Past Contest Winners
The Ina Coolbrith Circle is proud to celebrate the poets and poems that have delighted, moved, and inspired us through our annual competitions. Explore the winning works that have earned their place in Circle’s poetic tradition.
2026 Annual Poetry Contest
| Place | Poem title | Author | Theme |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🏆 Grand prize | Ship of the Ancestors | Deborah Bachels Schmidt | |
| Theme: California | |||
| 1st | Little Blue Deer | Deborah Bachels Schmidt | California |
| 2nd | Perhaps I Am a Californian Now | Robert L. Smith | California |
| 3rd | Ode to a California Sequoia Touched by Fire | Daniel Williams | California |
| HM 1 | Moving to California | Beth Tarpley | California |
| HM 2 | Bird and Beckett | Janet Popesco Archibald | California |
| HM 3 | The Space Between | Steve Topozian | California |
| Theme: Journeys | |||
| 1st | Ship of the Ancestors | Deborah Bachels Schmidt | Journeys |
| 2nd | Waiting for Paradise | Deborah Silverman | Journeys |
| 3rd | cross the long miles | Hakim | Journeys |
| HM 1 | A Journey About Carrot Cake | Daniel Williams | Journeys |
| HM 2 | Cerulean Symphony | Janet Popesco Archibald | Journeys |
| HM 3 | Labyrinth | Ellen Romano | Journeys |
| Theme: Love | |||
| 1st | In the Eleventh Month | Deborah Bachels Schmidt | Love |
| 2nd | The Drifting Heart | Laurie Hailey | Love |
| 3rd | What the World Needs Now | Cathy Dana | Love |
| HM 1 | Warm | Ellen Romano | Love |
| HM 2 | Summer Sunrise | Louise Moises | Love |
| HM 3 | Pebbles | Diane Lee Moomey | Love |
| Theme: Humor | |||
| 1st | Nutcracker Ballet Outtakes | Janet Popesco Archibald | Humor |
| 2nd | Shakespeare's Dark Lady | Robert L. Smith | Humor |
| 3rd | A Paradelle for the Road | David Anderson | Humor |
| HM 1 | Answering Prufrock's Ad | Daniel Williams | Humor |
| HM 2 | The Gender of Schmattes as Two Men Work on the Car | Alyza Lee Salomon | Humor |
| HM 3 | My To-Be-Read Pile or Dear Lord, Please Don't Let Me Die Yet | Denise Lapachet Barney | Humor |
| Theme: Nature | |||
| 1st | Pool | Connie Johnstone | Nature |
| 2nd | Being Mycelium | Diane Lee Moomey | Nature |
| 3rd | Now That You Know | Benjamin Livesey | Nature |
| HM 1 | Winter Garden | Corey Weinstein | Nature |
| HM 2 | Banyan Tree | Lynn M. Hansen | Nature |
| HM 3 | The Upper Suisun Marshland | W. Lawrence | Nature |
| Theme: People | |||
| 1st | Sybil | Ellen Romano | People |
| 2nd | A Perfectly Ripe and Salty Melon | Kay Kechane | People |
| 3rd | Gisele | David Alpaugh | People |
| HM 1 | Transformation | Nedra Crowe Evers | People |
| HM 2 | At the Oyster Bar With Rufus | Becky Bishop White | People |
| HM 3 | Guitars and Hard Times | Charles Mc Cauley | People |
| Theme: Magic | |||
| 1st | Chanel No. 5 | Nancy Haskett | Magic |
| 2nd | Ode to Paris | Mary Eichbauer | Magic |
| 3rd | The Ordinary Magic of the Night | Robert L. Smith | Magic |
| HM 1 | Xochiquetzal's Revenge | Alyza Lee Salomon | Magic |
| HM 2 | If Magic Had a Fragrance | Suzanne Bruce | Magic |
| HM 3 | Companions in Grief | Louise Moises | Magic |
| Theme: Poet's choice | |||
| 1st | My Mother Dreams of Red Birds | Ellen Romano | Poet's choice |
| 2nd | Growing Up | Beth Tarpley | Poet's choice |
| 3rd | Nothing by Mouth | Diane Lee Moomey | Poet's choice |
| HM 1 | Flung Delight | David Anderson | Poet's choice |
| HM 2 | Revisiting September 11, 2001 | Claire J. Baker | Poet's choice |
| HM 3 | I write poems... | Hakim | Poet's choice |
2025 Annual Poetry Contest
| Place | Poem title | Author | Theme |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🏆 Grand prize | Banished behind the piano for talking too loud during art in first grade | Judith Chibante | |
| Theme: Beginnings & Endings | |||
| 1st | Telling Jenny Goodbye | Ellen S. Romano | Beginnings & Endings |
| 2nd | H Street Bridge | Nedra Crowe Evers | Beginnings & Endings |
| 3rd | Wedding China | Robert Lavett Smith | Beginnings & Endings |
| HM 1 | Not Elvis Presley | Ed Bearden | Beginnings & Endings |
| HM 2 | Resolution in a Time of Foreboding | Robert Eastwood | Beginnings & Endings |
