Facts About Early America, by Ross White

2012 Charles Shull Award for Traditional Poetry, First Place

Ross White
Facts About Early America

Early postal service horses grew wings, breathed fire on mail bandits
before the national occupation was twin towers falling into a hole.

Actors performed paradoxes, accompanied by player piano,
clavichord and accordion. Air rushed every open hole.

Dogs died and lay dead, decomposing peacefully.
They were not deer. Their bellies were not gaping holes.

Breweries made black beer, the smell of which could make a man
see his dead mother. The rim of the glass, a neverending hole.

Live presidents, all the Skull and Bonesmen, sent their clavicles
to a secret crematorium in West Virginia, under Friar’s Hole.

Cherokee sent three men into the woods; their sons fired shots
in the Bolshevik Revolution on men ordered to dig their own holes.

Thought traveled by telegraph wire. A man invented an ice truck.
Another, a plane. Every ghostly radio voice came from a living whole.

There was magic here, then. There was Captain America, Motown, electricity,
atom-splitting, the cold fusion hoax, a telescope hurling toward a black hole.

A man holes up in a cave. A few crude cutting instruments later,
Bruce Springsteen’s organizing benefit concerts for a hole.

Early cremators became postal horses. The chamber holding white ash
and bone is the retort. Lift the retort to the urn’s mouth-hole.

Poetry Day Photos

Poetry Day 2012 has come and gone, and it was quite the memorable affair. Held for the first time in the beautiful Student Center at Catawba Valley Community College in Hickory, the celebration drew about 70 people to honor this year’s award recipients and hear their winning poems read aloud. Every contest category had at least one winner in attendance, and most had 3 or more. All the winners were named in a previous post, except for the Poetry Slam, which was judged live and was won for the second year in a row by Bob Moyer of Winston-Salem. CVCC student and Hickory native, Tony Rankine was runner-up. Start planning now to enter this year’s contests, the guidelines for which will be posted here in August, and attend Poetry Day at CVCC next April. In the meantime, here are a few photos (thanks, Glenda Beall) from this year’s event.

Oscar Arnold Young Award for the best 2011 NC poetry book winner, Katherine Soniat, at Poetry Day 2012

Oscar Arnold Young Award for the best 2011 NC poetry book honorable mention, Susan Lefler, at Poetry Day 2012

Poetry Council of NC Poetry Slam 2012 winner, Bob Moyer, at Poetry Day 2012

Poetry Council of NC member, Michael Beadle, presents elementary and middle school awards at Poetry Day 2012

Poetry Day 2012 Program

Click on images to enlarge

Poetry Day Poetry Slam Opened for Late Registration

All you procrastinators just got a second chance. The 2012 Poetry Council of NC Poetry Day Poetry Slam to be held and judged live at the Catawba Valley Community College Student Center on April 14 as part of Poetry Day has been opened for late registration. How late? As late as 10:00 the day of the competition. Poetry Day begins with registration at 9:20, and at 10:00 this year’s issue of Bay Leaves will be dedicated and introduced. That will be followed by awards and readings in the Charles Shull Traditional Poetry Contest, the Charlotte Young Elementary School Student Contest, and the Gladys Owings Hughes Heritage Contest.

Then, at 11:00, the Slam will begin. Just to clarify, this is original poetry, up to two minutes each. The performances will be judged by Emmy Award winning coach of Slam Charlotte, Boris Rogers, also known as Bluz. First, second, and third place winners will be recognized and receive awards of $35, $25, and $15 respectively. The entry fee is just $5, and poems must be approved (we have a multi-aged audience) by contest manager, Shane Manier, before reading.

Winners will be announced after lunch and followed by readings from the winners in the Ellen Johnston-Hale Light Verse Contest, the Carol Bessent Young Middle School Student Contest, the James Larkin Pearson Free Verse Contest, the Sam Ragan High School Student Contest, and the Oscar Arnold Young Book Contest.

