Our first narrative poetry contest has concluded. Lesléa Newman chose the winners from what turned out to be a very competitive field of poets. Congratulations to all the winners, finalists and semi-finalists, all of whom will be published in Naugatuck River Review’s winter 2010 issue.  All poets who submitted to the contest will receive a copy of the winter 2010 issue.

First Place ($1000)  – Thomas Moore for “Calving in Te Awamutu”

Second Place ($250)  –  Jeanne Julian for “The Lucky Spoon”

Third Place ($100) – Kathryn Neel for “Resume”
Finalists (in alphabetical order):

Carol Bachofner – “Mother is Transformed By Cancer and I Need To Know Details” and “Homestead”
Lynne Frances  –  “Recipes for the Sick”
David Giannini  –  “A Grandson Remembers a Scene when he was Seven at His Grandparents’ House”
Jose Gonzalez  –  “At the Obituary Interview” and “Dirtied Gauzes”
Constance Hall  – “Pneumonia 1945”
Rebecca Howell  –  “How to Build a Root Cellar”
Dane Kuttler  –  “Shifra the Midwife Speaks to the Protesters Outside Planned Parenthood”
Sharon Fagan McDermott  –  “Split Level”
Allegra Mira  –  “Upon Finding My Sister’s Barbie Dolls on the Floor of the Shower, 1999”
Kathryn Neel  –  “The Day They Marched On Selma”
Georgia Pearle  –  “Grandma and the Grasshopper”
Doug Ramspeck  –  “Moon Mud”
Jon Seaman  –  “Big Mike”
M.E. Silverman  –  “Begins With No”
Robin Solit  –  “When Men Were All Amiss”
Ellen Waterston  –  “Mothering-Up”

Semi-Finalists:

Janet Barry – “Destination”
Nina Bayer – “Jack’s Bar”
Barbara Benoit – “Making Love After Illness, After Argument”
Jeff Bernstein – “A Short Guide to the Proper Treatment of Maryland Blue Crabs”
Sharon Charde – “Mother of Dead Son Gets His Bones Back After Twenty Years”
Angie Chuang – “Tet Lion Dance”
Gineen Cooper – “Late Words to my Sister”
Andrea Cousins – “Dressing”
Pat Daneman  – “Another Story”
Lorene Delaney-Ullman – “Itinerary”
Jenny Doughty – “Wreckage”
Ed Frankel – “Farbende”
Kearvelle Friedman – “The Flying Tomato”
Genevieve Goffman – “Alligator Girl”
Jessica Greenbaum – “Marriage Made in Brooklyn”
Pat Hale – “The Man in the Basement”
Monica Hand – “Door of No Return: African-American Burial Ground…”
Maryanne Hannan – “Sail On, Silver Girl”
Anne Hasenstab – “Southernmost Sunset”
Mary-Catherine Jones – “20 Minutes Too Late”
Christina Lovin – “Cry Babies”
Donald Lowe – “Short Story”
Terry Lowe – “Cowboy, Five Years Old”
Shanna Miller McNair – “Dreaming of Mr. Rojas”
Joel Moscowitz – “My Cousin’s Baseball Bat Accident”
Sam Rasnake – “ A Certainty and Not the Poem I Meant to Write”
Jendi Reiter – “Barbie at 50”
Victoria Rivas – “Doing Laundry”
Martina Robinson – “Gemini”
Laura Rodley – “Rebel”
Paula Sayword – “What of Us”
Penelope Schott – “How I Scare Myself”
Wendy Green Simpson – “Carefully”
Katherine Solomon – “Sweet Basil”
Christina Svane – “Angelo’s Truckstop Café”
Ruth Thompson – “In My Grandmother’s Garden”
Dianalee Velie – “Kissing Marilyn Monroe’s Crypt”
Jason Venner – “Bisbee AZ”
Margaret Walther – “Green Shingles”
Susan Wolbarst – “Trust”
Andy Young – “Winter Solstice”

Congratulations to All!

Lori Desrosiers and Editors
Oonagh Doherty, Ellen LaFleche, Sally Bellerose

Readings and other opportunities for Naugatuck River Review poets:

February 27, 2010, 2pm at Forbes Library, Northampton, MA Reading and Release Party for 2010 issue.

March 2, 2010 at Broad Street Books, Middletown, CT, 7pm

Wednesday, April 7, 2010,  8pm Mercury Cafe, Denver, CO. NRR Poets Reading – an AWP off-site event. NRR will also have a table at the AWP book fair.

Sunday, May 16, 2010, Bowery Poetry Club, New York, NY. NRR Poets Reading and open mic – 4pm!