Skip to main content

Ohio Poetry Day Association names 2021 Poet of the Year and Contest Winners

By

The Ohio Poetry Day Association (OPDA) has selected Quartez Harris as its Ohio Poet of the Year for 2021. Harris was selected for his book of poems, We Made It to School Alive (Twelve Arts Press, 2020).


Residing in Cleveland, Ohio, Harris is a second-grade teacher at Michael R. White Elementary School. We Made It to School Alive, his second collection of poetry, was inspired by his work as a teacher and gives voice to the experiences of the children he works with every day who deal with issues of gun violence, poverty, educational challenges, and more.

Harris’ first book, Nothing, But Skin, was published in 2014 by Writing Knights Press. He is the first recipient of the Barbara Smith Writer-In-Resident at Twelve Literary Arts and a 2020 Baldwin House Fellow. He has been featured in the Plain Dealer, IdeaStream, and City Club of Cleveland, and recently signed on to be represented by Mckinnon Literary Agency. His works in progress are a young-adult novel and picture book biography. Learn more at quartezharris.com. To purchase a copy of We Made It to School Alive, visit twelve-arts-press.myshopify.com.

Quartez Harris

Harris’ book was one of seven books nominated this year. He joins the likes of Mary Oliver, David Baker, and Maggie Smith as Poet of the Year. To see a list of previous Poet of the Year winners, visit the OPA blog article here.

Annual Contest Winners

OPDA also has released the winners list for the 2021 OPD contests (see below). Winners and Honorable Mentions for the 24 contests reside not only in Ohio but across the United States and even overseas. Contest winners are invited to take part in the OPD event on October 16 by reading their winning poem(s). Winners should email OPA President Chuck Salmons,  president(@ohiopoetryassn.org, by October 10, 2021.

Join the Celebration: Ohio Poetry Day 2021

Date: Saturday, October 16, 2021
Time: 1:30—4:30 PM
Registration: Event will take place on Zoom. Register via Eventbrite. Registrants will receive an email with Zoom login information. Space is limited. The event also can be viewed without registration live on the OPA Facebook page: facebook.com/ohiopoetry.

About Ohio Poetry Day

The Ohio Poetry Day Association was founded in 1937 by authorization of the Ohio Legislature. Since 1976, it has selected annually an Ohio Poet of the Year, basing its choice on a book published in the previous one to two years. The award is based on the one book and not on an aggregation of work published over time. Four judges are selected to review the nominees, one of which is always a previous poet of the year winner.

For more information about Ohio Poetry Day, visit ohiopoetryday.blogspot.com.

         

###


Labels:
Location: Columbus, OH, USA

Comments

New comments are not allowed.

Popular posts from this blog

Casting a Line for Susan Glassmeyer's 'Invisible Fish'

By
by Chuck Salmons If you haven’t heard by now, OPA member and Cincinnati poet Susan Glassmeyer is the winner the Ohio Poetry Day Association’s 2018 Poet of the Year award, for her first full-length collection, Invisible Fish  (Dos Madres Press, 2018). On the heels of her winning, I corresponded with her to find out more about the collection and her writing process.  CS: First of all, congratulations on the award! Having read Invisible Fish, I know this is an honor that is well-deserved. How does it feel to have your name among past winners such as Mary Oliver, David Baker, and David Citino? SG: I was truly surprised to win this award, Chuck. I did some research after the fact and learned about the history of the award. What an honor to be part of this venerable Ohio poet lineage! I already own a few of the books on the list, not realizing the authors had previously won the award. And although I have many of Mary Oliver’s books, Twelve Moons (winner in 1980) was not among
Read more

Ohio Underground Railroad Whistle-Stop Poetry Tour Kicks Off in Portsmouth

By
The Ohio Poetry Association (OPA) in partnership with Poets Against Racism & Hate USA (PARH USA) will conduct a whistle-stop poetry tour of historic Underground Railroad stations throughout Ohio. The inaugural program takes place from 10 AM to 5:30 PM on Saturday, February 24, at the Southern Ohio Museum and Cultural Center , 825 Gallia Street, Portsmouth. With the help of the organizations’ members and community partners, OPA and PARH USA will present a series of poetry readings at historic sites throughout 2024. Each site will feature poets and poems that honor Ohio’s legacy on the Underground Railroad and that raise awareness of issues of social justice, hate, and prejudice. A special capstone event will take place on December 7 at the Ohio History Connection in Columbus. The event will include morning poetry workshops for adults and children, followed by poetry readings and a presentation on the history of Portsmouth’s role in the Underground Railroad. A walking tour of se
Post a Comment
Read more

Odes of October Contest 2023 Winners Announced

By
Ohio Poetry Association is pleased to announce the winners of this year’s Odes of October contest, as judged by esteemed poet, Paula J. Lambert. First prize goes to Nancy McDermott of Chardon, Ohio, for her poem “The Quilt Show.” First prize includes an award of $65 and inclusion in the 2024 Common Threads, as well being published below. Second prize goes to Timothy J. Richards of Olmstead Twp., Ohio, for his poem “Warlock’s Culinary Concoction.” This prize includes an award of $25 and appears below. Third prize goes to Daniel Moreschi of Neath, Vale of Glamorgan, in the U.K. for his poem “A Fitful Veil.” This prize includes an award of $10 and ppears below. The judge also chose two Honorable Mentions: “Caulk,” by Anthony Wyatt, Dayton, Ohio “October Friendship,” by David Lee Garrison, Dayton, Ohio  A total  54 poems were submitted for this contest. We are deeply indebted to judge Paula J. Lambert, ( paulajlambert.weebly.com ) author of “The Ghost of Every Feathered Thi
Read more