Amidst all of the wonderful submissions we received, including our Honorable Mention, I am so pleased to announce that the winner of Lit Shark Magazine’s November Poem of the Month contest is Doug Van Hooser, who writes stunning nature poems.

I have a huge soft spot for poetry that in some way converses with other poetry, and I also have a huge soft spot for Mary Oliver, so finding a poem that checked both of those boxes felt like winning some kind of poetic lottery. Doug’s poem, “Variations on ‘Joy Is Not Made to Be a Crumb,’” is in response to Mary Oliver’s poem, “Don’t Hesitate,” which ends with the phrase, “Joy is not made to be a crumb.” It’s a gorgeous, arresting poem about the importance of not waiting to live your life, living in the moment, and seeking out the glimmers – the tiny rays of joy and hope in our everyday lives. True to Doug’s form, it stunningly captures natural elements, birds, and windchimes, and carries images inside it all throughout the winter, ready for spring. I’m so glad it found a home at Lit Shark Magazine.

For each contest, the winner will receive a unique digital broadside of their winning poem, and the one I created can be found below. When I read this poem, I knew immediately that I wanted to imagery to center around flowers, birds, and/or windchimes, but I wanted to create something that was visually striking and surprising, to mirror the pleasant surprises listed throughout this poem. These flowers feel like they’re growing out off of the page to me, and against that stark, slate blue, they remind me of beauty, surprise, and joy popping up from anywhere. I hope you enjoy seeing it as much as I enjoyed creating it.