Ohio Poetry Association Blog

The Ohio Poetry Day Association has selected Barbara Sabol and Erica Reid as our 2024 Ohio Poets of the Year. Congratulations to these two amazing writers! Barbara Sabol was selected for her book of poems, WATERMARK: Poems of the Great Johnstown Flood of 1889 (Alternating Current Press, 2023) .  The poems in WATERMARK follow the path of the “great flood,” from the time prior to the perfect storm of events resulting in the disaster to the devastating aftermath and the reclamation of a bustling industrial city. The book is a poetic testimony of the great flood story through voices of the unidentified victims; their circumstances and lives imagined from morgue entries. The narrative also paints the backdrop of recovery and renewal, in the voices of survivors, telegraphers, aid workers, and historical figures such as Clara Barton. Watermark is a lyric narrative of this country’s largest and most dramatic flood of the 19th century, told from the perspective of those whose lives it clai

OHIO POETRY ASSOCIATION INC., in conjunction with POETS AGAINST RACISM & HATE USA, Awarded the Trillium Local Activity Grant for Program Commemorating America’s 250th Anniversary The project is one of 61 community-based projects funded through the America 250-Ohio Commission’s second round of grants, totaling $600,000 In the lead up to America’s 250th anniversary, Ohio Poetry Association Inc., in conjunction with Poets Against Racism & Hate USA, announced today that it received a Trillium Local Activity Grant from the America 250-Ohio Commission for its project titled “ Ohio Underground RailroadWhistle-Stop Poetry Tour .” This series of events takes place at Underground Railroad–related sites around Ohio and features poetry readings, social justice writing workshops, and cultural programming. The purpose of the project is to acknowledge that all of us, knowingly or not, share a history of racism that has informed art and vice versa so that we may return to our homes, office

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

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

The Ohio Poetry Day Association (OPDA) has selected Rikki Santer as its Ohio Poet of the Year for 2023. Santer was selected for her book of poems, Resurrection Letter: Leonora, Her Tarot, and Me (Materialist Press/Cereal Box Studio, 2023), a book-length sequence in tribute to the surrealist artist Leonora Carrington. A resident of Columbus, Ohio, Santer has had published five full-length poetry collections and six chapbook sequences exploring such topics as the Hopewell earthworks of Newark, Ohio; the late Kahiki Supper Club of Columbus, Ohio; the world of ventriloquism, the art of fashion, and the classic television series Twilight Zone . She is a member of the teaching artist roster of the Ohio Arts Council, a vice president of the Ohio Poetry Association, and a member of the poetry troupe, Concrete Wink. Her poetry has been widely published and has received many honors including several Pushcart and Ohioana book award nominations as well as a fellowship from the National Endowmen

The Ohio Poetry Association (OPA) is pleased to announce the winners and honorable mentions of the 2023 High School Poetry Contests. Eligible poems were sent to the National Federation of State Poetry Societies, Inc. Manningham Trust Student Poetry Contest. All winning poems receive monetary awards and publication in an OPA chapbook. The grand prize-winning poem will be published in the 2024 issue of Common Threads ,  OPA's annual anthology. We sincerely thank each contest sponsor and judge and congratulate the teachers from each school with student winning poems and honorable mentions. Special thanks to contest coordinator Jessica Weyer-Bentley for all her hard work to coordinate this year’s contests. GRAND PRIZE WINNER "Dementia" - Austin Blake, Buckeye Local H.S. Teacher: Stephanie Crust Category 1. Ethos  Sponsor and Judge: Chuck Salmons  1st: "I Set Myself to Sound" - Diana Zhang (The Seven Hills School) 2nd: "Dora" - Anna Kunkel (The Seven Hills