| Theme: Humor | |||
| 1st | First Date | Laurie Hailey | Humor |
| 2nd | Running out of Gratitude | Evie Groch | Humor |
| 3rd | Poet's Rodeo | Patricia Doyne | Humor |
| HM 1 | Hot Flash | Deborah Bachels Schmidt | Humor |
| HM 2 | For the Birds | Janet Popesco Archibald | Humor |
| HM 3 | Art Room Ephemera | Sandra Anfang | Humor |
| Theme: Love | |||
| 1st | After Prufrock's Love Song | Claire J. Baker | Love |
| 2nd | Lilliana's Cameo | Alyza Lee Salomon | Love |
| 3rd | Love's Tokens | Deborah Silverman | Love |
| HM 1 | The Isle of You | Ellen S. Romano | Love |
| HM 2 | Sistermother | K. R. Morrison | Love |
| HM 3 | nothing out | Carol L. Park | Love |
| Theme: Nature | |||
| 1st | Uncertainty principle…h/2 | Tracy Artson | Nature |
| 2nd | The Moreton Bay Fig | Deborah Bachels Schmidt | Nature |
| 3rd | The Empty Page | Johanna Ely | Nature |
| HM 1 | Life Guardians | Patricia Doyne | Nature |
| HM 2 | Shattering the Dark on Kentucky Lake | Beth Tarpley | Nature |
| HM 3 | Genesis | Alyza Lee Salomon | Nature |
| Theme: People | |||
| 1st | Faith - For Meg | Karen Marker | People |
| 2nd | Centoesque Ode to Bob Dylan | Valerie Sopher | People |
| 3rd | The Edge | Robert Eastwood | People |
| HM 1 | Sound Man | Janet Popesco Archibald | People |
| HM 2 | FedEx | Evie Groch | People |
| HM 3 | Letter from my conjoined twin | Sandra Anfang | People |
| Theme: Poet's Choice | |||
| 1st | Kewpie | Nedra Crowe Evers | Poet's Choice |
| 2nd | Firestorm | Connie Post | Poet's Choice |
| 3rd | Abecedarian ode to time | Suzanne Bruce | Poet's Choice |
| HM 1 | A Poem of Tea | Robert Eastwood | Poet's Choice |
| HM 2 | Lament for the lost | Charles McCauley | Poet's Choice |
| HM 3 | The sticking place | Louise Kantro | Poet's Choice |
| Theme: Spaces & Places | |||
| 1st | Catcher | Connie Post | Spaces & Places |
| 2nd | Banished behind the piano for talking too loud during art in first grade | Judith Chibante | Spaces & Places |
| 3rd | Palermo | Mary Eichbauer | Spaces & Places |
| HM 1 | Mangata | Patricia Doyne | Spaces & Places |
| HM 2 | Heart's Café | Nedra Crowe Evers | Spaces & Places |
| HM 3 | The Old Country | Ed Bearden | Spaces & Places |
| Theme: Infinity | |||
| 1st | Infinity | Johanna Ely | Infinity |
| 2nd | Shards of Blue | Nedra Crowe Evers | Infinity |
| 3rd | A Moon and One Bedraggled Tree | Robert Lavett Smith | Infinity |
| HM 1 | infinity (for Patrick) | Denise Barney | Infinity |
| HM 2 | eternity answers | Norma Green | Infinity |
| HM 3 | ashes | Marcia Taylor Smith | Infinity |
2024 Annual Poetry Contest
| Place | Poem title | Author | Theme |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🏆 Grand prize | North Beach Blues | Janet Popesco Archibald | |
| Theme: California | |||
| 1st | The Edge | Robert Lavett Smith | California |
| 2nd | North Beach Blues | Janet Popesco Archibald | California |
| 3rd | No Blue Gum Eucalyptus Trees Are Left in Indian Rock Park | Ellen Romano | California |
| HM 1 | Boxcars | Nedra Crowe Evers | California |
| HM 2 | Bodie | Nancy Haskett | California |
| HM 3 | It Becomes a Part of You | Daniel Williams | California |
| HM 4 | Central Valley | Aline Soules | California |
| HM 5 | Ghost Orchard | Laurie Hailey | California |
| Theme: Journeys | |||
| 1st | ALMA | Nedra Crowe Evers | Journeys |
| 2nd | Seattle House | Carole Dwinell | Journeys |
| 3rd | 1950's County Fair | Louise Moises | Journeys |
| HM 1 | Senior Recital | Janet Popesco Archibald | Journeys |
| HM 2 | A Spring Walk | Mary Lindberg | Journeys |
| HM 3 | To Fellow Hotel Guests Wakened by Dogs Barking in Oaxaca | Kathleen McClung | Journeys |
| HM 4 | Obstacle Course | Lynn Hansen | Journeys |
| HM 5 | Words for Ice | Eileen Malone | Journeys |
| Theme: Love | |||
| 1st | The Undiminished Presence | Robert Lavett Smith | Love |
| 2nd | Circumference | Valerie Sopher | Love |
| 3rd | Courtly Love: The Troubadour | Patricia Doyne | Love |
| HM 1 | Yes Yes! | David Anderson | Love |
| HM 2 | They are my words | Elizabeth Claverie | Love |
| HM 3 | The Most Precious Thing in the House | L. Anne Molin | Love |
