3rd Place Gail Denham
    1st HM Jerri Hardesty
    2nd HM Dr. Emory D. Jones
    3rd HM Mike Wahl


 

 

2016 Book of the Year:

The winner of the 2016 ASPS Book of the Year was Objects in Vases, written by Alina Stefanescu, of Tuscaloosa, AL.

2nd Place in this category for 2016 went to Carey Link for Awakening to Holes in the Arc of Sun

 

2016 ASPS Fall Contest Winners:

1. ALABAMA STATE POETRY SOCIETY FALL CONTEST (Sponsored by ASPS)
*THIS CATEGORY IS OPEN TO PAID ASPS MEMBERS ONLY
Any form, Any subject, Line limit 60.
    1st Place Dargan Ware, Anchors, Far Away, Moody, AL
    2nd Place Catherine Moran, Those parting comments, Little Rock, AR
    3rd Place Shawnette Daniel, Pecan Pickin', Cropwell, AL
    4th Place Janet Anderson, After the tornadoes, Huntsville, AL
    1st HM Jeanette Willert, Consolation, Pell City, AL
    2nd HM Gail Gehlken, For the Children, Irvington, AL
    3rd HM Bettye K. Cannizzo, Westward the Wagons, Hartselle, AL

2. THE ALABAMA ANIMAL ADVOCACY AWARD (Sponsored by Alabama Animal Advocacy)
*WINNING POEMS WILL BE PUBLISHED ONLINE WITH AUTHORS' PERMISSION.
Any form, Subject: Wild or domestic animals
    1st Place Karen Morris, The Blessing, Pensacola, FL
    2nd Place Barbara Blanks, Of Mice and Music, Garland, TX
    3rd Place Joanne R. Cage, The Ghost of Little Bear, Leeds, AL
    1st HM Lori Anne Goetz, Tiny Defender, Germantown, TN
    2nd HM Ellaraine Lockie, Rebellion, Sunnyvale, CA
    3rd HM Randy C. Hale, My Cat The Poet, Oneonta, AL
    4th HM Gail Gehlken, Oliver Steps Down, Irvington, AL

3. "THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF BIRDS" AWARD (Sponsored by Bettye Cannizzo)
Any form, Subject: Birds
    1st Place Rita Aiken Moritz, Each Hummingbird a Gift, Pell City, AL
    2nd Place Joanne R. Cage, Haiku (Two hawks in Maytime), Leeds, AL
    3rd Place Janet Anderson, Through the Storm, Huntsville, AL
    1st HM Charles K. Firmage, Crimson Feathers, Boise, ID
    2nd HM Myra Ward Barra, The Caribbean Grackle, Pell City, AL
    3rd HM Ruth Hill Pine Siskin, Chetwynd, BC Canada
    4th HM Ellaraine Lockie, Encounters with Crows, Sunnyvale, CA
    5th HM Catherine Moran, Gifts from crows, Little Rock, AR 

4. THE DAVID KATO PRIZE, in honor of murdered Ugandan gay activist David Kato. 
(Sponsored by Jendi Reiter) *WINNING POEMS WILL BE PUBLISHED ONLINE WITH AUTHORS' PERMISSION.
Any form, Subject: Human rights of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered people. 
No line limit.
    1st Place Seth Cortland Tanner, Shepard, Talladega, AL
    2nd Place Dargan Ware, The Funeral, Moody, AL
    3rd Place Barbara Blanks, Heart Strings, Garland, TX
    1st HM Janet Anderson, moons under wing, Huntsville, AL
    2nd HM Jerri Hardesty, Chrysanthemum, Brierfield, AL

5. THE "WRITERS ANONYMOUS" AWARD (Sponsored by Writers Anonymous)
Form: Villanelle, Subject: Change is a part of life, but it isn't always comfortable, is it? Put together your best words and write a villanelle about that topic.
    1st Place LaVern Spencer McCarthy, In Hindsight, Blair, OK
    2nd Place Jerri Hardesty, Change Will Come, Brierfield, AL
    3rd Place Evelyn M. Hurley, While Blooms of August Sing, Gaylesville, AL
    4th Place Catherine Moran, Growing with change, Little Rock, AR
    1st HM Georgette Perry, Riverie, Huntsville, AL
    2nd HM Charles K. Firmage, Lips That Speak Truth, Boise, ID
    3rd HM Dalene Stull, Human Plans, Danville, OH

