We are thrilled to announce the winners and honorable mentions for the Resilience: Today & Tomorrow - 2021 Writing Challenge for incarcerated writers. You can learn more about the guidelines here. We plan to publish each of these pieces in the coming weeks and months right here on 1508, the Poetry Center's blog. We are excited to give each of these pieces the space and attention they deserve and thank you for your patience as we've announced the winners. 

WINNERS

Fiction - Judged by Curtis Dawkins, author of The Graybar Hotel
1st: "Snapping Turtle Jack" by Jack Copeman
2nd: "FB Post" by Wayne Snitzky
3rd: "My Only Hope" by David Porter

Nonfiction - Judged by Piper Kerman, author of Orange Is the New Black
1st: "The Necessity of Community" by Michael J. Wiese
2nd: "What Sisters Do" by Geneva Phillips
3rd: "Another Great Day" by Santonio D. Murff

Poetry - Judged by Randall Horton, author of Dead Weight
1st: "How Freedom Feels" by Steven Henderson
2nd: "The Remedy for My Freedom" by Saul Gonzalez
3rd: "Two Cicadas" by Zhi Kai Vanderford

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Fiction
"Mr. H" by Randall Bagley
"Cat's in the Cradle" by Steven Parker
"The Egg" by Dwayne Hill

Nonfiction
"Looking West" by Elizabeth Hawes
"Millennial Dad" by Steven Parker
"You Can Laugh at Almost Anything" by Sonia Weidenfelder

Poetry
"The Prison Tree" by Brandy Goettel
"I've Been" by Patrick Pantusco
"I Write" by Yu Masaki