The Institute for Contemplative Practice announces the 2013 winners of The Thomas Merton Prize for Poetry of the Sacred. This year's contest was judged by Phil Hall who's book Killdeer was shortlisted for the Griffin Poetry Prize in 2012. All poems were judged on literary excellence, spiritual tenor, and human authenticity.
The winning poems can be read by visiting The Institute for Contemplative Practice website. These poems will appear in the Summer 2013 issue of The Merton Seasonal, a publication of the International Thomas Merton Society.
First Prize was awarded to Ephemeral Lakes written by Jeanne Wagner of Kensington, California. Jeanne is the recipient of several national awards. Her poems appear in Alaska Quarterly Review, Cincinnati Review, The Southern Poetry Review and Ted Kooser's American Life in Poetry. She has published five collections of poetry including In the Body of Our Lives, released by Sixteen Rivers Press in 2011. She is also on the editorial staff of California Quarterly. In much of her writing she tries to convey an undercurrent of the spiritual.
Honorable Mention Prizes were awarded to three poets: Karen Kovacik, author of Tankas After Bell's Palsy, of Indianapolis, Indiana; Julia Marley, author of Animal This, of Minneapolis, Minnesota; and Nellie Hill, author of Ways of Being in the Garden, Looking out the Window, of Berkeley, California.
Karen Kovacik is currently Indiana's Poet Laureate. Her love of poetry began early: her second-grade teacher Mrs. Callaghan, had students memorize poems by Edward Lear and Eugene Field. She is the author of four collections of poetry, most recently Metropolis Burning.
Julia Marley is currently pursuing an MFA in Poetry at the University of Minnesota. She draws inspiration from Federico Garc�a Lorca, Marina Tsvetaeva, and C�sar Vallejo. She is interested in documentary poetry and spends most of her time studying the life and writings of the French philosopher Simone Weil.
Nellie Hill began writing stories at age seven. She is the author of two books, and three chapbooks, the latest of which is Winter Horse (Finishing Line Press, 2012). For Nellie, writing comes to me between the lines of life, usually formed by the rhythms of walking and the remnants of language.
Thomas Merton is one of the most authentic and enduring voices of the twentieth century for those striving to live a more contemplative life - one of living in true relationship with oneself, God, others and nature, free of the illusion of separateness. His books, essays, and poetry are rooted in his life-long search for meaning.
The Institute for Contemplative Practice is run by the Center for Interfaith Relations, who's motto is "Many Faiths, One Heart, Common Action." We believe that if we can come together in unity, religion will become a unifying force to strengthen society instead of a myriad of beliefs that divide it.
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