2006 Poetry Contest Winners!

Our most recent poetry contest was a raging success. We received far more submissions than we could have hoped for and—more importantly—the submissions were generally of remarkable quality. It was an honor and a pleasure to consider all the work sent our way.

Our finalist judge, Marvin Bell, had quite a task: It isn't easy to decide on four winners and a handful of honorable mentions from a ream of poetry and a few dozen handpicked finalists. "In the end, I chose, from among the best poems, those that were written interestingly and had something insistent about their content."

The four winning poems will be published in our upcoming 16th issue, set for release April 15th. The first place poem will also be nominated by Perigee for the 2007 Pushcart Prize.

First Place: "Gloves," by Jeri Theriault

Second Place: "In the Entrails of a Fish," by Grégoire Vion

Third Place: "Love in the Ruins," by F. J. Bergmann

Fourth Place: "The Narcoleptic Therapist," by Corey Mesler

Honorable Mentions: Kate Bernadette Benedict for "The Carrion Gardens;" Amanda Smith for "Mare;" Marcia Nehemiah for "I Spy," and "Transmogrification;" Grégoire Vion for "The Body," and "The Odyssey."

Congratulations to each of these poets, and thank you to all who participated in our 2006 Poetry Contest!
 

Bombs Unveil Breakthrough

North Korea's clothing stalls in session.
21,500 mannequins encouraged their people,
screamed "I'm shattered! Increase! Increase!"

Upside-down political parked cars,
debris, and blackened pools of blood scattered,
fueled nations at 2 AM. Overwhelming.

Thunderous Monday people battled 78
President Bush steps. Dense. Buildup Iraq by six.
Triggering firefighters, smoke, nuclear lawmakers.


-Robert Judge Woerheide (Managing Editor)

Breakthrough Comes in North Korea Nuclear Talks
Car bombs blast Baghdad marketplace
House Democrats Unveil Anti-War Bill

(This is a 3by3by3. 3by3s use a conglomeration of words from three current news stories, turning them into a poem. Anyone can write them, and you'd be surprised by the results. Visit 3by3by3.blogspot.com to learn more and submit.)

2007 Fiction Contest Now Open!

Perigee is currently seeking submissions for its 2007 Fiction Contest. We want to see your best short stories (800 to 3,500 words), and we want to see them soon! There's no limit to the number of entries you may make. The postmark deadline for this competition is May 31st ... but why wait until then? Instead, take a minute now to read the guidelines and submit online or by snail mail.

Cash prizes and publication will be awarded to the winning entries, along with consideration for a 2007 Pushcart Prize Nomination. The reading fee for this contest is ten dollars. Results will be announced by or on July 15th, 2007.

Best of luck to all who enter!

Our Newest Staff Member

We are happy to introduce the newest member of Perigee's staff, Reader Sara Goetze. Sara is an undergraduate student in San Diego with a passion for art and literature, a talent for writing, and a growing appreciation of poetry. As Sara puts it, "I have always loved to read and write. I attempted reading before I could actually do so, and was kindly informed by my parents that I was holding the book upside-down." Sara is currently a Biology major with her sites set on medical school, but literature is an important avocation for her.

Please join us in welcoming Sara. As Reader, she will be the first to read the submissions we receive—making sure all of the work sent to us gets a fair shake. "What a privilege," Sara recently remarked, "to be allowed into these writers' souls." With passion like that, we know she'll make a valuable contribution to our publication.