Oregon Poetry Association
Fall 2013 Contest Winners
OPA congratulates all the winners below, and thanks them
and all the poets who entered for sharing their work.
Poet’s Choice — Sage Cohen, Judge
1st Place: “For All I Know” by Donna Prinzmetal, Portland
2nd Place: “Reading Aloud” by Christopher Oie Keller, Happy Valley
3rd Place: “How to explain death to a three-year-old” by Carolyn Martin, Clackamas
4th Place: “Hagiography of an Injun Saint” by Edward Sage, Portland
1st Honorable Mention: “Blue Marble” by Keli Osborn, Eugene
2nd Honorable Mention: “Origami” by Linda Ferguson, Portland
3rd Honorable Mention: “In this church” by Liz Robinson, Phoenix
4th Honorable Mention: “Family Tree” by Kelly Eastlund, Springfield
5th Honorable Mention: “Letting the Grass Die” by Linda Barnes, Medford
Free Verse — Connie Post, Judge
1st Place: “Forgiveness” by Ann Staley, Corvallis
2nd Place: “Communion Slip” by Catherine McGuire, Sweet Home
3rd Place: “Lost & Found in the Universe” by Carolyn Martin, Clackamas
1st Honorable Mention: “The Goodbye Train” by Donna Prinzmetal, Portland
2nd Honorable Mention: “I Fold” by Ariel, Salem
3rd Honorable Mention: “First Days of School” by Sara Jameson, Lebanon
4th Honorable Mention: “Six Words” by Charles Dallmann, Alsea
5th Honorable Mention: “Brief Remarks by the Deceased” by Pepper Trail, Ashland
Traditional Verse — Laverne Frith, Judge
1st Place: “Tide Table” by Nancy Flynn, Portland
2nd Place: “The Dog” by Carol Ann Lantz, Corvallis
3rd Place: “Trousseau” by Kathleen Dunn, Ashland
1st Honorable Mention: “SUVs on Our Street” by Susanne Twight-Alexander, Eugene
2nd Honorable Mention: [untitled] (“Constantly changing”) by Virginia Tondreau, Oregon City
3rd Honorable Mention: “Birthday Pantoum” by Linda Ferguson, Portland
4th Honorable Mention: “October’s Blackberries” by Ariel, Salem
5th Honorable Mention: “Every Way’s a Maze” by Weld Champneys, Port Orford
Dueling Judges, “Sport” Theme — Cecilia Hagen, Judge A
1st Place: “Poem on Paper Meant for Your Wood Stove” by Pat Cason, Enterprise
2nd Place: “Love Match” by Pepper Trail, Ashland
3rd Place: “The Spartans Versus the Athenians” by David Hedges, West Linn
1st Honorable Mention: “Hometown Marathon” by Claudia Lapp, Eugene
2nd Honorable Mention: “Lacrosse Moms Thirsting at the Fence” by Geraldine Foote, Portland
3rd Honorable Mention: “I Could Have Been in La France” by Jerri Elliott Otto, Corvallis
4th Honorable Mention: “The Good Sport” by Gordon Smith, Hot Springs, Arkansas
5th Honorable Mention: “Recognition” by Joyce Epstein, Ashland
Dueling Judges, “Sport” Theme — Jay Schroder, Judge B
1st Place: “Poem on Paper Meant for Your Wood Stove” by Pat Cason, Enterprise
2nd Place: “Y. A. Tittle, Father and me” by Liz Robinson, Phoenix
3rd Place: “Surfer” by Charlotte Abernathy, Ashland
1st Honorable Mention: “Love Match” by Pepper Trail, Ashland
2nd Honorable Mention: “Counting Cars” by Trish Fletcher, Glendale
3rd Honorable Mention: “Swan Songs, or Yet Again I Try to Imagine (Because You Left Me No Other Option) Those Moments before Your Death” by Nancy Flynn, Portland
4th Honorable Mention: “If the Orange Cones Were Pawns I Could Be Queen” by Rachel Barton, Corvallis
5th Honorable Mention: “Lacrosse Moms Thirsting at the Fence” by Geraldine Foote, Portland
Members Only — Carter McKenzie, Judge
1st Place: “Iris Innominata” by Cynthia Jacobi, Newport
2nd Place: “Colored Birds” by Joy McDowell, Springfield
3rd Place: “white tide” by Ruth F. Harrison, Waldport
1st Honorable Mention: “But She Always Wore Great Shoes” by Keli Osborn, Eugene
2nd Honorable Mention: “August in My Oregon” by Nance Davis Rosback, Newberg
3rd Honorable Mention: “No Turning Back” by Carol Ann Lantz, Corvallis
4th Honorable Mention: [untitled] (“They banish myth here…”) by Catherine McGuire, Sweet Home
[No 5th honorable mention; poem withdrawn after judging]
New Poets — John Rowe, Judge
1st Place: “A Day Like This” by Jerri Elliott Otto, Corvallis
2nd Place: “Gone” by Jean Biggers Adams, Winston
3rd Place: “Tribe” by Cynthia Jacobi, Newport
1st Honorable Mention: “The Pea Splitter” by Donovan Davisson, Hillsboro
2nd Honorable Mention: “Whalesong” by KatSue Grant, Roseburg
3rd Honorable Mention: “Bitterns” by Susanne Twight-Alexander, Eugene
4th Honorable Mention: “Mary Murphy’s Pitcher” by Mary K Moen, Portland
5th Honorable Mention: “Mission San Miguel” by Audra Byrne, Medford