It is with excitement and joy that we announce the winners of the 2021 Kim Bridgford Memorial Sonnet Contest: “An Aging Poet Explains” by David Southward and “The Messenger” by Susan Delaney Spear. They each will be awarded a prize of $500 and are invited to read the pieces at our online event in May, the Poetry by the Sea 2021 Celebration and Awards Ceremony.
As we announce the winning sonnets, we do so with gratitude to Jenna Lê for serving as the contest’s final judge, as well as to all the writers whose enthusiasm made this contest possible through their submission of traditional sonnets and artful variations that pushed the boundaries of the form. Thank you for submitting your fine work. The competition was stiff, and all submissions were judged anonymously.
Please join us in congratulating the winners, as well the poets whose impressive work made the shortlist:
SINGLE SONNET
FIRST PRIZE: “An Aging Poet Explains” by David Southward
Shortlist of Individual Sonnets
“An Aging Poet Explains” by David Southward (FIRST PRIZE WINNER)
“Leave of Absence” by Elizabeth M. Johnson (HONORABLE MENTION)
“Because Dementia Runs in His Family” by Ashley Anna McHugh
“Blank” by Bruce Bennett
“For My Grandson, Brady, Born in the Year of the Pandemic” by Catherine Chandler
“Headstand” by John Steele
“Failure to Convert” by Jean Kreiling
“Francis Bacon: Self-Portrait, 1972 (Cr72-04)” by Peter Kline
“My Brother and I Do Tricks Dad Taught Us” by Mark McDonnell
“Muse” by Anne Graue
“To the Jazz Combo Setting Up on the Sidewalk Outside the Wine Bar” by Kathleen McClung
“Unspoken” by Bruce Bennett
SONNET CROWN:
FIRST PRIZE: “The Messenger” by Susan Delaney Spear
Shortlist of Sonnet Crowns
“The Messenger” by Susan Delaney Spear (FIRST PRIZE WINNER)
“Dodging the Pillars of Religion” by Lee Nash (HONORABLE MENTION)
“At the Cathedral of St. John the Divine” by Ned Balbo
“Corona, Corona” by David Kellogg
“Snow // Smoke” by Erica Bodwell
“Stirred for a Bird” by Mia Schilling Grogan
Thank you again to contest judge, Jenna Lê, and to all the poets who helped make this year’s contest a success!
We hope to see you at our online event in May, the Poetry by the Sea 2021 Celebration and Awards Ceremony. (And we hope to eventually see you by the sea!)