We posted early in January when Claire Lynch launched her January Bluegrass Haiku contest, with entry information. The judges have now carefully reviewed the many entries, and winning poems have been selected. Claire announced the winners in her monthly email newsletter, one first prize and two honorable mentions.
Claire says that she was floored by both the quality and the quantity of the entries she received.
We were bowled over! You all made it tough on our judges by submitting so many creative entries – by turn melancholy, funny, tender, and witty (with lots of banjo joke themes, as you would expect…)
The overall winner came from Traci Todd of Nashville, TN. The judges were taken by the way she wove the titles of three bluegrass classics into the haiku form.
Summertime is past and gone;
The fields have turned brown.
The two honorable mentions both evoke a wintertime feel. The first comes from Alan O’Bryant, of Nashville Bluegrass Band fame.
By the fire in winter’s cold
Calf skin head drawn tight
The next is from Cindy Jackson.
dreams of summer jamming, but
winter snow is deep.
Congratulations to the winners, and hats off to Claire for designing a promotion with such literary flair. Who says bluegrassers are unlettered and illiterate?
