The Fairbanks Arts Association opened their 24th annual statewide poetry contest for submissions this December. Each year, the association picks a new judge for the contest. This year will be judged by Wrangell resident Vivian Faith Prescott. Bahr said that Prescott was originally meant to judge last year’s contest, but was named the judge this year due to scheduling issues. Prescott is the author of numerous works, including The Hide of My Tongue and The Dead Go to Seattle. She has received several awards for her writing, such as the Jason Wenger Award for Literary Excellence, a Rasmuson Fellowship, and the Alaska Literary Award.
“Mrs. Prescott was chosen because she is a renowned Alaska poet,” Bahr said. “We’ve heard lots of good things about her work.”
Prescott said that she wrote her first poem when she was 11-years-old, living in Wrangell. By middle school she said she was known as a “poet.” She said her friends would pay her to write poems for them, adding with a laugh she probably made about as much as she did now for her work. Having a contest like this open to younger poets is terrific, she said.
“I especially encourage elementary school and high school writers, middle school too, to submit their poems,” she said. “And if they have them looked over by a teacher or trusted mentor first, that’s always good, too.”
Besides young writers, Prescott said she really hopes to see lots of submissions from people across all of Southeast Alaska. The Southeast region, she said, is surprisingly underrepresented in poetry. She also added that the poems do not have to be Alaska themed. They only have to be written by an Alaskan resident and all styles of poetry are welcome.
“My interests kind of vary widely,” she said. “I like narrative poems that tell a story, but on the other hand I write lyrical poems, too. So I think the poem somehow has to say something or move me.”
According to the association’s website, the contest aims to “encourage, publicize, and reward the writing of high quality poetry in Alaska. The contest is open to Alaska residents across the state. There are four categories people may submit their poems in: Elementary school, middle school, high school, and adult. All poems submitted must be original and not previously published, according to the contest’s submission guidelines. Contestants may not send more than four poems per author. First place in the adult category will receive $150. First place in high school will receive $100. First place in middle school and elementary school will both receive $50.
The winners of the contest will be announced in April, during National Poetry Writing Month. The deadline to submit poems is Feb. 15. To learn more about the poetry contest, and the Fairbanks Arts Association, visit http://www.fairbanksarts.org. More information can also be found by calling (907) 456-6485 ext. 224, or by emailing literary@fairbanksarts.org.
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