Happy Thursday, readers, writers, and shark fans! And Happy Thanksgiving to our US community members!
We hope you’re having a wonderful week. We want to say Happy Thanksgiving to those of you who celebrate, safe travels, and also happy decorating and happy shopping for those of you who will throw yourselves into the Christmas season this week, too! We know that this is really the last week of fall and the November harvest before everyone throws themselves into twinkling lights and snow, so we’re excited to celebrate the last little bit of fall today by announcing the winners of our October Poem of the Month contest!
Submissions for the October contest were accepted throughout the month of September, and these many, MANY works gorgeously and unflinchingly looked into themes of grief, nature, sightings, ghosts, and other spooky subjects, and we were so honored to have a chance to read all of these pieces.
For those of you who would like to submit to one of Lit Shark’s Poem of the Month contests, you still can! Submissions are considered on a rolling basis, and it’s always free to enter. Submit here up to five poems or ten pages of poetry. If you want to be considered for our current contest (December), please submit by Monday, December 2nd! Submissions will still be accepted after that date, but they’ll be considered for the January Poem of the Month Contest instead.
Now, For the Honorable Mentions!
I read so many great poems during this round, and I accepted some for publication in Issue 7 of Lit Shark Magazine: The SHARK WEEK Edition, and Issue 8 of Lit Shark Magazine: The Spooky (TEETH) Edition, both of which came out in November 2024, but there was one that I HAD to nominate for an Honorable Mention:
Nicky Carter – “Collective Mind of Small Fish”
This short poem is such an interesting, clever, and at times funny examination of what we might imagine a school of fish to think. Rather than thinking and moving individually, the poem suggests that the fish exist as a collective, which was highly reminiscent of Ayn Rand’s Anthem, written almost entirely with “we” and “they” pronouns. It’s a cleverly written poem, it’s alliterative, it’s propulsive, and it practices such an interesting play on words. It’s just such an entertaining little poem and such a great example of what good writing can do. We’re so grateful to share it with you.
And the Winner Is…
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 October Poem of the Month contest is Lauren K. Nixon, who writes incredible, visceral, emotional, and sometimes spooky poetry.
Her winning poem, “One Eccentric Owner,” offers an amazing duality between imagining that strange person who lives alone in a house and everyone in town has heard spooky stories about them, and the memories and energies people often talk about feeling attached to an abandoned house. This is one of those poems that is such a great example of the interpretation of the poem depending on the person reading it. I can read the poem and think of the eerieness of a long-abandoned house and all of its creaks, groans, and settling sounds, but I can also read a lot more into it and imagine feeling into the space and the lingering memories and vibes of who used to live there. I love poems like this that can be visited in different ways at different times. I’m so glad it found a home at Lit Shark Magazine.
About Lauren K. Nixon:
An ex-archaeologist who swapped the past for the present, Lauren K. Nixon is the author of numerous short stories, The Fox and the Fool, Mayflies, The Last Human Getaway and The House of Vines, along with poetry collections (including Wild Daughter, Marry Your Chameleon and umbel.). She has also written two plays – one even on purpose!
Her poems appear in Rhubarb: Seconds, Lit Shark Magazine, Ekphrastic Review, The Lake, Apricot Press, Dream Catcher, The Dawntreader, Reach, and The Black Nore Review, along with several collections by The Superstars.
When she’s not writing, she can be found pootling around the garden or library, researching weird stuff, making miniatures, annoying the cats, and playing board games.
You can find out more at her website: (www.laurenknixon.com)
Or check her out on Instagram (@laurenknixon)
Facebook (@IndieAuthorLaurenKNixon)
“One Eccentric Owner” by Lauren K. Nixon
One Eccentric Owner by Lauren K. Nixon
One (1) body, slightly used. Sunny aspect.
It’s spacious, a little ramshackle.
Energy rating: low.
An agreeable place to hang one’s hat,
In a much-sought-after location.
Close to local amenities.
It has a passing acquaintance with good schools.
The electricity still works, for the most part –
water pressure less than ideal.
Charming. Potential for a family,
or a retiree with cats.
Some cosmetic upgrades required.
When it rains, the foundations shift;
everything lists to one side.
There are things growing up the walls,
roosting in the eaves.
You can hear them at night, laughing.
“One Eccentric Owner” Broadside Created by McKenzie Lynn Tozan
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 loved reading it, both, as an abandoned space that has that strange, long-neglected, long-alone feeling, but I also love the haunted vibes that it gave off of memories attached to the space or even the space being alive of its own accord (you know, spooky vibes!). I especially loved the final two stanzas, which really leaned into the aging and possible alive-ness of the space, and I wanted to emulate that in some way through a space that is being taken over by something that is alive – like vines. I loved this particularly visceral green, and that shade really spoke to how Lauren’s poetry always makes me feel. I hope you enjoy seeing it as much as I enjoyed creating it.
On the Lookout For the Next Winner!
If you’d like to be considered for our December Poem of the Month, please submit your poems for consideration as soon as possible! The absolute deadline is Monday, December 2nd, 2024. If you want to plan ahead for our January Poem of the Month, too, the deadline for that month’s contest is Friday, January 3rd.
One winner will be selected, and they will receive $20, a unique digital broadside of their winning poem, mentions on our social media and our website, and a feature in our next issue of Lit Shark Magazine.
Honorable Mentions will also be considered, and they will receive a mention on our social media and website, and they will be featured in the next issue of Lit Shark Magazine.
Submitting to the Poem of the Month contest also counts as a general submission, so even if your work isn’t selected as a winner or honorable mention, your work may still be picked up for an upcoming issue! With it being free to enter, what do you have to lose?
0 Comments