At last check, there were 7 entries for the Slam, including last year’s winner, Bob Moyer, of Winston-Salem; Poetry Hickory regulars, Julian Phelps and Tony Rankine; and Poetry Lincolnton regular, Morgan DePue. There is still room for you. If you’re interested, contact Shane Manier at deepfrostx@yahoo.com or Scott Owens at asowens1@yahoo.com, or just bring your poem and entry fee to the CVCC Student Center by 10:00 A.M. on Saturday, April 14.

The Poets Are Coming

THE POETS ARE COMING! THE POETS ARE COMING!

On April 14, poets from across the state will descend upon Hickory, NC, as Catawba Valley Community College hosts the Poetry Council of NC’s annual Poetry Day celebration. As many as 30 award-winning poets are expected, including Katherine Soniat of Asheville, Susan Lefler of Brevard, and Joanna Catherine Scott of Chapel Hill, winners of the Oscar Arnold Young Award for the year’s best book of poetry from NC.

This 62-year-old event will bring winners of the Council’s annual poetry contests together with poetry lovers as the winners receive their awards and share their poetry with all who attend. The event will also feature the debut of the Council’s 2012 annual awards anthology, Bay Leaves, and a live-judged Poetry Slam. Attendance is free and everyone is welcome.

The doors of CVCC’s Student Center will open at 9:20 for registration. The dedication of Bay Leaves will follow at 10:00, after which winners will be announced for the Charles Shull Traditional Poetry Award, the Charlotte Young Elementary School Student Award, and the Gladys Owings Hughes Heritage Award. All winners present will give a reading of their winning poems.

Before breaking for lunch, poets are invited to participate in the Poetry Slam. Entering the Slam requires a $5 entry fee and features awards of $35, $25, and $15 for first, second, and third place performances. Judging the Slam will be author, Emmy-winner, and coach of Slam Charlotte, Boris Rogers, also known as Bluz.

Following lunch, winners will be announced for the Ellen Johnston-Hale Light Verse Award, the Carol Bessent Young Middle School Student Award, the James Larkin Pearson Free Verse Award, the Sam Ragan High School Student Award, and the Poetry Slam.

The event will conclude with readings from the winners of the Oscar Arnold Young Book Award. For more information on Poetry Day or the Poetry Council of NC, visit www.poetrycouncilofnc.wordpress.com or contact Scott Owens at (828) 234-4266.

And The Winners Are

The Poetry Council of NC, a self-supporting, all-volunteer nonprofit organization founded in 1949 to foster a deeper appreciation of poetry in the state, has announced the winners of its annual poetry contests. Judges were permitted to select 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners as well as up to 3 honorable mentions in each contest category, with the exception of the book contest which has no 3rd place winner. Some judges elected to name fewer winners.

All winners will receive their awards, including cash prizes for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place, at Poetry Day to be held at Catawba Valley Community College in Hickory on April 14. Winning poems will also be published in the Council’s annual awards anthology, Bay Leaves, and winning poets will be invited to read their poems at Poetry Day. An additional category for Performance Poetry is judged and awarded at Poetry Day. Information on any of the contests, Poetry Day, and the Poetry Council is available at www.poetrycouncilofnc.wordpress.com

The complete list of category winners and judges is as follows:

Oscar Arnold Young (book contest):
JUDGE: Paul Hostovsky, Medfield, MA & Ron Moran, Simpsonville, SC
1st The Swing Girl by Katherine Soniat, Asheville, NC
2nd Lie Down with Me by Julie Suk, Charlotte, NC
HM Rendering the Bones by Susan M. Lefler, Brevard, NC
HM An Innocent in the House of the Dead by Joanna Catherine Scott, Chapel
Hill, NC

Gladys Owings Hughes Heritage (free verse):
JUDGE: Darnell Arnoult, Harrogate, TN
1st “Babies Hurtling Several Stories” by Ross White, Durham, NC
2nd “Daddy Imagines a Good Death” by JS Absher, Raleigh, NC
3rd “The Museum of Broken Things” by Jane Shlensky, Bahama, NC

