Chanel Brenner: “When my older son, Riley, died at age six from a brain AVM hemorrhage, writing poetry and the support of the Los Angeles Poets and Writers Collective helped me survive. I am lucky to live in L.A. among so many brilliant and openhearted poets. Last 4th of July at a parade, I saw a mom and her three-year-old son who reminded me of what it was like when Riley was three. This poem came out of wanting to reach out to her and other mothers about that turbulent age and the unwanted feelings that can surface.” (website)
Chanel Brenner: “This poem was inspired by the answers I used to get from other mothers when I asked how they were doing with the whole new mother thing. It is from a collection of poems I have written about my son, Riley, since he died at age six from an arteriovenous malformation (AVM). Writing about the loss has helped me survive. I hope my poems help others heal and realize they are not alone in their pain.”
Rattle is proud to announce the winner of the 2013 Rattle Poetry Prize:
“The Fire This Time”
by Roberto Ascalon Seattle, WA
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Finalists:
“A Poem for Women Who Don’t Want Children” Chanel Brenner Santa Monica, CA
“My Mother Told Us Not to Have Children” Rebecca Gayle Howell Lubbock, TX
“Baby Love” Courtney Kampa New York, NY
“What He Must Have Seen” Stephen Kampa Daytona Beach, FL
“Man on Mad Anthony” Bea Opengart Cincinatti, OH
“Laundry List” Michelle Ornat Elma, NY
“Man on the Floor” Jack Powers Fairfield, CT
“Basic Standards Test” Danez Smith St. Paul, MN
“Who Breathed in Binders” Patricia Smith Howell, NJ
“Of You” Wendy Videlock Grand Junction, CO
These eleven poems will be published in the Winter issue of Rattle this December. Each of the Finalists are also eligible for the $1,000 Readers’ Choice Award, to be selected by entrant and subscriber vote (the voting period is December 1, 2013 – February 15, 2014).
Another nine poems were selected for standard publication, and offered a space in the open section of a future issue. These poets will be notified individually about details, but they are: Jacqueline Berger, Daniel Bohnhorst, Jackleen Holton, Sharon Kessler-Farchi, Michael Meyerhofer, Kathleen Nolan, Charlotte Pence, Sam Sax, and Timothy Schirmer.
Thank you to everyone who participated in the competition, which would not have been a success without your diverse and inspiring poems. We received a record 2,105 entries and well over 8,000 poems, and it was an honor to read each of them.