The Apostrophe Blog
Not long after I returned to poetry writing, I began to enter my work in the adult contests sponsored by the Oregon Poetry Association. The Oregon Poetry Association (OPA) is a vibrant organization spreading its passion for poetry to every corner of the state of Oregon and beyond. Founded in 1956, OPA is Oregon’s oldest literary organization, and with over 350 current members, Oregon’s largest literary organization.
As you can read on their website, OPA’s mission is to:
- build and sustain a diverse community of Oregon poets
- provide Oregon poets opportunities to exchange ideas and learn from one another
- further the appreciation of poetry throughout the state
- raise awareness of Oregon poets.
Twice a year, OPA sponsors adult contests. Regular categories include Members Only; Poet’s Choice; Free Verse; and New Poets. There is often a category for writing in traditional forms such as the epistolary, the sonnet, the ghazal, and the sestina. And there are often themed categories; recent ones have included Experimental, Harvest, Movies, Prose Poem, Sport, and Wildlife, and Ekphrastic Poetry. There is also often a category called Dueling Judges—you guessed it, two judges for each of the submitted poems. Winning poems are published in OPA’s annual literary journal, Verseweavers. And there are also cash prizes!
Over the years, my poems have snagged three 1st place prizes; five 2nd place, three 3rd place, and 1 4th place. And a whole passel of honorable mentions—around twenty! Below is the complete tally updated on October 2, 2023 after getting the news of all of OPA Fall 2023 contest winners.
My OPA Contest Recognitions Over the Years—
3rd place for “Learning to See” in the Theme—Ekphrasis Category, Fall 2023; 3rd place for “provenance” in the Members Only Category, Fall 2023; Honorable Mention for “Of the Wild Bees Living in a Tree in the Alley” in the Wildlife Themed Category, Spring 2023; 2nd Honorable Mention for “A Baffling Earth” in the Traditional—Epistolary category, Spring 2023; 3rd Honorable Mention for “Ernestine” in the Members Only Category, Spring 2023; 1st Honorable Mention for “At Harriet Tubman’s Grave in Fort Hill Cemetery, Auburn, New York”in the Members Only Category, Fall 2022; 1st Honorable Mention for “The Sugar Cane at Harvest Bears Witness” in the Harvest Themed Category, Fall 2018; Honorable Mention for “Souvenir” in the Members Only Category, Fall 2017; 3rd place for “#EmilyDickinsonSaveMeNow” in the Members Only Category, Fall 2016; 2nd Honorable Mention for “Watts Towering” in the Poet’s Choice Category, Spring 2016;Honorable Mention for “Pulling the Rope” in the Dueling Judges Category, Spring 2015;2nd place for “Evidence, Occurrence” in the Dueling Judges Category & 2nd place for “A Month of Sundays” in the Experimental Category, Fall 2014; 1st Place for “Tide Table” in the Traditional Verse Category & 3rd Honorable Mention for “Swan Songs, or Yet Again I Try to Imagine (Because You Left Me No Other Option) Those Moments Before Your Death” in the Dueling Judges Category, Theme “Sport,” Fall 2013; 1st Place for “Meridian” in the Free Verse Category & Honorable Mention for “Sargasso Sea” in the Poet’s Choice Category, Spring 2013; 3rd Honorable Mentions for “Elizabeth Cady Stanton Chews Out Her Daughter, Margaret, Who Has Decided Not to Follow in Her Mother’s Footsteps” in the Free Verse Category & 4th Honorable Mention for “How to Weather a Day of 24/7 Media-Drenched Weather Hysteria” in the You Do, Too! (second person point of view poem) Category, Fall 2011; 1st Honorable Mention for “Jubilee” in the Experimental Category, Spring 2011; 5th Honorable Mention for “Still Life with Middle-Aged Woman & Fruit” in the Poet’s Choice Category, Fall 2010; 2nd Place for “Inventory” in the Free Verse Category (Theme: Movies) & 4th Place for “My Bikini Goes to Goodwill” in the Poet’s Choice Category, Fall 2009; 2nd Place for “Voyeur”in the Members Only Category, Spring 2009; 1st Place for “Sara’s Eyes” in the Free Verse Category, Fall 2008; 3rd Honorable Mention for “Empty Nest” in the Prose Poem Category, Spring 2008; 2nd Place for “Remembering Gravity” in the Free Verse Category & 3rd and 4th Honorable Mentions for “Sara’s Eye”s in the Dueling Judges category & 2nd Honorable Mention for “Origami” in the Members Only Category, Fall 2007; and Honorable Mention for “Leda before the Swan” in the Members Only Category, Spring 2007.
Interests: Reading, writing, not arithmetic. The art and craft of poetry. Photography. Vegetable and flower gardening especially heirloom bulbs and dahlias. Movies in real theatres. Theatre on real stages. Art in real galleries. Crossword puzzles and, of course, Wordle. Singer-songwriters like Aimee Mann and Patti Griffin. All kinds of music especially 1930s jazz. Venice, Italy! The Dude abides.
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