6. THE "POET'S CHOICE" AWARD (Sponsored by Jeanette Willert)
Any form, any subject, line limit 50.
    1st Place Ellaraine Lockie ,Sexed on a Kona Balcony, Sunnyvale, CA
    2nd Place Evelyn M. Hurley, Consolation, Gaylesville, AL
    3rd Place Ramey Channell, Calling Up Magic, Leeds, AL
    1st HM Christine Riddle, The Weaver, Foley, AL
    2nd HM Jessica Temple, Ghosts Floated Through My Childhood, Madison, AL
    3rd HM Ruth Hill, Harbor of Rainbows, Chetwynd, BC Canada

7. THE "PRECIOUS PRODIGAL" AWARD (Sponsored by Precious Prodigal, Harry and Rita Moritz)
Any form, Subject: With the passing of time, people and things age. That's sometimes a good thing, and sometimes it's not. Write a poem in any form about aging.
    1st Place Seth Cortland Tanner, Sweet Tea, Talladega, AL
    2nd Place Evelyn M. Hurley, Shelter, Gaylesville, AL
    3rd Place Sylvia Williams Dodgen, If You Were Here, Orange Beach, AL
    4th Place Christine Riddle, The Folksinger at 58, Foley, AL
    1st HM Jerri Hardesty, Visible Markers, Brierfield, AL
    2nd HM Janet Anderson, Entering In, Huntsville, AL
    3rd HM Dalene Stull, Poetry of Love, Danville, OH

8. "THE WHEELS ON THE BUS" AWARD (Sponsored by Myra Ward Barra)
Any form, Subject: Bus rides, public transportation, school buses, behavior on buses, prisoners on buses, bus drivers, bus accidents, yellow buses, greyhound buses, buses that run late or are too full... 
    1st Place LaVern Spencer McCarthy, The Old, Yellow School Bus, Blair, OK
    2nd Place Faye Adams, Slice of Life, De Soto, MO
    3rd Place Rita Aiken Moritz, The Yellow Chrysalis, Pell City, AL

9. THE "MAKE THEM LAUGH" AWARD (Sponsored by Jodi Adamson)
Any form, Theme: A poem that makes us laugh; no depressing stuff. Line limit: 20
    1st Place Rita Aiken Moritz, The Dutiful Wife, Pell City, AL
    2nd Place Ramey Channell, Flea, Leeds, AL
    3rd Place Joanne R. Cage, Marsupial Strabismus, Leeds, AL

10. THE "I'LL TAKE THE SHORT FORM, PLEASE!" AWARD (Sponsored by Kirk and Jerri Hardesty and NewDawnUnlimited.com) Form: Any short form, but not free verse, ( i.e. couplet, haiku, sijo, quatrain, tanka, cinquain, limerick, beech, etheree, fibonacci, jaleen, triolet, rondelet, Lil Ann, octet, oriental octet, etc.), 
Subject: Any. Line limit 8.
    1st Place Michael Johnson, Turnip, Russellville, AL
    1st HM Charles K. Firmage, Last Stand, Boise, ID
    2nd HM Faye Adams, The Last Rosebud, De Soto, MO

 

2016 ASPS Spring Contest Winners:

ALABAMA STATE POETRY SOCIETY 2016 SPRING CONTESTS WINNERS' LIST

1. ALABAMA STATE POETRY SOCIETY SPRING CONTEST (Sponsored by ASPS)
Any form, Any subject, line limit 60.
    1st Place Susan Martinello Portrait of My Husband as Rome, the Sacred City Gulf Shores, AL
    2nd Place Jeanette Willert Awaking Pell City, AL
    3rd Place Barbara Blanks Four letters, meaning gone Garland, TX
    4th Place Jessica Jones Naked Woman in front of the Mirror Orange Beach, AL
    1st HM Alina Stefanescu Letter to a Little Girl Named After an Existentialist Tuscaloosa, AL
    2nd HM Rita Aiken Moritz The Day Will Come Pell City, AL
    3rd HM Dr. Virginia Gilbert Getting the Bones Right, Reunion '65 Madison, AL