| HM 4 | Grandmom's Mermaid | Deborah Silverman | Love |
| HM 5 | Hearts | Johanna Ely | Love |
| Theme: Humor | |||
| 1st | God Hits One Out | Valerie Sopher | Humor |
| 2nd | Descendants | Connie Johnstone | Humor |
| 3rd | A Way With Words | Ellen Romano | Humor |
| HM 1 | A World of Languages | Evie Groch | Humor |
| HM 2 | The Story of My Life | Livingston Rossmoor | Humor |
| HM 3 | College Class: 20th century British literature Required reading: Ulysses by James Joyce | Nancy Haskett | Humor |
| HM 4 | Standing in Line | Roberta Bearden | Humor |
| HM 5 | The Playful Joker | Sandy King | Humor |
| Theme: Nature | |||
| 1st | National Penguin Day | Kathy Briccetti | Nature |
| 2nd | Here May I Be Buried | Karen Marker | Nature |
| 3rd | Faint Sounds Drawing Closer | Robery Lavett Smith | Nature |
| HM 1 | Dried Bouquets | Deborah Silverman | Nature |
| HM 2 | Out in the Cold | Patricia Doyne | Nature |
| HM 3 | Ode to Autumn | Johanna Ely | Nature |
| HM 4 | River World | Jill Stockinger | Nature |
| HM 5 | On the Social Life of Trees | Allegra Silberstein | Nature |
| Theme: People | |||
| 1st | Gardeners | J. Livingston | People |
| 2nd | The Currency of Women | Becky Bishop White | People |
| 3rd | Facts on the Ground | Al Averbach | People |
| HM 1 | Dark Green War | Aline Soules | People |
| HM 2 | When Light Seems Forever | Mary Lindberg | People |
| HM 3 | Showdown at the Supermarket | Patricia Doyne | People |
| HM 4 | A Language No One Spoke | Evie Groch | People |
| HM 5 | Outgrowing people | Elizabeth Claverie | People |
| Theme: Paradox | |||
| 1st | Another Breath | Ellen Romano | Paradox |
| 2nd | Frank | Ed Bearden | Paradox |
| 3rd | The Art of War | Aline Soules | Paradox |
| HM 1 | A Ghazal for Language | Corey Weinstein | Paradox |
| HM 2 | Souls | Robert Eastwood | Paradox |
| HM 3 | On Being Trout | Daniel Williams | Paradox |
| HM 4 | There Is No Now | Eileen Malone | Paradox |
| HM 5 | Sea Crash | Roberta Bearden | Paradox |
| Theme: Poet’s Choice | |||
| 1st | Resolutions | Kathy Briccetti | Poet’s Choice |
| 2nd | An April Place | Claire J. Baker | Poet’s Choice |
| 3rd | Small Town Driving — The Advanced Course | L. Anne Molin | Poet’s Choice |
| HM 1 | Old Canvas, New Thread | Connie Johnstone | Poet’s Choice |
| HM 2 | Matinee | Charles McCauley | Poet’s Choice |
| HM 3 | * Star story | Allegra Silberstein | Poet’s Choice |
| HM 4 | The Dress I Could Die In | Karen Marker | Poet’s Choice |
| HM 5 | Pianos I Have Known | Judith Chibante | Poet’s Choice |
2024 Poets’ Dinner
| Place | Poem title | Author | Theme |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🏆 Grand prize | Hermit Thrush | Deborah Bachels Schmidt | |
| Theme: Beginnings & Endings | |||
| 1st | I've Never Been to Your Gravesite | Connie Post | Beginnings & Endings |
| 2nd | Saving Sweet Peas | Georgette Howington | Beginnings & Endings |
| 3rd | A Day of Holes | Jill Stockinger | Beginnings & Endings |
| HM 1 | What I Wish For Him | Robert Eastwood | Beginnings & Endings |
| HM 2 | Skid | J. Michael Parish | Beginnings & Endings |
| HM 3 | Opening Night | Janet Popesco Archibald | Beginnings & Endings |
| Theme: Humor | |||
| 1st | Only in Florida | Patricia Doyne | Humor |
| 2nd | My New Business | John Rowe | Humor |
| 3rd | Makin' Whoopee | Janet Posesco Archibald | Humor |
| HM 1 | Looks Like Twins | Nancy Tolin | Humor |
| HM 2 | The Flea | Dorty Nowak | Humor |
| HM 3 | Chicken Soup for Fanny | Claire J. Baker | Humor |
| Theme: Love | |||
| 1st | The Long Yellow Afternoon | Nedra Crowe Evers | Love |
| 2nd | A Response to Wild Geese | Karen Marker | Love |
| 3rd | Nayarit Surprise | Jan Hersh | Love |
| HM 1 | Naked | Ellen Romano | Love |
| HM 2 | Snake Farm | J. Livingston | Love |
| HM 3 | Inky Through The Mirror | Kathleen McClung | Love |
| Theme: Nature | |||
| 1st | Nocturne | Patricia Doyne | Nature |
| 2nd | Our Mother in January | Karen Marker | Nature |
| 3rd | March 1st Concert | Sandra Simmer | Nature |
| HM 1 | Amber Afternoon | Dorty Nowak | Nature |
| HM 2 | Crows in Early Winter | Johanna Ely | Nature |