Charles Shull (traditional poetry):
JUDGE: Paul Bone, Evansville, IN
1st “Facts about Early America” by Ross White, Durham, NC (rhyming couplets)
2nd “Basic Bad Day” by Peg Russell, Murphy, NC (terza rima)
3rd “Featured Reader” by Alice Osborn, Raleigh, NC (sestina)
HM “On a Recent Engagement” by Michael A. Moreno, Rockville, MD (sonnet)
HM “Water the Lover” by Ellen Summers, Greensboro, NC (sonnet)

James Larkin Pearson (free verse):
JUDGE: Felicia Mitchell, Emory, VA
1st “Address to Monarchs” by Ross White, Durham, NC
2nd “My Mother’s Lake” by Ann Campanella, Huntersville, NC
3rd “What Burns for Light” by Lisa Zerkle, Charlotte, NC
HM “Circumventing the Circumference” by Terry Collins, Mount Airy, NC
HM “Things Fall Out of My Father” by Robert Moyer, Winston Salem, NC
HM “The Lesbians Next Door” by Alice Osborn, Raleigh, NC

Ellen Johnston-Hale (humorous verse):
JUDGE: Gloria Alden, Southington, OH
1st “Where Time Does Not Fly” by Susan Spalt, Carrboro, NC
2nd “The Voice” by Barbara Brooks, Hillsborough, NC
3rd “Arctic” by Lisa Zerkle, Charlotte, NC
HM “Black Friday” by Doris Dix Caruso, Burlington, NC
HM “Patience” by Jane Shlensky, Bahama, NC
HM “I Think They Got It!” by Janet Ireland Trail, Greensboro, NC

Charlotte Young (elementary school):
JUDGE: David Roderick, Greensboro, NC
1st “Jupiter” by Sydney Campanella (home-schooled), Huntersville, NC
2nd “Light Saves Us” by Paige Morrison (North Forest Pines Elem.), Wake Forest, NC
3rd “Blue” by Joellen Callahan (North Forest Pines Elem.), Wake Forest, NC
HM “Doves” by Sonja Woolley (Episcopal Day School), Southern Pines, NC
HM “Nature Walk” by Lilly Corcoran (Episcopal Day School), Southern Pines, NC

Carol Bessent Hayman (middle school):
JUDGE: David Roderick, Greensboro, NC
1st “The Pledge of Sausage” by Devan Stocks (Clarkton School of Discovery), Clarkton, NC
2nd “Pumpkin Patch” by Kenneth Mote (Clarkton School of Discovery), Clarkton, NC

Sam Ragan North Carolina Connection (high school):
JUDGE: Natasha Trethewey, Decatur, GA
1st “Lesson of the Lark” by Maggie Apple of North Guilford High School
2nd “Black Birds” by Jennifer Comerford of North Guilford High School

Soniat Wins Oscar Arnold Young Award

SONIAT RECEIVES AWARD FOR NC’S BEST BOOK OF POETRY

Katherine Soniat, of Asheville, has been named recipient of this year’s Oscar Arnold Young Award for the best book of poetry from North Carolina for her collection entitled The Swing Girl, published by Louisiana State University Press. The award, given annually since 1959 by the Poetry Council of NC, is one of the state’s most prestigious awards for poetry.

Soniat is the author of four previous books and has a fifth, A Raft, A Boat, A Bridge, forthcoming from Dream Horse Press later this year. Formerly a professor at Hollins University and Virginia Tech, she currently teaches in the Great Smokies Writing Program of the University of NC at Asheville.

Former NC Poet Laureate Kathryn Stripling Byer says of Soniat’s poems, “the fluidity of their cadence and the luminosity of their imagery carry the reader to the wellspring of poetry itself, that deep delight whose source is, in Soniat’s words ‘beauty on its way to being mystery’.”

