|
-
2003 VALENTINE AWARDS
-
Overview
-
Readers’ Choice —
Poet of the Year
-
John Stevenson
- Readers’ Choice —
Favorite Poets
-
paul m.
Peggy Willis Lyles
Anna Tambour
-
Readers’ and Editors’ Choice —
Poem of the Year
-
paul m.
- Readers’ and Editors’ Choice —
Favorite Poems
-
Billie Wilson
Anna Tambour
Connie Donleycott
Hortensia Anderson
Jim Kacian
-
Special
Mentions —
Page 1
-
- Special
Mentions —
Page 2
-
|
Overview
I’d like to thank all of you who voted for your
favorite poems in Volume IV of The Heron’s Nest. I am not exaggerating
when I
tell you
that nearly everyone who participated sent strikingly similar remarks
along with their votes. It was unanimous that choosing ten favorite
poems from 635 was a real challenge. At the same time, much gratitude was expressed since the task of
rereading so many haiku turned out to be a worthwhile experience.
Much more was discovered and appreciated the
second time through. I’m happy to acknowledge that, although voting for
favorites was not easy, participation proved to be pleasurable and an
education.
The most interesting and exciting result of this
year’s Valentine
Awards is that readers’ and editors’ choices are in perfect accord! At
the beginning of December, when voting was just getting underway, we
editors huddled and chose our favorite poem and two runners-up. This
was done so that we could write our commentaries early, avoiding an
overload of work come January 15 (the voting deadline). On January 16
points were tallied and, amazingly, readers and editors chose to
honor the same three poems. Not only that, the point totals received by
these three poems reflect the editors’ order of preference exactly!
Voting also resulted in a three-way tie for the 3rd Runner-Up. I am
delighted and gratified at such concordance.
I’d like to mention again this year that there are three important
purposes for our annual Valentine Awards. The first is to afford poets
an opportunity to help shape the evolution of haiku beyond what is
accomplished in their individual writing and publishing of work. Poems
voted to be favorites serve as guiding lights to editors as well as to
other poets. These haiku exemplify what is generally held by our readers
to be valuable and effective. The second purpose goes along with the
first. Thoroughly reviewing a given volume of The Heron’s Nest (with the
intention of voting for favorite haiku) produces valuable insight about
which techniques work, and which do not. Therefore, the voting process
is a means of triangulating what is important to us as individuals. The
third purpose is to honor those poets who have gifted our readers and
the haiku community at large with exceptionally powerful work. The
images, moods, and emotions in their haiku continue to resonate long
after other poems have faded from consciousness.
We received well over 12,000 poems for consideration
last year. About 5% of them were accepted — 635 poems by 179 poets from 24 countries.
In
light of this, to have appeared in The Heron’s Nest is of itself a fine
accomplishment. Poems selected as Editors’ Choices, or for Heron’s Nest
Awards are worthy of considerable praise. Last year the average number
of poems accepted from a poet was about four. There were 59 poets
represented by a single poem. Cindy Zackowitz had the most poems
accepted (15).
In this year’s voting, 261 poems received a total of 2,907 points. At
least one point was received by each of 122 poets. The average number of
points garnered by a poem was eleven. The Grand Prize winning poem
received 92 points. The average number of points garnered by a single
poet (for combined works) was 24. The Grand Prize winning poet
accumulated 173 points.
We value all who have appeared in The Heron’s Nest this past
year. We have greatly enjoyed corresponding with you, encouraging you,
and learning from you. Poets who appear in this Valentine Awards issue
have achieved something of considerable significance. You deserve a loud
and lengthy round of applause.
—Christopher Herold
|
