A review by nnecatrix
2016 Fourth Annual Battle of the Bards Poetry Contest: Winning Entries (Battle of the Bards, #4) by Belle Schmidt, Stina Branson, Maggie Hubbeling, Krista Beucler, Isabelle Bodley, Rachel Poulsen, Alexa Coester, Erik Hokanson, Beth Sawhney, Daniel Harvey, Bear Jack Gebhardt, Poudre River Public Library District, Morgan Taylor, Kaili Schroeder, Allison Cleymaet, Stacy Bustamante, Dennis McDonald, Elizabeth Urynowicz, Regan Thomas, Barbara Jones, Shaylee O'Loughlin, David More, Boston Lee, Greta Richardson, Diane McCrann
4.0
Book #37 for 2016
Old Firehouse Summer Bingo Square: A book of poetry
PopSugar Challenge Task: A book of poetry
In the interests of full disclosure, yes, I contributed a poem to this collection. My honorable mention entry, "My Quantum Heart Entangled," is on page 14. Hope you like it!
I was not able to attend the contest awards ceremony in April, so this was my first time reading most of these poems. I was pleased with the variety of styles and voices. Maybe it's because I've been a musician for more than 40 years, but I did have a hard time with some of the poems simply because they didn't adhere to meter very well, or I couldn't settle myself into the flow of their language. I wonder how differently I would feel if I had been able to hear them read by their authors.
This anthology contains all of the finalists and honorable mentions in both the adult and teen categories, and I thought the six winning poems had been announced online after the ceremony, but I can't locate the list now. So here are my picks:
Adult Division
1st - "Undocumented, Left in the Desert" by Bear Jack Gebhardt
2nd - "Dia de los Muertos" by Erik Hokanson
3rd - "The Haggis" by Daniel Harvey
Teen Division
1st - "Morning's Numberless Skyline" by Kaili Schroeder
2nd - "She Who Cannot Love Herself" by Kaili Schroeder
3rd - "I am From" by Maggie Hubbeling
Yes, two of my teen picks are from the honorable mentions, not the finalists.
I would certainly recommend this to anybody looking for a small volume of poetry from multiple poets, and it is available for free download from the library's website.
Old Firehouse Summer Bingo Square: A book of poetry
PopSugar Challenge Task: A book of poetry
In the interests of full disclosure, yes, I contributed a poem to this collection. My honorable mention entry, "My Quantum Heart Entangled," is on page 14. Hope you like it!
I was not able to attend the contest awards ceremony in April, so this was my first time reading most of these poems. I was pleased with the variety of styles and voices. Maybe it's because I've been a musician for more than 40 years, but I did have a hard time with some of the poems simply because they didn't adhere to meter very well, or I couldn't settle myself into the flow of their language. I wonder how differently I would feel if I had been able to hear them read by their authors.
This anthology contains all of the finalists and honorable mentions in both the adult and teen categories, and I thought the six winning poems had been announced online after the ceremony, but I can't locate the list now. So here are my picks:
Adult Division
1st - "Undocumented, Left in the Desert" by Bear Jack Gebhardt
2nd - "Dia de los Muertos" by Erik Hokanson
3rd - "The Haggis" by Daniel Harvey
Teen Division
1st - "Morning's Numberless Skyline" by Kaili Schroeder
2nd - "She Who Cannot Love Herself" by Kaili Schroeder
3rd - "I am From" by Maggie Hubbeling
Yes, two of my teen picks are from the honorable mentions, not the finalists.
I would certainly recommend this to anybody looking for a small volume of poetry from multiple poets, and it is available for free download from the library's website.