Announcing the OPA Fall 2021 Adult Contest Winners

Congratulations to all of the poets with winning poems in our Fall contest!  A total of 386 poems were entered, so the competition was rigorous.  Thank you to each of our judges for their expertise and hard work making these decisions, which are never easy with so many wonderful pieces to consider.  I thoroughly enjoyed reading through the entries as they came in; the participating poets have incredible talent! 

(With sincere gratitude from Oregon Poetry Association for supporting our bi-annual contests—   

 Susan Morse, OPA Contest Chairperson)

Poet’s Choice – Judge:  Paulann Petersen

1st Place:  “Salt” by Grace Beeler

2nd Place:  “Me and My Abracadabra Snapped in Half” by Linda Ferguson

3rd Place:  “Big Boats, Backyard Bunkers and the Next Big Bang” by Robert Nordstrom

1st Honorable Mention:  “Leaving” by Mallory Kellum

2nd Honorable Mention:  “Thinning the Seedlings” by Alida Rol

3rd Honorable Mention:  “Fryer’s Quality Pie” by David Pickering

Members Only – Judge:  Susan Leslie Moore

1st Place:  “We Used to Swim in Willow Lake” by Linda Hoard

2nd Place:  “What Any Gay Man Over 60 Might Tell You About Pandemics” by David Pickering

3rd Place:  “A Gratitude” by Cynthia Jacobi

1st Honorable Mention:  “Perspectives” by Lynn Hughes

2nd Honorable Mention:  “In Kiev, in winter” by M. Ann Reed

3rd Honorable Mention:  “Ginsberg” by Emmett Wheatfall

Theme “the Sea” – Judge:  Christopher Luna

1st Place:  “The Diver” by Paula Stenberg

2nd Place:  “Songs of Salt Water and Celestial Bodies” by Nancy Knowles

3rd Place:  “The Chronic Tempest” by Wendy Thompson

1st Honorable Mention:  “A Small Treasure” by Ryan Scariano

2nd Honorable Mention:  “As It Never Did Play Out” by Nancy Christopherson

3rd Honorable Mention:  “Sand Dollar Pairing” by Carol Barrett

New Poets – Judge:  David Hedges

1st Place:  “Black Hole” by Louhi Pohjola

2nd Place:  “In the Back of the Closet” by Laura King

3rd Place:  “How to submit a poem to a magazine (12th Draft)” by Paul Herman

1st Honorable Mention:  “Candlelight Boy” by Mckayla Gallup

2nd Honorable Mention:  “What Alzheimer’s Forgot to Steal” by Sarah Talvi-Duncan

3rd Honorable Mention:  “Penny’s Song” by Marianne Bickett

Traditional Form/Sestina – Judge:  Marilyn Johnston

1st Place:  “At the Old School” by Brad Maxfield

2nd Place:  “Far From the Tree” by Linda Ferguson

3rd Place:  “White-crown Sparrow/Sestina (Zonotríchia leucóphyrys)” by Amelia Diaz-Ettinger

1st Honorable Mention:  “En Plein Air” by John McPherson

2nd Honorable Mention:  “Summers with My Grandparents” by Lucinda Huffine

3rd Honorable Mention:  “Creek” by Alex Moon

30 and Under – Judge:  Penelope Scambly Schott

1st Place:  “CR 3210” by Mckayla Gallup

2nd Place:  “On Considering Lilies” by Katie Findlay Tucker

3rd Place:  “look who’s inside again” by Mo Rose App-Singer

Spanish Language – Judge:  Nicolás Alonso Mendoza Mahncke

1st Place:  “Adicción, Viejo Amigo” by Grace Beeler

2nd Place:  “La Geografía de la Nostalgia” by Efrain Diaz-Horna

3rd Place:  “grillos cuando quiero dormir” by Broderick Eaton