Congratulations to the Winners of the In Mourning and Memory Contest

This evening I'd like to post the winners of the In Mourning and Memory Contest.  Although this contest could certainly go on (and we should continue to pay attention to the issues that poets like Kevon Ward, Miss Kiane, and Gary Malone raise), all contests must end.


The winners follow:

Regina A. Walker for "Musings"
http://thesongis.blogspot.com/2015/05/regina-walkermusings.html

Catfish McDaris for "Beware of PoPo" and "Elizabeth":
http://thesongis.blogspot.com/2015/01/flash-fiction-and-poem-by-catfish.html
http://thesongis.blogspot.com/2015/03/while-im-counting-votes.html

Avis D. Matthews for "Chicago 1971, for my aunt DeWana":
http://thesongis.blogspot.com/2015/03/in-place-of-memory-trying-not-to-be-in.html

Finally, the grand prize winner is Amber Smithers for "A Lullaby to My Son" and "Angry Black Woman":
http://thesongis.blogspot.com/2015/01/in-mothers-voice-amber-smithers-and.html
http://thesongis.blogspot.com/2015/05/amber-smithers-returns.html

Amber also won the Local Prize in the fall contests.

Congratulations!  I will be contacting everyone soon about the prizes.

In the meantime, the spring/summer contests continue, and I encourage you to continuing to submit poems of protest in memory of those who are dying too soon (Michael Brown...Eric Garner...Sandra Blount...).  I will have some changes for the spring/summer contests, but there will still be prizes!

I'll finish with some music.  These songs may hint at the prizes!

Let's start with Gil Scott-Heron's "Pieces of a Man":
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QKghze-Vf1o

We mustn't forget his "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised":
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vwSRqaZGsPw

I know I've posted Ambrose Akinmusire's "My Name is Oscar Brown":
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=66fmwQShgYg

I'll finish with two pieces from Charlie Haden's Liberation Music Orchestra.  The first is "This is Not America":  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lodtDkw2TKQ

The second is "The Ballad of the Fallen" featuring Haden and Carla Bley:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5CAmIZfE_Us