Awards

I received a phone call yesterday from The Atlantic to inform me that I have received an honorable mention in their Student Writing Contest. I was encouraged to enter, in part, by their listing of Pacific University’s MFA program, in which I am currently enrolled, as one of the top five programs in the nation of its type. Unfortunately, according to a subsequent email, “while the editors will indeed be reviewing several of the winning manuscripts for potential publication in the magazine, there is no guarantee that any submissions will be published.” Shucks. Still, nice to receive a mention, and honorable at that, from our nation’s most intelligent periodical.

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.