| HM 3 | Wake Up Silly Bud | Deborah Grossman | Nature |
| Theme: People | |||
| 1st | Tony Unhoused | Karen Marker | People |
| 2nd | Flowers for Navalny | Deborah Bachels Schmidt | People |
| 3rd | Student Matinee | Janet Posesco Archibald | People |
| HM 1 | Not Chinese Enough | Eileen Malone | People |
| HM 2 | Innocence | Suzanne Bruce | People |
| HM 3 | Hogs | Aline Soules | People |
| Theme: Poet's Choice | |||
| 1st | Entomology Lesson | Connie Post | Poet's Choice |
| 2nd | Secret Ballot | Jim Cardwell | Poet's Choice |
| 3rd | An Unknowing Search | John Rowe | Poet's Choice |
| HM 1 | Riverline | Nedra Crowe Evers | Poet's Choice |
| HM 2 | Visiting Mike in Santa Maria | Kathleen McClung | Poet's Choice |
| HM 3 | The Old Desk | Becky Bishop White | Poet's Choice |
| Theme: Spaces & Placees | |||
| 1st | Roquette | Mary Eichbauer | Spaces & Placees |
| 2nd | After the A's Announced Their Move to Las Vegas | Ellen Romano | Spaces & Placees |
| 3rd | Mission San Carlos de Borromeo | Nedra Crowe Evers | Spaces & Placees |
| HM 1 | Coming Home From the Grand Canyon | Aline Soules | Spaces & Placees |
| HM 2 | Here On This Hill | Dorty Nowak | Spaces & Placees |
| HM 3 | Sonnet On a Hill | Katrina Monroe | Spaces & Placees |
| Theme: Sugar & Salt | |||
| 1st | Hunger | Dorty Nowak | Sugar & Salt |
| 2nd | Talking to the Moon | Jill Stockinger | Sugar & Salt |
| 3rd | Salt Cellar | Aline Soules | Sugar & Salt |
| HM 1 | Offerings | Ellen Romano | Sugar & Salt |
| HM 2 | A Poem for Georgette | Johanna Ely | Sugar & Salt |
| HM 3 | Minestrone | Mary Eichbauer | Sugar & Salt |
2023 Annual Poetry Contest
| Place | Poem title | Author | Theme |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🏆 Grand prize | Sleeping Towards Apocalypse | Ed Bearden | |
| Theme: Journeys | |||
| 1st | Sleeping Towards Apocalypse | Ed Bearden | Journeys |
| 2nd | Brittle Willow | Corey Weinstein | Journeys |
| 3rd | A Night at the Rest Stop | Louise Moises | Journeys |
| HM 1 | Glaciers | Ellen Romano | Journeys |
| HM 2 | Dream | Aline Soules | Journeys |
| HM 3 | Journey | Nancy Haskett | Journeys |
| HM 4 | Relieved Of Freight | Eileen Malone | Journeys |
| HM 5 | Pataphysics | Mary Eichbauer | Journeys |
| Theme: California | |||
| 1st | Holy | Ellen Romano | California |
| 2nd | The Day the Forest Died | Roberta Bearden | California |
| 3rd | Variations on a Fallen Sequoia | Dan Williams | California |
| HM 1 | Monarchs | Jabez Churchill | California |
| HM 2 | Summer Solstice 2023 | Georgette Howington | California |
| HM 3 | San Francisco Ocean Beach | Eileen Malone | California |
| HM 4 | Summer Solstice in the Sierra Mountains | Karen Marker | California |
| HM 5 | Living in the Light | Ellaraine Lockie | California |
| Theme: Love | |||
| 1st | At the Open Window | Aline Soules | Love |
| 2nd | Where Did He Go? | Georgette Howington | Love |
| 3rd | Petals | Mary Eichbauer | Love |
| HM 1 | The Spot Against the Wall | Gail Wasserman | Love |
| HM 2 | Love After All | Corey Weinstein | Love |
| HM 3 | What I Don't Want You to Know | Kay Renz | Love |
| HM 4 | Pomegranate | Diane Lee Moomey | Love |
| HM 5 | Hymn | Sharon Pretti | Love |
| Theme: Humor | |||
| 1st | 3 a.m. | Carole Dwinell | Humor |
| 2nd | Wayne-the-Brain | Gary Turchin | Humor |
| 3rd | ESL is Not Easy | Neil Whitman | Humor |
| HM 1 | The Impish Car Keys | Katrina Monroe | Humor |
| HM 2 | What You May Have Missed When You Ditched My Spanish Class | Evie Groch | Humor |
| HM 3 | A Frank Autopsy | David Anderson | Humor |
| HM 4 | Nothing is Available | John Rowe | Humor |
| HM 5 | Leaving Hopkins Street Nursery | Valerie Sopher | Humor |
| Theme: Nature | |||
| 1st | The Cellist and the Nightingale | Deborah Bachels Schmidt | Nature |
| 2nd | We Used to Have Meadows | Christine Horner | Nature |
| 3rd | Coming and Going | John Rowe | Nature |
| HM 1 | Come, I'll Show You | Miriam Aroner | Nature |
| HM 2 | Midnight Sun Country | Anita Erola | Nature |
| HM 3 | Petrichor | Jim Milstead | Nature |
| HM 4 | The One-Step Road to Recovery | Ellaraine Lockie | Nature |