2. THE DAVID KATO PRIZE, in honor of murdered Ugandan gay activist David Kato (Sponsored by Jendi Reiter) Any form: Subject: Human rights of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered people. No line limit
    1st Place Christine Riddle Defixio in the Heartland Foley, AL
    2nd Place Barbara Blanks Aspiring to Pansies Garland, TX
    3rd Place Lynn Veach Sadler He/She Burlington, NC
    1st HM Renee Palmer Coming Out at 50 Montevallo, AL

3. THE "BEAT PLUS" HUMAN CONDITION AWARD (Sponsored by Dick Teal -Platosgroove.com)
Any form, Subject: The 1950's "Beat Generation" of poets lamented our spiritually empty culture. Poets are to take it one step further by writing about the search for answers and meaning. Line limit 40.
    1st Place Stacey Balkun Tourists Apparently Film a Porno at the Pyramids New Orleans, LA
    2nd Place Janet Anderson We Are Called Huntsville, AL
    3rd Place Kimberly Wright Living tombstone Prattville, AL
    1st HM Taney A. Brazeal As They Are Fairhope, AL
    2nd HM Renee Palmer Moses at the End Montevallo, AL
    3rd HM Jerri Hardesty Label Me Brierfield, AL

4. THE "POET'S CHOICE" AWARD (Sponsored by Jeanette Willert) any form, any subject, line limit 50.
    1st Place Rita Aiken Moritz You Are Pell City, AL
    2nd Place Lee Pelham Cotton Jasper and Lloyd Go Over the Top Locust Hill, VA
    3rd Place Becky Alexander Waking Dad: Life with an Old Soldier Ontario, Canada
    1st HM Christine Riddle Two something a.m. Foley, AL
    2nd HM Henry Spottswood Letters From a Yard Sale Cincinnati, OH
    3rd HM Myra Ward Barra My Husband's Spaghetti Pell City, AL

5. THE "BUGS FUNNY" AWARD (Sponsored by Barbara Blanks) 
Any form, Subject: About bugs - bugs in nature - or what bugs you. No rants, please. And if you choose to write about what bugs you (even if what bugs you are actual bugs), please write poetically: No lectures, no sermons.
    1st Place Dalene Stull Preserved In Amber Danville, OH
    2nd Place Jeanette Willert Waiting for Him Pell City, AL
    3rd Place Lee Pelham Cotton Beetle Juice Locust Hill, VA
    1st HM Catherine Moran Afternoon waltz Little Rock, AR
    2nd HM Janet Anderson The Great Outdoors Huntsville, AL
    3rd HM Grady Sue Saxon The Bug Leeds, AL

6. THE "GOOD AND BAD CHANGE" AWARD (Sponsored by Jodi Adamson) Any form, Subject: Change
    1st Place Stacey Balkun Terra Incognita New Orleans, LA
    2nd Place Jeanette Willert World Gone By Pell City, AL
    3rd Place Gail Denham To A Mom Who's Missing The Good Parts Survivor, OR
    1st HM Renee Palmer In Paris, I Am Changing Planes and More Montevallo, AL

7. THE "MY PARENT'S STORY" AWARD (Sponsored by Myra Ward Barra)
Any form, Subject: Write a poem about a story your parent (Mother or Father) told about their childhood. Include some emotional detail about your own reaction.
    1st Place Jerri Hardesty Udderly Ridiculous Brierfield, AL
    2nd Place Henry Spottswood Memories of the Fathers Cincinnati, OH
    3rd Place Mike Wahl One Day in May Athens, AL
    1st HM Betty Ivy Dreams Fairhope, AL
    2nd HM Janet Anderson Spain Huntsville, AL

8. THE "S'IL VOUS PLAIT" AWARD (IF YOU PLEASE) (Sponsored by Beth Hoyle Waggoner)
Any French form, Subject: French, they say, is the language of love. Write a love poem about old love, new love, lost love, or unrequited love. Please identify the poetry form you have used.
    1st Place Lee Pelham Cotton Fate (Dom Claude's Villanelle) Locust Hill, VA
    2nd Place Karen McAferty Morris Aubade Pensacola, FL
    3rd Place LaVern Spencer McCarthy My Lost Love Blair, OK
    1st HM Barbara Blanks To My One and Only Valentine Garland, TX
    2nd HM Rita Aiken Moritz I Don't Need You Pell City, AL
    3rd HM Jeanette Willert Chanson Pell City, AL

9. "THE SKY'S THE LIMIT" AWARD (Sponsored by Harry and Rita Moritz -- Precious Prodigal)
*THIS CATEGORY IS OPEN TO ALABAMA RESIDENTS ONLY 
Any form, Subject: The sun, the moon, the stars, galaxies, and universes. Line limit 32
    1st Place Renee Palmer Moon-glow Montevallo, AL
    2nd Place Jane Allen haiku (Moonlight slivers creep) Arab, AL
    3rd Place Kimberly Wright The condoms we'll use on Mars Prattville, AL
    1st HM Janet Anderson Moons Under Wing Huntsville, AL
    2nd HM Jeanette Willert Stardust Pell City, AL
    3rd HM Susan Martinello New York, 1906 Gulf Shores, AL
    4th HM Dr. Virginia Gilbert Earth is a Nice Word Madison, AL

10. THE TRIMERIC AWARD (Sponsored by Writers Anonymous) 
Form: Trimeric Any subject, line limit 13
    1st Place Lee Pelham Cotton Flotsam Locust Hill, VA
    2nd Place Karen McAferty Morris My Father's Flight Pensacola, FL
    3rd Place Barbara Blanks Like His Ancestors Garland, TX
    1st HM Sara Gipson A Sense of Summer Scents Scott, AR
    2nd HM Myra Ward Barra The Captain's Promise Pell City, AL
    3rd HM Margaret Rush Evening Marvel Pell City, AL

11. THE "OVERCOMING ADVERSITY" AWARD (Sponsored by Ellen Sallas) 
Any form, Subject: Overcoming adversity.
    1st Place Lee Pelham Cotton Mas Cornadas da el Habre Locust Hill, VA
    2nd Place Ruth Hill Spirit of Iron, Heart of Gold British Columbia
    3rd Place Janet Anderson Into the Garden of Sisterhood Huntsville, AL
    1st HM LaVern Spencer McCarthy An Unexpected Blessing Blair, OK
    2nd HM Jessica Jones You + Me Orange Beach, AL

 

2015 ASPS Poet of the Year:

The 2015 ASPS Poet of the Year was Jodi Adamson from Deatsville, AL.

 

2015 ASPS Fall Contest Winners:

ALABAMA STATE POETRY SOCIETY 2015 FALL CONTESTS WINNERS' LIST

1. ALABAMA STATE POETRY SOCIETY FALL CONTEST (Sponsored by ASPS) *THIS CATEGORY IS OPEN TO PAID MEMBERS ONLY Any form, Any subject, Line limit 60
    1st Place Rita Aiken Moritz "Who's That Knocking On My Door?" Pell City, AL
    2nd Place Janet Anderson "The First and The Last" Huntsville, AL 
    3rd Place Jeanette Willert "The Life Lie" Pell City, AL 
    4th Place Randy C. Hale " Nothing Stored" Oneonta, AL 
    1st HM Faye Adams "The Persistence of Wind" DeSoto, MO 
    2nd HM Catherine Moran "Designs and destinations" Little Rock, AR 
    3rd HM Gail Gehlken "Ella Mae's House" Irvington, AL 

2. THE "AWKWARD MOMENT" AWARD (Sponsored by Myra Ward) *MUST BE A MEMBER OF ASPS TO ENTER 
Any form, Subject: Write a poem describing an awkward moment. Line limit 16.
    1st Place Jeanette Willert "At the Daniel Boone Hotel" Pell City, AL
    2nd Place Mike Wahl "The Fly" Athens, AL
    3rd Place Janet Anderson "Diving Into the Unknown" Huntsville, AL
    1st HM Faye Gaston "That Awful Awkward Moment" Union Springs, AL 

