Thanks to Contest Sponsors - Andrea Dietrich's Blog

    When I first started out and was creating a lot more contests than I have time for today, I remember a few contests in which I gave prizes. A few times I gave one of my chapbooks to my winners. Now the number of my chapbooks has dwindled to almost nothing and I do not give prizes; however, I think it is so nice to see other contest sponsors giving out prizes and some that are very generous. This is just a shout out of gratitude for the judges who care so much that they give sweet prizes to their winners. One time I recieved a walking stick carved by the sponsor himself! Imagine that! He sent a walking stick by mail.  I can't even remember his name any more, but he is a wonderful poet who is long gone from the site. That prize was very special to me, for he carved it by hand.

  Recently I received a book of Emile Pinet's called Navigating the Backwaters of My Mind. It's a beautiful book very well organized and includes the forms of some of our very own Soup poets such as our Dear Heart, Connie Wong, Vermillion Scythe, Greg Barden and  myself included, so I want to thank Emile here for that and to let everyone know how nice he was to include poems he wrote using forms of his poetry friends. 

   Carolyn Devonshire is another most gracious contest host who has been gifting prizes of jewelry to her winners. I was fortunate enough to get some jewelry from Carolyn, and it was gorgeous! Thanks so much, Carolyn. You are also a dear friend.

   I am sure others of you in the past have given very nice prizes as well. Forgive me if I forgot to mention anyone in particular!  Even cash awards have been given. So thanks to these kind judges and thanks for ALL the sponsors of  contests that inspire us to write, regardless of material prizes or mere glory! To those sponsors who are trying to be fair and considerate judges, i say thanks so much for all you do. 

   Incidentally, I have finally read the clerihews entered in my challenge. Most of them were well written. I only disqualified one poem, in fact, for not writing an actual clerihew. I should have the placement of winners posted tomorrow!