| HM 5 | What is Wild | Katrina Monroe | Nature |
| Theme: People | |||
| 1st | Man of the Hole | Deborah Silverman | People |
| 2nd | Kin | Sharon Pretti | People |
| 3rd | The Lilac Bush | Roberta Bearden | People |
| HM 1 | Portrait of Edweard Muybridge | Dan Williams | People |
| HM 2 | Pay it Backward | Charles McCauley | People |
| HM 3 | The Backyard Boatman | John Rowe | People |
| HM 4 | Wildflowers | Sandy King | People |
| HM 5 | After Your Chemo Treatments | Katrina Monroe | People |
| Theme: Childhood | |||
| 1st | Upon First Realizing I Was Poor | Dan Williams | Childhood |
| 2nd | Fireflies | Louise Moises | Childhood |
| 3rd | Miracle at Silver Spur Christian Camp | Lynn Hansen | Childhood |
| HM 1 | Gus | Ellen Romano | Childhood |
| HM 2 | Keepsake Memories | Jane Russell | Childhood |
| HM 3 | A Jar of Clouds | Nancy Tolin | Childhood |
| HM 4 | Cutting the Apron Strings | Becky Bishop White | Childhood |
| HM 5 | Holy Communion | Connie Post | Childhood |
| Theme: Poet’s Choice | |||
| 1st | Mid-Hudson Bridge | Dorothy Gilbert | Poet’s Choice |
| 2nd | This is What We Do | Louise Kantro | Poet’s Choice |
| 3rd | Last Night | Sandy King | Poet’s Choice |
| HM 1 | Resonant | Ellen Romano | Poet’s Choice |
| HM 2 | John Ashbery's Memory Palace | Mary Eichbauer | Poet’s Choice |
| HM 3 | Caught in the Web | Ellaraine Lockie | Poet’s Choice |
| HM 4 | Holding On | Tom Myers | Poet’s Choice |
| HM 5 | Above the Burial Cave | Sherry Sheehan | Poet’s Choice |
2023 Poets’ Dinner
| Place | Poem title | Author | Theme |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🏆 Grand prize | To the Handsome Young Firemen Chopping It Up on the Sidewalk Outside the Cafe | Kathleen McClung | |
| Theme: Beginnings & Endings | |||
| 1st | Labor | Sandra Anfang | Beginnings & Endings |
| 2nd | Easter Sunday/Passover | Karen Marker | Beginnings & Endings |
| 3rd | First Notes of Debussy's Prelude to "Afternoon of a Faun" | Robert Eastwood | Beginnings & Endings |
| HM 1 | Thelma and Louise" Alternate Ending | Kathleen McClung | Beginnings & Endings |
| HM 2 | Noncompliance | Eileen Malone | Beginnings & Endings |
| HM 3 | Evening Descends | Connie Post | Beginnings & Endings |
| Theme: Humorous | |||
| 1st | To the Handsome Young Firemen Chopping It Up on the Sidewalk Outside the Cafe | Kathleen McClung | Humorous |
| 2nd | The Lounger | Anita Erola | Humorous |
| 3rd | Fine-toothed Comb | Robert Eastwood | Humorous |
| HM 1 | 55 on 101 | Jackie Pels | Humorous |
| HM 2 | Blank Pages | Jim Cardwell | Humorous |
| HM 3 | Puns & Needles | Evie Groch | Humorous |
| Theme: Nature | |||
| 1st | Core Samples | Sandra Anfang | Nature |
| 2nd | Icelandic Winter | Dorothy Gilbert | Nature |
| 3rd | Close Encounters | Kathleen Herrmann | Nature |
| HM 1 | Return to California Hills | Claire J. Baker | Nature |
| HM 2 | Red Fox | Karen Marker | Nature |
| HM 3 | The One-Step Road to Recovery | Ellaraine Lockie | Nature |
| Theme: People | |||
| 1st | The Queen of Sweden | Jackie Pels | People |
| 2nd | Winter Train Ride | Aline Soules | People |
| 3rd | Last Call | Charlie McCauley | People |
| HM 1 | Last Farmer's Market | Suzanne Bruce | People |
| HM 2 | Settling for a Title | Evie Groch | People |
| HM 3 | Ex Communication | Connie Post | People |
| Theme: Spaces & Places | |||
| 1st | Coming to Iceland | Dorothy Gilbert | Spaces & Places |
| 2nd | Apogee of Turning Twenty | Alyza Lee Salomon | Spaces & Places |
| 3rd | Ode to the Blue City | Karen Marker | Spaces & Places |
| HM 1 | What the Cave Taught Me | Eileen Malone | Spaces & Places |
| HM 2 | Anamnesis | Sandra Anfang | Spaces & Places |
| HM 3 | Geared Up for Good Flying | Deborah Grossman | Spaces & Places |
| Theme: Love | |||
| 1st | To the Eucalyptus Tree | Johanna Ely | Love |
| 2nd | Yes | Deborah Bachels Schmidt | Love |
| 3rd | Keep Out | Sandra Simmer | Love |
| HM 1 | Together at Sunrise | Kathleen Herrmann | Love |
| HM 2 | Catch | Nancy Tolin | Love |
| HM 3 | How Am I to Know | Gail Wasserman | Love |
| Theme: Water | |||
| 1st | Wind & Water | Ellen Romano | Water |
