'Tis the Season part 2

'Tis the Season also for end-of-year awards.  Choosing nominees is often difficult, but it is also fun to go back and look at work from the past year.

This year I nominated some work for the Pushcart Prizes.  My students in ENGL 101 convinced me to select Catfish McDaris' "Sweet Jesus":

http://thesongis.blogspot.com/2015/01/flash-fiction-and-poem-by-catfish.html

I also chose Charles Clifford Brooks III's "For Dad" although his "Promise for Momma" is also wonderful:
http://thesongis.blogspot.com/2015/03/promise-to-momma-and-for-dad-by-charles.html

Not only did A.J. Huffman win Thelma's Prize (Spring 2015) for "The Barbie Formerly Known As" but I also nominated her poem as one of the six:  http://thesongis.blogspot.com/2015/05/aj-huffmani-am-saxophoneand-barbie.html

I also chose Miriam Sagan's "Etudes": http://thesongis.blogspot.com/2015/07/miriam-sagan-and-chopin.html   You may also know about her blog, Miriam's Well.  It is well worth exploring: https://miriamswell.wordpress.com/2015/11/21/report-and-haiga-from-nepal-michael-g-smith/  I am also intrigued to see that she teaches poetry online as well!

Martin Willitts, Jr.'s "Letting Her Hair Down" is another stellar poem, part of his series inspired by Andrew Wyeth's Helga drawings and paintings:  http://thesongis.blogspot.com/2015/10/after-midtermsmartin-willitts-jr-and.html

I nominated the multi-talented Angelee Deodhar for her haibun "Grandparents' Day":  http://thesongis.blogspot.com/2015/11/haibun-by-angelee-deodhar.html
To learn more about haibun, take a look at an anthology that Angelee recently edited:
http://www.amazon.com/Journeys-2015-Anthology-International-Haibun/dp/1515359875

Congratulations to all Pushcart Prize nominees from The Song Is...

In addition, having heard about the anthology Bettering American Poetry, I nominated Catfish's moving poem "Elizabeth" http://thesongis.blogspot.com/2015/03/while-im-counting-votes.html
and Lynne S. Viti's "Harp Music" http://thesongis.blogspot.com/2015/08/lynne-viti.html

Congratulations, Catfish and Lynne!

In the meantime, the fall/winter contest will be open until at least December 30.  Poems inspired by jazz musicians born in the 1900s and 1910s and by Latin jazz are welcome!
http://thesongis.blogspot.com/2015/09/welcome-to-fallwinter-contests.html

Here is some Danilo Perez to inspire you!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jo3BAlJ0jUI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQfOBeEU4JA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NTJit6sFzp8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-gSke2yogcw