Here’s some good news I’m finally at liberty to share: one of my poems was selected as a finalist in the James Hearst Poetry Prize. It’s an honor, but more important is personally meaningful to me, to have a poem picked in a prize that honors Mr. Hearst’s memory. He was a teacher, mentor and friend to my father during his time as a college student in Iowa, and phrases like “how the hell do I know if there’s a rock in your field?” became synonymous in my upbringing with “be practical.” So, I guess this native California boy still has some roots stretching back into Iowa cornfields. It’s a privilege to play any part in such a fine continuity.
The poem will be available in the March/April issue of North American Review.
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3 Comments
Good for you Robert! And how wonderful that it’s a prize with that special connection to your personal history.
Thanks, Pearl. My father spoke of Mr. Hearst as a kind of second father to him. A literary father. There is such a thing as Mary Oliver’s great stream of poetic voices. And in moments like this I feel like a moving droplet.
p.s. and many congratulations to Luisa:
http://lizardmeanders.blogspot.com/
who took first place. I look forward to reading all the poems.