| 2nd | At Rodeo Beach | Deborah Bachels Schmidt | Water |
| 3rd | Wetlands & Dry Seas | Deborah Grossman | Water |
| HM 1 | Adrift | Charlie McCauley | Water |
| HM 2 | The Unseen | Suzanne Bruce | Water |
| HM 3 | The Oarsman | Louise Moises | Water |
| Theme: Poet's Choice | |||
| 1st | The Piper's Farewell | Deborah Bachels Schmidt | Poet's Choice |
| 2nd | Viewing Picasso's Guernica | Claire J. Baker | Poet's Choice |
| 3rd | Before I Became a Widow | Ellaraine Lockie | Poet's Choice |
| HM 1 | In the Kitchen | Alyza Lee Salomon | Poet's Choice |
| HM 2 | Wind River Villanelle | Kathleen McClung | Poet's Choice |
| HM 3 | Hand to Hand Combat | Connie Post | Poet's Choice |
2022 Annual Poetry Contest
| Place | Poem title | Author | Theme |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🏆 Grand prize | Watching “Titanic” on Retreat at Tomales Bay | Kathleen McClung | |
| Theme: California | |||
| 1st | Way they saved/Trail of Tears | Sandra Anfang | California |
| 2nd | Next Stop West Oakland | Jan Dederick | California |
| 3rd | Climbing Half Done | Claire J. Baker | California |
| HM 1 | California Dreamin', August 1955 | Lynn M. Hansen | California |
| HM 2 | Our Creek | Eileen Malone | California |
| HM 3 | California in Early May | Johanna Ely | California |
| HM 4 | Happy Isles, Yosemite National Park | Arlene Downing-Yaconelli | California |
| HM 5 | Yellow-Billed Magpies, Central Valley Gold | Cleo Griffith | California |
| Theme: Nature | |||
| 1st | Aubade With Skunk | Kathleen McClung | Nature |
| 2nd | Above/Below | John Rowe | Nature |
| 3rd | Wild | Deborah Schmidt | Nature |
| HM 1 | Unquenchable | Deborah Silverman | Nature |
| HM 2 | Catching a Monarch | Mary Eichbauer | Nature |
| HM 3 | Copperhead | Robert Eastwood | Nature |
| HM 4 | My Gardening Gloves | Ron Kemper (non member) | Nature |
| HM 5 | Heat Wave | Valeri Sopher | Nature |
| Theme: Love | |||
| 1st | Field Guides | Johanna Ely | Love |
| 2nd | Voice in Past Perfect Tense | Ellaraine Lockie | Love |
| 3rd | Frida | Sam Hersh | Love |
| HM 1 | Cleaning Out the Dishwasher | Ed Bearden | Love |
| HM 2 | After My Husband Returns Home With a Clean Bill of Health | Robin Michel | Love |
| HM 3 | Under Wraps | Jan Hersh | Love |
| HM 4 | More Than Usual | Gail Onion | Love |
| HM 5 | Mojave | Louise Moises | Love |
| Theme: Poet's Choice | |||
| 1st | Extras for Jim | Mary Eichbauer | Poet's Choice |
| 2nd | And the Moon Rose | Louise Kantro | Poet's Choice |
| 3rd | Slicing the Papaya | Sandra Anfang | Poet's Choice |
| HM 1 | Walking Alone | Connie Post | Poet's Choice |
| HM 2 | Before I Became a Willow | Ellaraine Lockie | Poet's Choice |
| HM 3 | Secret of Life | Gregory DeHart | Poet's Choice |
| HM 4 | Not Fair | Becky Bishop White | Poet's Choice |
| HM 5 | Let Go the Words | Tanya Joyce | Poet's Choice |
| Theme: People | |||
| 1st | The Theif of Pompeii (Pompeii, Italy, 79 CE) | Mary Lindberg | People |
| 2nd | Hidden Voices | Robert Eastwood | People |
| 3rd | A Well-Kept Garden | Arlene Downing-Yaconelli | People |
| HM 1 | Photo Finish | Sandra Anfang | People |
| HM 2 | Life Above the Shop | Deborah Grossman | People |
| HM 3 | They called him, 'The Loneliest Man in the World' | Georgette Howington | People |
| HM 4 | My Brother used to Sleepwalk | Connie Post | People |
| HM 5 | Surrender at Bear Paw, Montana- October 5, 1877 | Lynn M. Hansen | People |
| Theme: Journeys | |||
| 1st | Vus Ride to Blue Creek Preserve, Belize, A Villanelle | Lynn M. Hansen | Journeys |
| 2nd | Watching "Titanic" on Retreat at Tomales Bay | Kathleen McClung | Journeys |
| 3rd | Moccasins Behind Glass | Deborah Schmidt | Journeys |
| HM 1 | The Yellow Leaf | Ed Bearden | Journeys |
| HM 2 | Early Morning Journey | Nancy Haskett | Journeys |
| HM 3 | In Tana Toraja Tongkonen Village, Island of Sulawesi, Indonesia | Deborah Silverman | Journeys |
| HM 4 | Going to Greece for Barbara Lyon | Robin Michel | Journeys |
| HM 5 | The River Styx | Tanya Joyce | Journeys |
| Theme: Humor | |||
| 1st | Politics | Robert Eastwood | Humor |
| 2nd | A Bird in Paradise | Jan Hersh | Humor |
