WD Poetic Form Challenge: Sonnet Winner
As expected, there was a lot of interest in the sonnet challenge. And it was a fun experience to judge all those 14-line poems, but only one could come out…
As expected, there was a lot of interest in the sonnet challenge. And it was a fun experience to judge all those 14-line poems, but only one could come out on top and be in the July/August issue of Writer's Digest. The winner is Bruce Niedt for his sonnet "Two Writers."
Bruce actually threw himself into this challenge so much that I think he now has a collection worth of sonnets to assemble. Go read them in the comments of the original post. As many of you probably are aware, Bruce also recently guest posted on writing groups (click here to read that).
Without further ado, here is the winning poem:
Two Writers, by Bruce Niedt
We went for coffee that June afternoon,
beneath a deck of building clouds, and sat
outdoors, the bistro patio festooned
with marigolds. And there I told you that
I missed the way we used to share our craft,
how poetry would pull us through the miles.
I told some funny anecdotes; you laughed.
We made shop-talk about our different styles.
The sunlit awning washed our faces red,
but faded just as we began to write.
The rain, staccato, drummed above our heads.
We finished and we shared, and yet despite
our feverish pens, we left a panoply
of words unsaid, beneath that canopy.
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Please congratulate, Bruce! But also congratulate these other poets who made the Top 10 list:
- "Two Writers," by Bruce Niedt
- "Wrote This Just After You Left," by Yoly
- "I Am the Sea," by Laurie Kolp
- "Estate Sale," by Laura Heidy-Halberstein
- "Monsters," by Taylor Graham
- "The Boat," by Connie L. Peters
- "Pony Express Rider," by Mel Goldberg
- "Kiss and Ride," by Bruce Niedt
- "Crossroads," by Marie Elena
- "Poetry Prescription," by Margaret Fieland
I'd also like to thank everyone who participated. As many of you know, I find it difficult to pick a winner and to even get the list down to a Top 10, because there are so many great poems offered at every challenge.
Speaking of challenges, another one should appear on this blog either later today or tomorrow.
*****
Follow me on Twitter @robertleebrewer
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Check
out previous winners in Writer's Digest!
The winners of these
poetic form challenges end up in the pages of Writer's
Digest. For instance, Bruce's poem above should appear in the July/August
2011 issue. So keep up with the printed Poetic Asides column while learning so
much more about writing and publishing with a subscription to Writer's
Digest.
Robert Lee Brewer is Senior Editor of Writer's Digest, which includes managing the content on WritersDigest.com and programming virtual conferences. He's the author of 40 Plot Twist Prompts for Writers: Writing Ideas for Bending Stories in New Directions, The Complete Guide of Poetic Forms: 100+ Poetic Form Definitions and Examples for Poets, Poem-a-Day: 365 Poetry Writing Prompts for a Year of Poeming, and more. Also, he's the editor of Writer's Market, Poet's Market, and Guide to Literary Agents. Follow him on Twitter @robertleebrewer.
