DELRAY BEACH – Miles Coon, director of the Palm Beach Poetry Festival, and Blaise Allen, Ph.D., the Festival’s director of Community Outreach, have announced the winners of the annual High School Poetry Contest.
The first place prize (two passes to the Festival and $50) was awarded to Kristie Liebel of Boca Raton, a 16-year-old junior at Boca Raton
From left are Miles Coon, Mandy Bartmess, Brandon Dickerson, Debra Marcus, Kristie Liebel, Dr. Blaise Allen. Photo by Michiko Kurisu.
Community High School, for her untitled haiku. The contest judge, Dr. Jeff Morgan of Lynn University’s Department of English, praised the winning work for its “beautiful image and some fine consonance.”
The four runners-up, who will each receive one Festival pass and $25, include:
- Mandy Bartmess, 17, of West Palm Beach, a senior at Alexander W. Dreyfoos Jr. School of the Arts, for her poem, Fragments.
- Brandon Dickerson, 16, of Boca Raton, a junior at Spanish River High School, for his poem, Mannequin.
- Debra Marcus, 16, of Wellington, a junior at Wellington High School, for her poem, History.
- Jeffnick Philippe, a senior at Lake Worth Community High School, for his poem, My Home, After.
Dr. Morgan judged more than 200 entries. In addition to the Festival passes and cash prizes, the winning students will have their poems published on the Festival’s web site (www.palmbeachpoetryfestival.org).
Late last year, the Palm Beach Poetry Festival received a $50,000 underwriting grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. The grant was given through the Foundation’s Knight Art Challenge, a five-year, $40 million initiative to bring South Florida together through the arts. PBPF was the only nonprofit organization in Palm Beach County to receive a Knights Art Challenge grant this year.
Eight faculty poets, a special guest poet and two performance poets were featured at 11 ticketed public events, January 17-22, including readings, talks and a lively panel discussion. In addition, the workshop participants gave two afternoon readings, free to the public.
Presented in partnership with Old School Square, the Palm Beach Poetry Festival is sponsored by Morgan Stanley, Smith Barney, the Windler Group of Morgan Stanley, Smith Barney’s Atlanta Office, the Palm Beach County Cultural Council and the Board of Commissioners of Palm Beach County, The Palm Beach Post, WXEL TV & FM and Murder on the Beach, Delray Beach’s independent bookseller. Robert Pinsky’s appearance is presented in partnership with the Jazz Art Music Society of Palm Beach. All events were held in the Crest Theatre and Vintage Gymnasium of Old School Square in Delray Beach.