2024 Poetic Excellence
In clockwise order: Zachariah Andrew King – 2024 Perry County Poet Laureate. Perry County Commissioner Frank Campbell presenting award to Zach King. The Writer’s Nook at Little Buffalo Festival. 2024 1st Place Poetic Excellence Winner, Deborah Reed Filanowski with PCCA Community Engagement Coordinator Ariana Koch. 2023 Poet Laureate and 2024 2nd and 3rd Place Winner, Lynne Reeder.
2024 Perry County Poet Laureate
Zachariah Andrew King
Zachariah Andrew King of Landisburg, Perry County, has been named our 2024 Perry County Poet Laureate for his poem The Perry County Waltz.
Siggy David Award, Theme: ``Divine``
Alane Balchunas, Perspective
First Place
Deborah Reed Filanowski, Deer in the Headlights
Second Place
Lynne Reeder, american classic
Third Place
Lynne Reeder, the vapor and the dusk
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Open in new tab Honorable Mentions
Tina Berrier, The Sutras
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Lizzie Boyer, She Sings the Sea
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Ellie Cameron, Snakebite
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Meet our Judge - Christine O'Leary Rockey
Christine O’Leary Rockey is a celebrated author, teacher, artist, and poet. Her work weaves the mystical and the oppressed into a fluid awareness, drawing readers into shadows while chasing the light. As a poet, she creates with shape, color, and time, using words as her medium to give form to ideas and experiences. Her artistry extends beyond poetry, incorporating those ideas and experiences into a physical aesthetic. Christine’s exploration of the soul of the world through her art, poetry, and writing invites us to contemplate wisdom and seek great truths in the world we inhabit.
2024 Contest Prizes
Our prizes include First, Second, Third, Honorable Mention, and the Siggy David Award for poems written in any form with the theme of “Divine,” chosen by last year’s SDA Award winner Ellie Cameron. Perry County residents will be eligible for the title of Perry County Poet Laureate.
2023 Poetic Excellence
Award-Winners
Perry County Poet Laureate
Lynne Reeder, was named 2023’s Perry County Poet Laureate for her poem “retrograde.”
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Siggy David Award, Theme: ``Rebirth``
Ellie Cameron, “Slingshot Me Into the Stars”
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First Place
Lynne Reeder, “mythkeeper”
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Second Place
Brooke Mitchell, “Visiting Home”
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Third Place
Louie Land, “Renga for the Palouse”
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Honorable Mention
Ellie Cameron, “notes from behind the TV screen”
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Meet our Judge - Jessica Ram
Jessica Nirvana Ram is an Indo-Guyanese poet and essayist. She earned her MFA from the University of North Carolina Wilmington and her BA from Susquehanna University. Her work appears in Hayden’s Ferry Review, No Contact Mag, HAD, among others. Her full-length collection EARTHLY GODS is forthcoming with Variant Lit in 2024.
2023 Contest Prizes
Our prizes include First, Second, Third, Honorable Mention, and the Siggy David Award for poems written in any form with the theme of “Rebirth,” chosen by last year’s SDA Award winner Eydie Wight. Perry County residents will be eligible for the title of Perry County Poet Laureate.
PERRY COUNTY POETS LAUREATE
1999-Present
Elizabeth Yon-1999
Ed Rech-2000
Melody Davis-2001
Joy Campbell-2002
Ann Benvenuto-2003
Melody Davis-2004
Melanie Simms-2005
Cordelia Jensen-2006
Cordelia Jensen-2007
Beth Jacobs-2008
Sandra Philpott-2009
Samantha McAlicher-2010
Fritz Williams-2011
Sandra Philpott-2012
William Davies Jr.-2013
Kenneth J. Little-2014
William Davies Jr.-2015
Lynne Reeder-2016
William Davies Jr.-2017
Lynne Reeder-2018
Lynne Reeder-2019
Lynne Reeder-2020
Lynne Reeder-2021
Brooke Mitchell-2022
Lynne Reeder-2023
Zachariah Andrew King-2024
2021 Awards Ceremony and Coffeehouse ~ Wednesday, October 6, 6 to 8:30 p.m.
Buddy Boy Winery, 111 Barnett Drive, Duncannon
Join us as we honor the award-winning poets from this year’s annual poetry competition and for the presentation of the 2021 Perry County Poet Laureate. Stick around for Coffeehouse Open Mic following the awards ceremony! Grab a bite to eat and a glass of wine from Buddy Boy and enjoy poetry readings, live music and more! No outside food/drink please.
Interested in performing during open mic? Contact us at 717-567-7023 or pcca@perrycountyarts.org.