Carmine Dandrea of Pine City, New York is the winner of the ninth annual Tom Howard/John H. Reid Poetry Contest for "A Wake in the House"
Nostalgic with touches of humor, Dandrea's poem looks back at the customs of his large, traditional Italian immigrant family, through the eyes of a child who does not yet understand the significance of the event that has brought them together.
Northampton, MA (PRWEB) February 15, 2012
Tom Howard Books is pleased to announce the results from its ninth annual Tom Howard/John H. Reid Poetry Contest. Carmine Dandrea of Pine City, New York won first prize and $3,000 for his poem "A Wake in the House". Hundreds of entries were received from around the world.
Nostalgic with touches of humor, Dandrea's poem looks back at the customs of his large, traditional Italian immigrant family, through the eyes of a child who does not yet understand the significance of the event that has brought them together. The men drink and play cards, the women gossip and weep, while the child and his grandfather are excluded from the party, the one because of his youth, the other because...well, why is he lying so still?
Second prize of $1,000 went to George Korolog of Woodside, California for "From Tending Sheep to Confusion on the Amtrak 10:50". Another finely detailed tale of immigrant traditions, this time Greek-American, Korolog's poem is an elegy for his uncle who, losing his memory at the end of his life, imagined himself back in the old country that was never far from his heart.
Martin Steele of Delray Beach, Florida won third prize and $450 for "Almost Light". This magical prose-poem envisions two strangers, drawn together by a love of music, dancing in the dawn light that gilds an abandoned stretch of railroad tracks.
Gordon Preston of Modesto, California won fourth prize and $250 for "Camp Four Jeffrey, Inyo County, CA". This poetic travelogue depicts the beauty and peril of a mountaineering adventure.
Six Most Highly Commended Awards of $150 each went to Barbara Carpenter, Louis Girón, Carlos Andrés Gómez, Johnmichael Simon, Marie Delgado Travis, and Vernon Waring. The winning entries are published online at WinningWriters.com.
About Tom Howard Books and John H. Reid
The Tom Howard/John H. Reid Poetry Contest accepts original poems of any length, style or theme. Both published and unpublished works are accepted. The current contest opened on December 15, 2011 and is accepting entries through the postmark deadline of September 30, 2012. The prize pool is $5,550, with a top prize of $3,000, plus a new $250 bonus prize for humorous verse. Entries are accepted online and by mail. For guidelines, please see http://www.winningwriters.com/tompoetry
Contest sponsor and final judge John H. Reid is a former journalist and magazine editor who has published several novels, a collection of poetry, a guide to winning literary contests and fifteen books of film criticism and movie history. He lives in Wyong, Australia. Mr. Reid is assisted in the judging by Dee C. Konrad. A leading educator and published author, Ms. Konrad was Associate Professor in the English faculty of Barat College of DePaul University, and served as Dean of Liberal Arts and Sciences for the year 2000-2001.
About Winning Writers, Inc.
Winning Writers is today's leading source for literary contest information. We have been selected as one of the "101 Best Websites for Writers" by Writer's Digest for seven years in a row (2005-2011). Our online database, Poetry Contest Insider, includes complete guidelines and rankings for over 1,250 poetry and prose contests. Our free email newsletter offers news about quality free contests and literary resources. Winning Writers was founded in 2001. Learn more at WinningWriters.com.
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