Soniat will receive a cash prize for this honor and give a reading at the Council’s annual Poetry Day to be held this year on April 14 at Catawba Valley Community College in Hickory, NC. Poems from her book will also be featured in the Council’s annual awards anthology, Bay Leaves, to be released at Poetry Day.

This year’s contest received 24 submissions and was judged by Ronald Moran, Professor Emeritus at Clemson University and author of 13 books of poetry and scholarship, and Paul Hostovsky, Pushcart Prize recipient and author of 6 collections of poetry.

The judges also selected Lie Down with Me: New and Selected Poems (Autumn House Press) by Julie Suk of Charlotte, as First Runner-Up, and Rendering the Bones (Wind Publications) by Brevard’s Susan Lefler and An Innocent in the House of the Dead (Main Street Rag) by Joanna Catherine Scott of Chapel Hill as Honorable Mentions.

All of the winning poets will be invited to read at Poetry Day. The Poetry Council sponsors and facilitates a total of 9 annual contests. The results from the other contests will be released in the next few weeks. Information about the Council and the contests can be found at www.poetrycouncilofnc.wordpress.com.

2012 Contest Rules

The previous posting of these contest rules had the wrong date for Poetry Day. Here are the corrected rules.
Click on link to view or print pdf; click on images to enlarge

2012 contest rules Publication3_forPDFprint

“Knit 2 Together,” by Jo Barbara Taylor

2011 Charles Shull Contest for Traditional Poetry, Third Place

Jo Barbara Taylor
Knit 2 Together

a common knitting pattern direction

Knitting needles click clicking along
like a song, create loops and bridges
in fabric, a weave that grows warm and strong
like brown baked bread folded in soft edges.
Our lives roll and unroll through the days,
fiber and color in skeins of yarn twined
in knits and purls. We unravel, ‘come frayed
from time to time, lose tension in the bind,
but find the loose thread to pull and darn,
crochet the hole through which we fall, the hook
looping each scattered stitch in fresh yarn.
Life resumes a steady beat like a book
of sonnets rhymed and metered. Needles click
and we weave our fabric deep and thick.

Bindings, by Karol Neufeld

2011 Charles Shull Contest for Traditional Poetry, Second Place

Karol Neufeld
Bindings

After the small wet shape has struggled out of the dark,
pushed past pain, slipped from safety into the air of self
you know; there’s no return for either one of you,
no going back to tenderness of nesting dolls, one
body holding the other, one sustaining shadow
bound with fragile tissue to another. Cells no more

will grow inside. Here’s what you don’t yet know: more
than your life you will love this child. In bed in the dark
you’ll imagine him in danger, pray that no grim shadow
will threaten him. He will come to you, proud of himself
for some little thing; you’ll hug him, feel his heart beat one
skin away. Every detail of his life concerns you:

food he eats, the socks and shoes he wears, stories you
read together before sleep. could you have known that more
and more your thoughts will wind around his welfare, one
by one your dreams will draw his days? His cries in dark
nightmare nights will summon your singing, bring him yourself
as a comforter. All will be well in your shadow.

Days follow days, age him into freedom; the shadow
of petulance lurks around the house. On good days you
chuckle together about the dog, you catch yourself
just before ruining the moment — Why can’t it be more
like this all the time? Because he’s moving down the dark
trail of future, where you can’t go. There’s room for only one.

Suitcases, boxes go with him to find every one
of his dreams. The house seems sedate without his shadow,
but sun still shines through the windows. You wake in the dark,
restless, wide-eyed, with worrisome thoughts. Long ago you
could rely on touch to learn his story; now he’s more
than far away, he’s grown away. He has become himself,

and will share only what he chooses. You tell yourself,
It’s as it should be, and believe it. Yet for one
day, if only in a dream, you yearn to hold once more
his baby self secure in your arms, your mere shadow
bringing comfort, peace. The man will always be your
child, however old he grows or far he goes into the dark.

Below the cross Mary crouches, weeps in the shadow
of the Holy One. Here’s mother love, I tell you:
Judas’ mother sheds more tears somewhere in the dark.