| 3rd | Catellan's Banana, Comedian | David Anderson | Humor |
| HM 1 | Stylometry | Evie Groch | Humor |
| HM 2 | Sugar-rage | Nancy Tolin | Humor |
| HM 3 | I've been Vacuuming Rocks in the Backyard for Over Three Hours | Nancy Haskett | Humor |
| HM 4 | Personal Alarm | Cleo Griffith | Humor |
| HM 5 | Typology | Neal Whitman | Humor |
| Theme: Poisoned Pleasures | |||
| 1st | To the Dial Painter Waterbury Clock Company, Connecticut, 1923 | Deborah Schmidt | Poisoned Pleasures |
| 2nd | This Dry Raisin My Heart | Mary Eichbauer | Poisoned Pleasures |
| 3rd | Some Kind of Monster | Daniel Williams | Poisoned Pleasures |
| HM 1 | Morning Song | Robert Eastwood | Poisoned Pleasures |
| HM 2 | Smoky Hollow | Gregory DeHart | Poisoned Pleasures |
| HM 3 | Semper Fi | Kay Renz | Poisoned Pleasures |
| HM 4 | The Son-In-Law | Robin Michel | Poisoned Pleasures |
| HM 5 | Italian Food | Connie Post | Poisoned Pleasures |
2022 Poets’ Dinner
| Place | Poem title | Author | Theme |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🏆 Grand prize | First Yoga Teacher | Gwyan O’Gara Sebastopol | |
| Theme: Beginnings & Endings | |||
| 1st | False Spring | Dorty Nowak | Beginnings & Endings |
| 2nd | Birth-Year Words | Robert Eastwood | Beginnings & Endings |
| 3rd | Bluebells | Claire J. Baker | Beginnings & Endings |
| HM 1 | Hitchhiker | Louise Moises | Beginnings & Endings |
| HM 2 | We Read their Names | Kimberly Satterfield | Beginnings & Endings |
| HM 3 | Where Are We | Gail Wasserman | Beginnings & Endings |
| Theme: Humor | |||
| 1st | Wabi Sabi | Cathy Crystal | Humor |
| 2nd | Cooking Up A Stew | Dorty Nowak | Humor |
| 3rd | Watching the Yankees with Uncle Richard | Mary Eichbauer | Humor |
| HM 1 | The MRI Sonnet | Dorothy Gilbert | Humor |
| HM 2 | Le mot juste | Deborah Bachels Schmidt | Humor |
| HM 3 | A Bird in Paradise | Jan Hersh | Humor |
| Theme: Love | |||
| 1st | Whale-of-a-Heart | Johanna Ely | Love |
| 2nd | Token of Love | Sandra Simmer | Love |
| 3rd | Love in the Time of Covid, a villanelle | Sandra Anfang | Love |
| HM 1 | Cocoon | Aline Soules | Love |
| HM 2 | Scent of Loss | Judith Chibante | Love |
| HM 3 | A Grandmother's Blessing | Gail Entrekin | Love |
| Theme: Nature | |||
| 1st | The Calligraphy of Winter | Johanna Ely | Nature |
| 2nd | That Summer off Quartz Creek Road | Marty Williams | Nature |
| 3rd | Atmospheric River | Valerie Sopher | Nature |
| HM 1 | The New Moon in the Old Moon's Arms | Claire J. Baker | Nature |
| HM 2 | The Valley | Aline Soules | Nature |
| HM 3 | Silk Moth | Deborah Bachels Schmidt | Nature |
| Theme: People | |||
| 1st | An Ode to H2O | Ellaraine Lockie | People |
| 2nd | Estrangement | Connie Post | People |
| 3rd | She Remembers | Suzanne Bruce | People |
| HM 1 | Three Chords and the Truth | Charlie McCauley | People |
| HM 2 | Changing Course | Kathleen McClung | People |
| HM 3 | Waiting | Aline Soules | People |
| Theme: Poet's Choice | |||
| 1st | Rue St. Honore in the Afternoon... | Mary Eichbauer | Poet's Choice |
| 2nd | Probationes Penna (Pen Trials) | Deborah Bachels Schmidt | Poet's Choice |
| 3rd | Geronimo Haikus | Jim Cardwell | Poet's Choice |
| HM 1 | Wizard of Oz Abecedarian | Kathleen McClung | Poet's Choice |
| HM 2 | Ultimatum | Claire J. Baker | Poet's Choice |
| HM 3 | Uppity Woman | Becky Bishop White | Poet's Choice |
| Theme: Spaces & Places | |||
| 1st | New York, March 2020 | Dorty Nowak | Spaces & Places |
| 2nd | Shugacity | Kathleen Herrmann | Spaces & Places |
| 3rd | Thumbing Around | Charlie McCauley | Spaces & Places |
| HM 1 | To the Jazz Combo Setting Up... | Kathleen McClung | Spaces & Places |
| HM 2 | Smoky Hollow | Greg DeHart | Spaces & Places |
| HM 3 | I Am Wandering | Sam Hersh | Spaces & Places |
| Theme: Discovery | |||
| 1st | For Susan Charan | Sue Wollard | Discovery |
| 2nd | Digging | Laura Schulkind | Discovery |
| 3rd | The Apsara | Cathy Crystal | Discovery |
| HM 1 | Solstice Shivers | Evie Groch | Discovery |
| HM 2 | California January | Louise Moises | Discovery |
