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 Pelham, NY - The town of Pelham Public Library announces the second annual James J. Nicholson Political Poetry Prize Contest.
The James J. Nicholson Political Poetry Prize enters its second year with a new judge and an expanded contest. There will be three competitions this year, two for students and one for adults.
The student prizes will be open to both the students of Pelham Memorial High School, with a cash award of $150.00, and the students of Pelham Middle School, with a cash award of $100.00. The adult prize will be open to residents of Westchester County who are 18 years of age or older, with a cash award of $500.00.
The poetry awards program was established in loving memory of James J. Nicholson, with gifts received by the Town Library donated by family and friends, and continued with a gift from Peggy Nicholson and her family.
Judging the adult category this year will be Pushcart Prize-winning poet Patricia Smith, a Westchester resident. A National Book Award finalist this year for her new collection, Blood Dazzler, Smith is a four-time national individual champion of Poetry Slam. She has published five volumes of poetry, including the award-winning Teahouse of the Almighty. Her honors also include the National Poetry Series and the first Hurston/Wright Legacy Award in Poetry. She is also the author of the children’s book Janna and the Kings and the history book Africans in America. “We are very excited that Patricia Smith has agreed to judge the adult category of our competition,” said Peggy Nicholson. A jury of poets and poetry readers will select the winning student poems.
James J. Nicholson, known fondly as Jim, contributed significantly to the creation of the Town Library. He co-chaired the Friends of the Library fundraising campaign that culminated in the dedication of the library in 1995, and served on the Library Board of Trustees for a decade.
The deadlines for entries for the awards will be Inauguration Day 2009 (Jan. 20). Winning poems will be published in The Pelham Weekly, and winners will be invited to a reading and reception at the Town of Pelham Public Library in the spring of 2009. For complete contest rules and information on how to submit a poem, visit http://www.pelhamlibrary.org/poetry.html.
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