Tupelo announced the five books of poetry they were going to publish over the next year and alas, mine was not one of them. I received word a month ago that mine of 1 of the 25 being considered, but looks like not this time. As David Wagoner would say, "Sorry to say no..."
I've been putting together my own list of the winners and 25 finalist and here's what I have--
Winners:
Angela Shaw of Swarthmore, PA, for The Beginning of the Fields.
Karen An-Hwei Lee of Santa Ana, CA, for two books: Ardor and Erythropoiesis Joshua Marie Wilkinson of Denver, Colorado, for The Book of Whispering in the Projection Booth.
Christopher Buckley of Lompoc, CA, for Modern History—Prose Poems 1987-2007.
The other twenty-five finalist included Diane K. Martin, Colleen Abel (I think...), and ...?? If you were one or know of any, drop me a line or leave me a note. I'd love to see who almost caught the bouquet.
I'm surprisingly bummed about this, even with the good health news I had recently. I was so sure I had put my priorities in their place, yet still it's funny how poetry can sometimes sting a bit. I guess that's just part of being human, or caring.
But congrats to all the poets who will have upcoming books with Tupe. I was only familiar with one poet J.M.W. as my friends rave about him quite a lot. To the next prize...
