Honorable mentions:
1st Honorable Mention: “I Promise to Keep These Promises” by Jennifer Dorner, Klamath Falls, OR
2nd Honorable Mention: “Anthem for the Anthropocene” by Alida Rol, Eugene, OR
3rd Honorable Mention: “Ode to the Worst Air Quality in Two Decades” by Hillary Tully, Eugene, OR
Judge’s comments
Congratulations to all of the poets who submitted work to the “Climate” category. Passion for the subject was apparent in the quality of the work presented, and inevitably the competition was keen. I gave all 79 entries a number of reads on various days under varying levels of light.
Each of the three poems I chose for Honorable Mention grabbed my attention with qualities that made them stand out from their peers, something not easily accomplished in such a well-crafted and diverse submission field. It has been my honor to have been invited to inhabit all 79 of these poems. I, too, am now inhabited by them.
—Nancy Carol Moody
Nancy, thank you for these kind words, as well as for your time spent reading and re-reading all 79 submissions in this contest. It’s a theme we must write about. Thanks OPA for selecting this category.