FISH TALES POETRY CONTEST WINNERS ANNOUNCED

We are pleased to announce the winners of the 2017 “Fish Tales Poetry Contest,” held in partnership with the Delray Beach Historical Society!

Five cash prizes and five honorable mentions were selected by our distinguished contest judge, poet, Stephen Gibson. First Place award is $100, and four awards for 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th place will receive $25.00 each. The winners are:

FIRST PLACE: “Meager Catch,” by Zoë Stephan;
SECOND PLACE: Fishing with Family: A Small Tale of Seasickness, by Jen Karetnick;
THIRD PLACE: “Hooked,” by Bill Newby;
FOURTH PLACE: “Catch of the Day,” by Sarah Brown Weitzman; and
FIFTH PLACE: “First Catch,” by Shenu Kathymoon

Five HONORABLE MENTIONS were selected and recognized:
“Swings Below Sea,” by Gabriella Alexis;
“Caught,” by Jeanine Hoffman;
“Under the Board,” by Stephanie Casio;
“My Old Man and The Sea: A Cento,” by Jennifer Grant; and
“Catch and Release,” by Allen Sweat.

Fish Tales refers to the stories, memorabilia, artwork, writing and history surrounding the sport and art of fishing in Delray Beach and specifically the items chosen to inspire poems in this contest. Poets were invited to visit Fish Tales in person at the Delray Beach Historical Society, or virtually on our website.

Poems were inspired by the following images/items from Fish Tales exhibit, at The Delray Beach Historical Society.

First Sailfish, Diane (Martini) Brewer (1980) “I almost went overboard.”
Uncle Bob’s First Fish, a pompano, 1928. “A manatee nearly knocked over the boat.”
Delray Fisherman and writer Randall Wilson Davis, circa 1937
designer of festival venue, Old School Square High School & Gymnasium
Samuel Ogren, Sr., Father of Delray Beach Architecture, fishing with family
Pioneers’ Catch of the Day, Every Face a story, Delray Beach circa 1910
Dorothy Zill Susleck with Bluefish, Delray Beach, circa 1953.
Irwin J. Sinks’ Tackle Box, 1926. Original fishing paraphernalia.
Fisherboy & Bonehead Shark (Siane Glover, June 2007)
Sam Ogren Sr. & Jr. Father Son Fish from Delray Beach to Bimini
Fisherman returning to Boynton Inlet (Photo: Peter W. Cross)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Contest Judge, Stephen Gibson, is the author of seven poetry collections, most recently, Self-Portrait in a Door-Length Mirror, winner of the 2017 Miller Williams Prize, selected by Billy Collins, (Univ. of Arkansas Press). His poetry and fiction have appeared in such journals as American Arts Quarterly, Gargoyle, The Georgia Review, The Gettysburg Review, North American Review, The Paris Review, Pleiades, Poetry, River Styx, The Sewanee Review, Shenandoah, The Southern Review, and The Yale Review among others. He taught for thirty-two years at the Belle Glade campus of Palm Beach State College.

Results Announced: April 2017, National Poetry Month

Delray Beach Historical Society, Fish Tales Exhibit is open to the public, Thursday – Saturday, 11am – 3pm, DBHS members – Free, Non-members – Suggested donation of $5 per person. Children 16 and under – Free