3. THE DAVID KATO PRIZE, in honor of murdered Ugandan gay activist David Kato (Sponsored by Jendi Reiter) *WINNING POEMS WILL BE PUBLISHED ONLINE WITH AUTHORS' PERMISSION. Any form, Subject: Human rights of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered people. No line limit.
    1st Place Jerri Hardesty "Human" Brierfield, AL
    2nd Place Barbara Blanks "Transfiguration" Garland, TX
    3rd Place Joanne Ramey Cage "Wayne and Walt: A Parting" Leeds, AL

4. THE "FAILING PUBLICLY" AWARD (Sponsored by Susan Luther) *MUST BE A RESIDENT OF ALABAMA AND A MEMBER OF ASPS TO ENTER. Any form, Subject: Have you ever failed, spectacularly or otherwise, in a public setting? Forgotten your lines in a play, perhaps? Or begun your piece for a piano recital and couldn't get past the first bar? Told a joke and no one laughed? Write about your most embarrassing public failure, and how it opened up new possibilities for you.
    1st Place Bev Gattis "Failing Publicly" Odenville, AL
    2nd Place Rita Aiken Moritz "Boy, did I blow that!" Pell City, AL
    3rd Place Myra Ward Barra "The Basketball Game" Pell City, AL
    1st HM Jerri Hardesty "Misunderstanding" Brierfield, AL
    2nd HM Faye Gaston "The Ghost of Embarrassment" ntion Springs, AL
    3rd HM Taney A. Brazeal "Politics" Fairhope, AL

5. THE "I'M PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN" AWARD (Sponsored by Mavis M. Jarrell) Any form, except prose poetry, Subject: The joys of American freedom, and/or the costs for our freedom. No line limit.
    1st Place Rita Aiken Moritz "America's Still Beautiful to Me" Pell City, AL
    2nd Place Margaret Rush "The Knock On The Door" Pell City, AL
    3rd Place Janet Anderson "Nine Eleven World View" Huntsville, AL
    1st HM Catherine Moran "That right word" Little Rock, AR
    2nd HM Faye Adams "A Soldier Returns" DeSoto, MO
    3rd HM Barbara Blanks "Cheers to America!" Garland, TX

6. THE "CELEBRATE e. e. cummings" AWARD (Sponsored by Jeanette Willert) Form: Free Verse, Any subject, Line limit 4-40 lines.
    1st Place Catherine Moran "in the aura of you" Little Rock, AR
    2nd Place Barbara Blanks "cat egoric" Garland, TX
    3rd Place Janet Anderson "churning the fragments" Huntsville, AL
    1st HM Joanne Ramey Cage "Amadeus" Leeds, AL
    2nd HM Sylvia Williams Dodgen "I Will Wait" Orange Beach, AL
    3rd HM Myra Ward Barra "Hurricane" Pell City, AL
    4th HM Gail Denham "take this path, friend" Sunriver, OR
    5th HM Gail Gehlken "As I grow older" Irvington, AL

7. THE "I CAN DO THIS" AWARD (Sponsored by Precious Prodigal and Harry & Rita Moritz) *MUST BE A RESIDENT OF ALABAMA AND A MEMBER OF ASPS TO ENTER. Form: Poet's Choice, Subject: Have you faced a challenge and overcome it or tried again after failure and succeeded? Take your best moment, combine it with your best words and write a poem about it. Line limit: 40 
    1st Place Bev Gattis "Cope, Or Conquer" Odenville, AL
    2nd Place Jerri Hardesty "Ceramics Class" Brierfield, AL
    3rd Place Mike Wahl "Of Silver Spoons and Bravado" Athens, AL
    1st HM Janet Anderson "The First Day of School" Huntsville, AL

8. THE "CHARACTER BUILDING" AWARD (Sponsored by Jodi Adamson) *MUST BE A PRESENT TO WIN.
Any form, Subject: In the spirit of Halloween and storytelling, build a character based on
something you own, and write a poem about this person. Remember to include the object you chose. Be prepared, if you win, you will need to become your character. Costumes and props are encouraged. Line limit 40.
    1st Place Joanne Ramey