2018 Spring Contest, Poet’s Choice: Honorable Mentions and Judge’s Comments

Honorable mentions:

1st Honorable Mention: “Monday after Rain” by Michael Hanner, Eugene, OR

2nd Honorable Mention: “Fourth Wave” by Linda Ferguson, Portland, OR

3rd Honorable Mention: “Spinning Song” by Toni Hanner, Eugene, OR

 

Judge’s comments

The poets of Oregon have so much to say to the world. They see a frayed time and write to patch the tears. They see intolerance and write to flip hatred the bird. Or they see the immense scope of the universe and write to zoom out and humble us with a reminder of its grandeur. Still others see the preciousness in the simplest moments and write to freeze those memories in polished amber. The best of this incredible bunch not only respond to the world in which we live, but create their own in the span of 80 lines or less. No small feat. But that’s the miracle of language and that’s why I hope every single one of these poets keep blessing us with their words.

—Armin Tolentino

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Scroll to Top