| HM 3 | What the Bee Discovers | Johanna Ely | Discovery |
2018 Annual Poetry Contest
| Place | Poem title | Author | Theme |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🏆 Grand prize | Ode to Broken Things | Judy Bebelaar | |
| Theme: California | |||
| 1st | Angel's Flight | Robert Eastwood | California |
| 2nd | Eroica-July 21, 1996 at Stern Grove | Alyza Lee Salomon | California |
| 3rd | A knock on the Door in the Middle of the Night | Ann Molin | California |
| HM 1 | Getting to Yes, San Francisco, 2018 | Kathleen McClung | California |
| HM 2 | Homeless | Denise Lapachet Barney | California |
| HM 3 | Pidgeon Point En Plein Air | Sam Hersh | California |
| HM 4 | The Farallones | Eileen Malone | California |
| HM 5 | The Path in the Delta Near Locke | Tanya Joyce | California |
| Theme: Journeys | |||
| 1st | Dusk on the Road to Tai'an | Alyza Lee Salomon | Journeys |
| 2nd | Prelude in C Major | Deborah Schmidt | Journeys |
| 3rd | Under the Moon | Louise Kantro | Journeys |
| HM 1 | Journey Homeward | Anita Erola | Journeys |
| HM 2 | Returning to the Ruins: a contrapuntal poem | David Anderson | Journeys |
| HM 3 | Bucket List | Katharine Wilson | Journeys |
| HM 4 | Migrations of the Monarch | William Landis | Journeys |
| HM 5 | Shacking up at Sixty-Six | Sandra Anfang | Journeys |
| Theme: Love | |||
| 1st | Seven am | Diane Moomey | Love |
| 2nd | Haibun for Joanna | Georgette Howington | Love |
| 3rd | Lowpensky Lumber | Judy Bebelaar | Love |
| HM 1 | So, she said | LaDonna Fehlberg | Love |
| HM 2 | Long Distance | Cynthia Patton | Love |
| HM 3 | old saloon doors | C.D. Giovacchini | Love |
| HM 4 | The strings and the Bow | David Anderson | Love |
| HM 5 | Straight Girls | Jabez W. Churchill | Love |
| Theme: Humor | |||
| 1st | Robert Bunsen | Bill Latimer | Humor |
| 2nd | Seven Deadly Gifts from an Unknow Suitor | Cleo Griffith | Humor |
| 3rd | Not Trees | Selma Calnan | Humor |
| HM 1 | Learning to Box at Seventy | Judith Chibante Neal | Humor |
| HM 2 | Head (Not Ted) Turner | Jan K. Dederick | Humor |
| HM 3 | English: The Magpie Language | Evie Groch | Humor |
| HM 4 | Elder Couple at Bedtime | Claire Baker | Humor |
| HM 5 | Word Play | Jan Hersh | Humor |
| Theme: Nature | |||
| 1st | The Dark Voicelessness in which the words are the deed | Susan Harvey | Nature |
| 2nd | Cellar | C O McCauley | Nature |
| 3rd | Fallen Leaf Lake | Judy Bebelaar | Nature |
| HM 1 | Gift | Robert Eastwood | Nature |
| HM 2 | Avian Angles | Sherry Sheehan | Nature |
| HM 3 | Night of Thick Clouds | Aline Soules | Nature |
| HM 4 | Blood Moon | Lynn M. Hansen | Nature |
| HM 5 | Abrupt Change | Norma M. Kohut | Nature |
| Theme: People | |||
| 1st | Exposure | Sandra Anfang | People |
| 2nd | Internment | Eileen Malone | People |
| 3rd | The Martial Artist as Cancer Patient | Dan O'Connell | People |
| HM 1 | Sawmill Willy | C O McCauley | People |
| HM 2 | Tribute to Neva | Nancy Haskett | People |
| HM 3 | Nevertheless, she persisted | Barbara Saunders | People |
| HM 4 | SHE WAS QUOTABLE | Sherry Sheehan | People |
| HM 5 | Love is Love, Even if it Doesn't Take | Louise Kantro | People |
| Theme: Fake | |||
| 1st | Villanelle on the T Word | Marie Rosales | Fake |
| 2nd | My Mother's Violets | Torre Houlgate-West | Fake |
| 3rd | Metaphor | Robert Eastwood | Fake |
| HM 1 | The Holocaust | Claire Baker | Fake |
| HM 2 | Pay it backward | C O McCauley | Fake |
| HM 3 | 25 Lines or Less – in Your Spam Filter | Tanya Joyce | Fake |
| HM 4 | Fake News | Sandra Anfang | Fake |
| HM 5 | Dance of Deception | Evie Groch | Fake |
| Theme: Poet’s Choice | |||
| 1st | Ode to Broken Things | Judy Bebelaar | Poet’s Choice |
| 2nd | Color in the '40s | C O McCauley | Poet’s Choice |
| 3rd | Plums | Johanna Ely | Poet’s Choice |
| HM 1 | Not the One You Married | Katy Brown | Poet’s Choice |
| HM 2 | Flashbacks in a Bottle | Ellaraine Lockie | Poet’s Choice |
| HM 3 | On the Death of My Right Ear | Judith Chibante Neal | Poet’s Choice |
| HM 4 | History's Muse | Alyza Lee Salomon | Poet’s Choice |
| HM 5 | Little Black Dress | Sandra Anfang | Poet’s Choice |