2008 Friends of Acadia Poetry Prize Awards

Established in 1998, the Friends of Acadia Poetry Prize is presented biannually
to promote and recognize distinctive nature poetry. The three top-ranked poems will be published in the Friends of Acadia Journal (print and online) and have been awarded cash prizes by category.

We are pleased to announce the winners of the 2008 Friends of Acadia Poetry Prize:

First Prize
Beverly Voigt
Torrance, California
“In the Backyard”

Second Prize
Charlotte Muse
Menlo Park, California
“Bat Rhapsody”

Third Prize
Brooke Pacy
Waldoboro, Maine
“Encounter”

The competition was judged by Wesley McNair, an extraordinarily gifted poet from Maine. He has held grants from the Fulbright and Guggenheim foundations, two Rockefeller fellowships, and two fellowships from the NEA. Last year he received a $50,000 United States Artists award as one of America’s “finest living artists.” He has served three times on the nominating jury for the Pulitzer Prize for poetry and published more than a dozen books, including poetry, essays, and anthologies. McNair lives in Mercer, Maine.

 Honorable Mention

Christina Lovin of Lancaster, Kentucky, for the poem “The Stone Canoe”

Gerry Stork of Lyndonville, Vermont, for the poem “My Monet”

Trina Gaynon of Woodland Hills, California, for the poem “On the Ridge”

Meredith Nash Fossel of Alna, Maine, for the poem “Bird Tree”

Cynthia Spearance of Washington, Maine, for the poem “Ancient Grace”

Linda Neal Reising of Poseyville, Indiana, for the poem “Clock and Compass”

Lari Smith of Lexington, Massachusetts, for the poem “Landscape by Starlight”

Artis Bernard of South Portland, Maine, for the poem “The Train from Budapest to Krakow”

The next competition will be in 2010.

If you have any questions about the Friends of Acadia Nature Poetry Competition, please contact Erin Fogg at 207-288-3340.