The results of the 2006 Poetry Superhighway Contest were announced on Sunday, October 22. The winning poems are currently posted at Poetry Superhighway.

From the bio notes on the winning poets:

Steve Norwood (two kinds) is involved in open mics, slams and chapbooks. He writes the Controlled Burning blog. This is his second appearance as a Poetry Superhighway contest winner. Steve took second place in the 2000 contest.

PB Rippey (North Hollywood, California) has had work appear in ZYZZYVA, Runes, Pool, Solo 7, Mary, Slope, California Quarterly, Phoebe, Spork Press, Crab Creek Review, Poetry NZ, Chattahoochee Review, Santa Barbara Independent and other journals. She was a Top 25 finalist in the Glimmer Train Poetry Open and a finalist in a few 2005 and 2006 Glimmer Train fiction contests. Her short story Backup placed third in the 2005 WestSide Story contest, she received an Honorable Mention from Redgreene Press for a poetry chapbook and she was a finalist in the 2006 Rona Jaffe Foundation Writers” Awards (so often a bridesmaid). Currently completing a full length collection of poetry and a novel, she lives in North Hollywood, runs a doctoral creative writing program at a Los Angeles university and escapes to Venice Beach for weekly poetry workshops conducted by the Hoir Poets. Her first poetry chapbook, Nightmares With Moons was published two seconds ago by Pudding House, the most wonderful independent chapbook publisher on the planet. Her poem “Bright Spot Through Wires” took second place in this year”s poetry contest. Read more P.B. Rippey here

Katherine L. Gordon (Rockwood, Ontario, Canada) is the author of “An Impact of Butterflies,” “Saving Camelot,” 2 full collections, and many chap-books. Her most recent is “A Conjunction of Hearts, A Renga” with Joan McGuire. This Renga is being studied in Israel, where a group of Israeli poets hope to produce one of their own. She has edited 7 anthologies and published articles and essays on the value and unifying force of poetry. Katherine”s work is published in India, Cuba, the U.K. and North America. She is an editor, author, publisher, judge and reviewer, working for many poetry organizations to promote poetry as a vital part of culture and an antidote to an impersonal world. She writes from a secluded river valley where she b ends in well with the birds and beasties. She won third place in this year”s contest with her poem “Smog Retribution”.

Each of the winning poets will be a featured poet of the week at Poetry Superhighway in the upcoming weeks. They”re good. Read them.

Winners and What They Won

First Place:
Steve Norwood
$405.00

Second Place
PB Rippey
$243.00

Third Place
Katherine L. Gordon
$162.00

We received 560 entries into the contest. The $550 (one dollar per poem entry fee), along with an additional $250 donation from Vasin, Heyn & Company, was divided amongst the top three scoring poets. First place won 50%, Second place took 30%, and Third Place won 20%.

Every single poet who entered the contest will receive at least one prize just for entering thanks to the generosity of the many sponsors who supported this years contest.

Thanks to everyone for entering!

read the winning poems