Margaret Reid Poetry Contest for Traditional Verse 2009
Congratulations to the winners of the 2009 Margaret Reid Poetry Contest for Traditional Verse!
Honorable Mention $200
- Carmine Dandrea, A Wake in the House
- Liz Davies, Time-Lapse Father - The Migrant Worker
- Louis Giron, The Sleeper
- Aunty Myrtle, The Old Man from Malkala
- Christine Hemp, Sestina: All the Broken Toys
Most Highly Commended $100
- Noble Collins, The Falcon
- Judith Goldhaber, The Garden Spider
- Debra Gundy, Reflections of Solitude
- Paul Hamill, Day Sailing
- Alys Jackson, To Drift in Sandstone Folds
- Jeanie Mercer, Haiku Selections
First Prize - $2,000 - Judith Goldhaber
"The Bewick's Wren"
The judges said, "Like all three of the other major prizewinning entries, 'The Bewick's Wren' is a wholly engaging poem that works well on multiple levels. In this quite remarkable composition, the author brilliantly combines three genres: nature poem, domestic escapade, playful conceit. Imagine a wren building her nest in a doll's house! Perhaps this actually happened. Certainly Judith Goldhaber makes the incident ring true—and that is part and parcel of her work's intrinsic charm. This picture of an enchantingly topsy-turvy Lewis Carroll world is then ratified by the cunning use of rhyming verse, which in turn imparts a delightfully mock-heroic aura to this unique yet spellbinding event."
Second Prize - $1,000 - Samuel Tan
"10 p.m. by the Singapore River"
The judges said, "In '10 p.m. by the Singapore River', Samuel Tan has created a cityscape that stays in the memory, thanks to his use of evocative language and his careful selection of typical but inherently fascinating incidents. The poem grips the attention right from its opening lines in which Singapore is energetically presented as a 'thinking' city. This intriguing notion is then cleverly reinforced in subsequent stanzas through adroitly observed reflections that are dexterously translated into disarmingly picturesque tableaux."
Third Prize - $500 - Rosmarie Epaminondas-Böhm
"Miss Worthington"
The judges said, "Unlike the other three major winners, 'Miss Worthington' is a straightforward character study—a reminiscence rather than an ingenious conceit, a countryside or cityscape. Although extremely popular with contestants, this genre is usually not handled with sufficient adroitness to merit praise. Most writers start slowly, reverently, and then gradually work up to the expected climax of death or retirement, achievement or recognition. In 'Miss Worthington', the poet neatly avoids these traps by writing in the first person rather than the impersonal third and by summing up the climax in the very first heart-stirring line: 'I saw her one last time.'"
Fourth Prize - $250 - Ellaraine Lockie
"Coming Home in a Haibun"
The judges said, "An alluringly descriptive poem, 'Coming Home in a Haibun', manages the hard task of gripping a weary judge's interest right from its arresting title. Not only does Ellaraine Lockie present her rugged rural scenery most imaginatively in striking images that catch the mind's eye, but even the form of the poem—unusual but highly effective—cries out for the reader's immediate involvement."
Contest Judges
John Reid
John Howard Reid, founder of the Tom Howard/John H. Reid Fiction & Essay Contest and the Tom Howard/Margaret Reid Poetry Contest, won first prizes and other awards in prestigious literary events. A former journalist and magazine editor, he published several historical novels, a collection of poetry, a guide to winning literary contests, and over fifty books of film criticism and movie history. See his work at Lulu. He lived in Wyong, Australia, and passed away in 2018.
Contest Judges
Dee C. Konrad
A leading educator and published author, Mrs. Dee 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.
