2023 Poetic Excellence
Perry County Poet Laureate
Lynne Reeder, was named 2023’s Perry County Poet Laureate for her poem “retrograde.”
Click photo to enlarge text.
Siggy David Award, Theme: ``Rebirth``
Ellie Cameron, “Slingshot Me Into the Stars”
Click photo to enlarge text.
First Place
Lynne Reeder, “mythkeeper”
Click photo to enlarge text.
Second Place
Brooke Mitchell, “Visiting Home”
Click photo to enlarge text.
Third Place
Louie Land, “Renga for the Palouse”
Click photo to enlarge text.
Honorable Mention
Ellie Cameron, “notes from behind the TV screen”
Click photo to enlarge text.
Meet our Judge - Jessica Ram
Jessica Nirvana Ram is an Indo-Guyanese poet and essayist. She earned her MFA from the University of North Carolina Wilmington and her BA from Susquehanna University. Her work appears in Hayden’s Ferry Review, No Contact Mag, HAD, among others. Her full-length collection EARTHLY GODS is forthcoming with Variant Lit in 2024.
2023 Contest Prizes
Our prizes include First, Second, Third, Honorable Mention, and the Siggy David Award for poems written in any form with the theme of “Rebirth,” chosen by last year’s SDA Award winner Eydie Wight. Perry County residents will be eligible for the title of Perry County Poet Laureate.
2022 Poetic Excellence Awards
From left to right: Perry County Council of the Arts Executive Director Jasmine Colbert, Perry County Poet Laureate Brooke Mitchell, Perry County Commissioner Brenda Watson.
2022 CONTEST WINNERS
Perry County Poet Laureate
Brooke Mitchell, of Newport was named 2022’s Perry County Poet Laureate for her poem “Last Night on the Farm”
Siggy David Award (Theme: Whimsy)
Brooke Mitchell, “Bird”
First Place
First Place
Alane J. Balchunas, “Stars, Sand, Birds”
Second Place
Second Place
Ellie Cameron, “Forsythia”
Third Place
Third Place
Beck Emerick, “skylark”
2022's Judge - Lewis Land
Professor • Author • Poet
A Central Pennsylvania native, Professor Louis Land earned his BA from the same college where he now teaches, Susquehanna University. He obtained his MA from another Central Pennsylvanian college, Bucknell University. When he’s not judging poetry, he can be found playing music, writing his own poetry, and grading students’ essays.
2022 Contest
Our prizes include First, Second, Third, Honorable Mention, and the Siggy David Award for poems written in any form with the theme of “Whimsy,” chosen by last year’s SDA Award winner Eydie Wight. Perry County residents will be eligible for the title of Perry County Poet Laureate.
The Poetic Excellence Awards will take place at 6:30 pm at our coffeehouse event. Open mic night will follow the awards. For more information on our coffeehouse event, click here: Coffeehouse – Perry County Council of the Arts (perrycountyarts.org)
PERRY COUNTY POETS LAUREATE
1999-Present
Elizabeth Yon-1999
Ed Rech-2000
Melody Davis-2001
Joy Campbell-2002
Ann Benvenuto-2003
Melody Davis-2004
Melanie Simms-2005
Cordelia Jensen-2006
Cordelia Jensen-2007
Beth Jacobs-2008
Sandra Philpott-2009
Samantha McAlicher-2010
Fritz Williams-2011
Sandra Philpott-2012
William Davies Jr.-2013
Kenneth J. Little-2014
William Davies Jr.-2015
Lynne Reeder-2016
William Davies Jr.-2017
Lynne Reeder-2018
Lynne Reeder-2019
Lynne Reeder-2020
Lynne Reeder-2021
Brooke Mitchell-2022
2021 Awards Ceremony and Coffeehouse ~ Wednesday, October 6, 6 to 8:30 p.m.
Buddy Boy Winery, 111 Barnett Drive, Duncannon
Join us as we honor the award-winning poets from this year’s annual poetry competition and for the presentation of the 2021 Perry County Poet Laureate. Stick around for Coffeehouse Open Mic following the awards ceremony! Grab a bite to eat and a glass of wine from Buddy Boy and enjoy poetry readings, live music and more! No outside food/drink please.
Interested in performing during open mic? Contact us at 717-567-7023 or pcca@perrycountyarts.org.
2023 Poetic Excellence Submissions are Open to the Public!
Entry Guidelines
ONLINE Submission Form: All submissions DUE by June 18, 2023
Pay Your Entry Fee