Contest Winner

Congratulations to Sam Selinger, the winner of our first blog poetry contest, "Steal a Little." His poem, "Grace is a Figures Imitation of the Formless" was inspired by the poetry of James Wright. Grace is a figure’s imitation of the formless. Sam SelingerA woman runs though the windwith cupped hands.Gulls rise out of her waylike ashen kites calmly.With wet sand she shapes a cathedral.This is a silent film. Her hands are white gestures.The silk machinery of her face reorders itself,and crinkles into laughter.The ocean is a gray rhythm in the corner.

Thank you to everyone who submitted! We received a number of excellent poems this week; it was extremely difficult to choose just one winner. If your poem was not selected this week, we hope you will continue to submit to the blog and the print journal. We are very excited to read your villanelle's next week!