Dialogue Poetry Challenge Winners

Hannah Moore is a first-time grand prize winner with her dialogue poem, On Receipt of Bad News. This was a poem that genuinely engaged both with the exchange of our prompt, but also focussed on the way poetic rhythms of language could support the writer's conceit. It felt very truthful, too, the way one speaker wishes to ignore the news and focus on practicalities; there was a quiet heartbreak, here. Well done.

In second place is M. A. Mehan for A Chat With Hope. We could all use some hope right now, surely — but that’s not the only reason we admired this poem. It has a fable-like, folkloric sensibility that suits the subject and uses dialogue like call and response. Poetry doesn’t have to rhyme, of course, but here the use of strict rhyme and rhythm suit the subject. “Where is your place, what did you find?”/ “I found more birds of my own kind.” Nicely done.

Runners-up include Josey Pickering with Until Tomorrow, here is a dialogue between parted lovers: “That’s my light, embracing you” — a beautiful image. CARCASS CABLE by Aaron Morrison takes us down to the Underworld with efficiency and humor. Obsidian Words in Equilibrium gives us a thoughtful poetic dialogue with the self. This was a complex challenge: the balance between a sense of exchange and a poetic sensibility sometimes a tricky one. Well done to all our creators — we love to be in dialogue with you.

You can check out the full list of winners HERE and learn about our current challenges below: