THE 2023 ALLEN GINSBERG POETRY AWARDS

The Poetry Center at PCCC is pleased to announce the 2023 ALLEN GINSBERG POETRY AWARDS WINNERS/

FIRST PRIZE
Linda Nemec Foster, Grand Rapids, MI “When We Talk About the Movie, Casablanca, My Father Remembers Every Line …”
Caroline Russell, Jersey City, NJ “An Ode to Mildred”

SECOND PRIZE
Lorraine Conlin, Wantagh, NY “First Date”
Christine Rhein, Brighton, MI “Cooking with My Sister”

THIRD PRIZE
Marcia LeBeau, South Orange, NJ “Toward the River”
Lynne Viti, Westwood, MA “Westwood Lodge, the Summer Hotel”

For a complete list of the winners, honorable mentions, and editor’s choice poems and poets, see our press release on the Contests and Awards page, where you will also find the guidelines for entering next year’s contest.

2022 Allen Ginsberg Poetry Awards

FIRST PRIZE
January Gill O’Neil, Beverly, MA “At the Rededication of the Emmett Till Memorial, Glendora, MS, October 19, 2019”
Bill Wunder, Langhorne, PA “Looking Through Old Family Photographs”

SECOND PRIZE
Jason Craig Poole, South Orange, NJ “First Dance”
Sherida Yoder , North Haledon, NJ “Sometimes”

THIRD PRIZE
Colleen Michaels, Beverly, MA “One Day We Were Full and Flush”
Wanda S. Praisner, Bedminster, NJ “Departures”

For a full list of Honorable Mention and Editor’s Choice poems,
see our awards page.

The Award Winners’ Reading is scheduled for February 4, 2023


THE 2018 ALLEN GINSBERG POETRY AWARDS

THE 2018 ALLEN GINSBERG POETRY AWARDS

FIRST PRIZE
Jim Reese, Yankton, SD “Dancing Room Only”
SECOND PRIZE
Maria Fama, Philadelphia, PA “Cu Tantu Si Cala ‘U Culu Si Para”
THIRD PRIZE
Lorraine Conlin, Wantagh, NY “New Suit”

HONORABLE MENTION
Howard Berelson, Teaneck, NJ “My Father was a piece of paper”
R. Bremner, Glen Ridge, NJ “She wore a raspberry beret”
Shane Carreon, Binghamton, NY “Knock on wood”
David Crews, Warren, NJ “Sitting on the Floor at Poets House”
Anthony DeGregorio, Kent Lakes, NY “Poem”
Gil Fagiani, Long Island City, NY “Veal Cutlets”
Christopher Fahy, Thomaston, ME “The Limits of Song”
Mary Fitzpatrick, Pasadena, CA “Marie Josephine Dallaire, Ottawa, 1874”
Christie Grimes, Sackets Harbor, NY “Six months later”
James D. Gwyn, Clifton, NJ “Elvis Hair”
Josh Humphrey, Kearny, NJ “The Sweet Carpenter”
Frances Lombardi-Grahl, Clifton, NJ “Inheritance”
Nancy Lubarsky, Cranford, NJ “Vacation Bible School”
Francesca Maxime, Brooklyn, NY “The Man on the Train”
Greg Moglia, Huntington, NY “When I Was Young and Mother Wasn't Old”
Marilyn Mohr, West Orange, NJ “Convoy Number 34”
Gloria G. Murray, Deer Park, NY “My Sister Changed Her Name”
Rachelle M. Parker, Montclair, NJ “Momma's Eyes Are Half Full With Sadness
and I Will Have to Tell Her One Day When I Can Speak, How I Waited”
Jennifer Poteet, Montclair, NJ “Yuletide, 1976”
Natasha Rabin, Nyack, NY “Back to the Future”
Bernadette Roe, Endicott, NY “Family Secrets”
Edwin Romond, Wind Gap, PA “Night Sounds”
Arthur Russell, Nutley, NJ “The Heavier Stone”
Donna Baier Stein, Bernardsville, NJ “My Father in Pictures”
Maxine Susman, Princeton, NJ “What's Left”
Eileen Van Hook, Wanaque, NJ “Old Ladies”
Sherida Yoder, North Haledon, NJ “Physical Education”
Neal Zirn, Denver, CO “Your Eyes”

EDITOR’S CHOICE
Charles W. Brice, Pittsburgh, PA “Deal Me In”
Judith A. Brice, Pittsburgh, PA “The Circle Closes”
Okey Chenoweth, Oakland, NJ “The Rain Has Never Been to School”
Linda Nemec Foster, Grand Rapids, MI “Memories of an Immigrant Childhood”
Deborah Gerrish, Murray Hill, NJ “A Secret Correspondence”
Annie Lanzillotto, Yonkers, NY “Three Italians on The Block”
Antoinette Libro, Sea Isle City, NJ “Imagining America”
Maria Lisella, Long Island City, NY “Couple on the curb”
Frank Niccoletti, West Orange, NJ “My Watch In a Sow's Ear”
Christine Redman-Waldeyer, Manasquan, NJ “Napkins and Chinatown”
Kenneth Silvestri, Nyack, NY “When my now adult children were young”
Al Tacconelli, Wynnewood, PA “Objects of Memories”
Bob Ward, Brooklyn, NY “I Will Be Grateful”

Winners of the 2017 Allen Ginsberg Poetry Awards

2017 Allen Ginsberg Poetry Awards

Winners:

First Prize: Howard Berelson, Teaneck, NJ, “Last Night”

Robert A. Rosenbloom, Bound Brook, NJ, “Dear Amy”

 

Second Prize:  Eileen Van Hook, Wanaque, NJ “Thanksgiving Memory”

Third Prize: Phillipa Scott, West Orange, NJ, “Hoboken, 1990”

Honorable Mention:

  • Eric Berlin, Baldwinsville, NY, “The Binding”

  • Roberta Bisgyer, Stamford, CT, “pretty is as pretty does”

  • Gina Bortolussi, Haworth, NJ, “Barnes Avenue”

  • R. Bremner, Glen Ridge, NJ, “Uncle Harold and Uncle Raymond”

  • Gil Fagiani, L.I.C., NY, “Passing”

  • Christopher Fahy, Thomaston, ME, “Departure”

  • Carlos Andrés Gómez, Forest Hills, NY, ”The Afternoon You Moved Out”

  • Eric Greinke, Rockford, Michigan, “Paternity”

  • James D. Gwyn, Clifton, NJ, ”My Father Plays the Trombone”

  • M.J. Harris, Upper Montclair, NJ, “Humanity”

  • Josh Humphrey, Kearny, NJ, “River Jumpers”

  • Leah Johnston, Montclair, NJ, “The Old Photo”

  • Adele Kenny, Fanwood, NJ, “The Way”

  • Barbara Krasner, Somerset, NJ, “Because I’m Jewish”

  • Leonard Kress, Bloomingdale, NJ, “I Was There Before I Wasn’t”

  • Stuart Leonard, Garwood, NJ, ”Liberty Halves”

  • Antoinette Libro, Sea Isle City, NJ, “Diner Daydreams”

  • Elizabeth Marchitti, Totowa, NJ, “My Sister Doesn’t Write Poems”

  • Pat Mottola, Cheshire, CT, "I Go Back”

  • John Smith, Frenchtown, NJ,  “Would Be Sam”

  • Carole Stone, Verona, NJ, “Being Old”

  • Muriel Harris Weinstein, Great Neck, NY, “Momma’s Last Stand”

  • Sherida Yoder, North Haledon, NJ,  “As Usual”

Editor’s Choice:

  • Donna L. Emerson, Petaluma, CA, “Shining Brown Hair”

  • Maria Fama, Philadelphia, PA, “Cu Gesù Mi Curcu”

  • Nancy Lubarsky, Cranford, NJ, ”Origin Story”

  • Kenneth Silvestri, Nyack, NY,  “The fate of my maternal side”

  • Al Tacconelli, Wynnewood, PA, “Surprise Pizzelle”

  • Kelly Terwilliger, Eugene, OR, “Some Winter”

  • Neal Zirn, Denver, CO,  “Don’t Tell Anyone I’m in Mensa”

Winners of the 2016 Allen Ginsberg Poetry Awards

The Poetry Center at PCCC is proud to announce the
2016 ALLEN GINSBERG POETRY AWARD WINNERS

FIRST PRIZE
Ann Clark, Dexter, NY, “Pretend” and Annie Lanzillotto, Yonkers, NY, “Diminished Capacity, an Indictment”

SECOND PRIZE
Lynne McEniry, Morristown, NJ, “Splinter”

THIRD PRIZE
Maxine Susman, Princeton, NJ, “Thirteen”
                    
HONORABLE MENTION

         Stanley H. Barkan, Merrick, NY,  “Clotheslines” 
         R. Bremner, Glen Ridge, NJ,  “Slow Drip” 
         Linda A. Cronin, in memory of (1970-2016)    “One Day at a Time” 
         Lydia Distefano Thiel  “ Journey to Franklin Street”
         R.G. Evans, Elmer, NJ, “Eight Million Breaths A Year”
         James D. Gwyn, Clifton, NJ,  “My Mother Comments on My Poetry”
         Matt Hohner, Baltimore, MD, “Beaver Dam, 1987”
         Jean Hollander, Hopewell, NJ, “Riding Backwards”
         Barbara Krasner, Somerset, NJ, “Grandma Ruth” 
         Annette Krizanich, Vestal, NY , “Talking about Sex with My Mother”
         Michelle Lerner, Flanders, NJ, “Thing Is” 
         Antoinette Libro, Sea Isle City, NJ, “The Last Party” 
         Bruce Lowry, Summit, NJ, “Typewriters” 
         Nancy Lubarsky, Cranford, NJ, “The Record”
         Francesca Maxime, Brooklyn, NY,  “What I Want”            
         Greg Moglia, Huntington, NY,  “Kitchen” 
         Edwin Romond, Wind Gap, PA, “If a Former Student Were Being Recruited by ISIS”
         Robert A. Rosenbloom, Bound Brook, NJ,  “Dear Horizon Blue Cross/Blue Shield”
         Arthur Russell, Nutley, NJ, “The Whales Off Manhattan Beach Breaching in Winter” 
         Dave Seter, Petaluma, CA, “Jungleland’s Empty Sky” 
         John Sibley Williams, Milwaukie, OR,  “Once, When We Were Briefly Beautiful"
         Lydia Distefano Thiel, Mentor, OR, “Journey to Franklin Street”
        Arne Weingart, Chicago, IL , “The Old Poets in Line at the Urinals at the Writers' Conference”
        Sherida Yoder, North Haledon, NJ, "Teaching Romeo and Juliet” 
        Neal Zirn, Denver, CO,  “Notes from Assisted Living” 

The Award Winners’ Reading will be February 4, 2017 at the Hamilton Club Building, 32 Church Street, Paterson, NJ.

THE 2015 ALLEN GINSBERG POETRY AWARDS

THE 2015 ALLEN GINSBERG POETRY AWARDS

FIRST PRIZE

Carlton D. Fisher, Watertown, NY, “The Young Suicide’s World Atlas”

Lisa Coll Nicolaou, Fair Lawn, NJ, “My true religion is kindness”

SECOND PRIZE

Mary Makofske, Warwick, NY, “In My Mother’s Kitchen”

Carole Stone, Verona, NJ, “Knowledge”

THIRD PRIZE

Gail Fishman Gerwin, Morristown, NJ, “A State in Mind”

Donna Baier Stein, Bernardsville, NJ, “Cover-Ups”

 

HONORABLE MENTIONS

  • Howard Berelson, Teaneck, NJ, “Kaddish for You”
  • Ann Clark, Dexter, NY, “Permanent Record”
  • Mary Crosby, Ringwood, NJ, “Big Sky Country”
  • Mary Kennedy Eastham, San Jose, CA “A Hy,mn for Wish”
  • Donna L. Emerson, Petaluma, CA, “First Day of Kindergarten and Eleven Years Later”
  • Brian Faneilli, Carbondale, PA, “Immigrant Names”
  • Deborah Gerrish, Murray Hill, NJ, “The Anointed Cow”
  • James D. Gwyn, Clifton, NJ, “Madison Avenue Doesn’t Speak to Me”
  • Barbara Hoffman, West Babylon, NY, “Burnt Offerings”
  • Josh Humphrey, Kearny, NJ, “Rena Stoll on the Titanic”
  • Annette Krizanich, Vestal, NY, “Apology to my Mother”
  • Annie Lanzillotto, Yonkers, NY, “My Grandmother’s Handwriting “
  • Greg Moglia, Huntington, NY, “The Lover’s Gift”
  • Gloria G. Murray, Deer Park, NY, “Rejection alamode”
  • Howard Nelson, Moravia, NY ,“Morning Mass”
  • Edwin Romond, Wind Gap, PA, “Coda”
  • Penelope Scambly Schott, Portland, OR, “Dahlia”
  • Al Tacconelli, Wynnewood, PA, “Foraging Frittata”
  • Lynne Viti, Westwood, MA, “Pa tissie re”
  • Neal Zirn, Denver, CO “New to Single Parenting”

 

EDITOR’S CHOICE

  • Linda A. Cronin, Cedar Grove, NJ, “My Father Teaches Me About Desire”
  • Suzanne Rae Deshchidn, Swartswood, NJ, “Cradleboards”
  • Maria Fama, Philadelphia, PA, “Cuore Di Leone”
  • Martin Golan, Verona, NJ, “Glimpse of a Father, Hiding”
  • Charles H. Johnson, Hillsborough, NJ, “Cezanne in a Dumpster”
  • Antoinette Libro, Sea Isle City, NJ, “Adonis of the Discarded”
  • Maria Lisella, Long Island City, NY, “Gyroscope”
  • Elizabeth Marchitti, Totowa, NJ, “Mother’s Snuggies”
  • Frank L. Niccoletti, West Orange, NJ, “Grade 5: The Poem About The Blue Leaf”
  • Joan Page-Durante, Ringwood, NJ, “Ode to Yo-Yo Ma”
  • Maude Carolan Pych, Totowa Borough, NJ, “The Other Woman”
  • Jim Reese, Yankton, SD, “This isn’t Dress Rehearsal”
  • Myra Shapiro, New York, NY, “Chenille//Caterpillar//Chenille”
  • Donna Spector, Warwick, NY, “All That Remains”
  • Eileen VanHook, Wanaque, NJ, “Uncle Jim”
  • Peggy Vassalo, West Orange, NJ, “I Remember Louis at the Funeral Home…”
  • Edytta Anna Wojnar, Ringwood, NJ, “Doing Dishes with My Son”
  • Sherida Yodar, North Haledon, NJ ,“Mrs. Bennett”

 

Award Winners’ Reading — February 6, 2016, at the Hamilton Club Building, 32 Church Street, 2nd Floor, Paterson, NJ

Announcing The Allen Ginsberg Poetry Awards for 2014

The Allen Ginsberg Poetry Awards, honoring Allen Ginsberg’s contributions to American Literature, are given annually to poets, both established and emerging.

The winning poets for 2014 are:

First Prize—Linda A. Cronin, Cedar Grove, NJ, “Because It’s Mine,” and Linda Hillringhouse, Englewood, NJ, “The Bristol Plaza Hotel, Wildwood;”

Second Prize—Dante Di Stefano, Endwell, NY, “A Morning Prayer While Pumping Gas at the Gulf Gas Station,” and Abby E. Murray, Endicott, NY, “A Poem for Ugly People;”

Third Prize—Jason Allen, Binghamton, NY, “Pop,” and Kenneth Ronkowitz, Cedar Grove, NJ, “That Summer Between.”

 

Honorable Mention recipients, some also participating in the awards reading, include:

Jane Bridges, Ann Arbor, MI; Suzanne Rae Deshchidn, Newton, NJ; Daniel Donaghy, Willington, CT; George Drew, Poestenkill, NY; Gil Fagiani, Long Island City, NY; Brian Fanelli, Kingston, PA; Gail Fishman Gerwin, Morristown, NJ; Deborah Gerrish, Murray Hill, NJ; James D. Gwyn, Clifton, NJ; Pat Hardigree, Bordentown, NJ; Annette Krizanich, Vestal, NY; Antoinette Libro, Sea Isle City, NJ; Maria Lisella, Long Island City, NY; Nancy Lubarsky, Cranford, NJ; Mary Makofske, Warwick, NY; Greg Moglia, Huntington, NY; Colleen Michaels, Beverly,MA; Pat Mottola, Cheshire, CT; Frank Niccoletti, West Orange, NJ; Christopher Parker, Montclair, NJ; Vittoria Repetto, New York, NY; Robert A. Rosenbloom, Bound Brook, NJ; Susan Rothbard, Fairfield, NJ; Lori Ruzich, Verona, NJ; Donna Spector, Warwick, NY; and Al Tacconelli, Wynnewood, PA.

The winners of the 2014 Allen Ginsberg Poetry Awards each gave a reading at the awards ceremony on February 7, 2015, at the Poetry Center at Passaic County Community College.