Happy Tuesday, readers, writers, and shark fans!
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 September Poem of the Month contest!
Submissions for the September contest were accepted throughout the months of August, and these many, MANY works gorgeously and unflinchingly looked into themes of identity, nature, and grief, 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:
Abigail Ottley – “Heaven is a Garden in Essex”
This gorgeous, imagistic, and sensational poem focuses on my favorite sense to capture in a poem and to stoke memories: smell. It drives home how a specific small can recall a memory, but it also offers the cozy, immersive nature of being surrounded by a smell that you love that you personally associate with peace, calm, and safety. It’s a beautiful poem about growing up, family, late loved ones, and dreaming of being reunited, and it’s lovingly achieved through visceral smells and nature imagery. It’s a stunning poem, and 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 September Poem of the Month contest is Ursula McCabe, who writes thoughtful, visceral, and blatantly beautiful poetry.
Her winning poem, “Today’s Morning,” is a gorgeous example of a poem throwing you into a moment. This poem beautifully captures a fall day, the brilliance, falling, and crispness of the leaves, and the sunlight cutting through the remaining leaves and tall branches of a sycamore tree. It’s a beautiful poem about time passing, being in the present, and enjoying every moment, and it’s an irreplaceable edition to Lit Shark Magazine.
About Ursula McCabe:
Ursula McCabe is a mostly all her life Oregonian who sold wine to restaurants and shops for many years.
Her work can be seen in Piker Press, Oregon Poetry Association’s Verseweavers, Bluebird Word, Lit Shark Magazine, and the Ekphrastic Review.
She likes raptors, dogs, and the Oregon coast.
Lit Shark is also deeply humbled to have hosted Ursula’s poetry multiple times, including the inaugural issue of Lit Shark Magazine, Issue 5 of Lit Shark Magazine, Issue 8 of Lit Shark Magazine: The SHARK WEEK Edition, both of Lit Shark’s Best Of 2023 and Best Of 2024 anthologies, and of course, as an Honorable Mention for Lit Shark’s July-August 2024 Poem of the Month Contest, for her poem, “Gardening in Astoria.”
“Today’s Morning” by Ursula McCabe
Today’s Morning by Ursula McCabe
Question-marks with tails
form long lines against the blue
October sky, traffic sounds husky,
as if the stillness
is thick enough to hold heavy things.
The world is thick with brutality
and yet, a lone sycamore is
a beauty mark in the park.
Russet gold leaves form a halo,
their tips hold onto green, soon
they will be strewn on the ground
brown, but today
I am drawn moth-like
to this tree and its beacon of light.
“Today’s Morning” 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 was thrown back to my life growing up in the Midwest, specifically into its burnt orange, red, and yellow skies between the leaves fell in mounds, and the corn stocks foiled and gnarled, ready to be plucked. More importantly, this poem felt like a moment and reminded me of the importance of being present and appreciating every moment we have, as life is not guaranteed. Though those feelings cannot totally be captured visually, I wanted to focus on the beauty of the moment captured in the poem and suggest time passing through the falling of leaves. 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?
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