[Alex Pepple]

First, many thanks to our Top Secret DG, for a most successful event. And thank you to all who submitted, and all the participants of the event. Without further ado, it's my pleasure to tally the popular vote count and bring you the popular winners, as presented to me by our TSDG--

TOP THREE WINNERS of the 2014 Sonnet Bake-off are:

1. "A Passenger" by Robert Crawford (86 points)
2. "The Iamb" by Elise Hempel (81 points)
3. "Postcard" by Quincy Lehr (46 points)

Congratulations to our WINNER Bob Crawford!

Congratulations also to our second- and third-place sonneteers, Elise Hempel and Quincy Lehr respectively.

Next, here are the remaining finalists in order of popular votes received:

4. "The Hoarder" by Gail White (45 points)
5. "Streetlight" by Woody Long (15 points)
5. "Snow Blind" by L.M. Price (15 points)
7. "Bed" by Mary McLean (14 points)
8. "As Such a Sonnet" by Marvin Welborn (3 points)
9. "The Great Escape" by David Phillips (2 points)
10. "Columbus Circle" by Vincent Miskell (1 point)

Congratulations and thank you to all!

And Oh, there's more ... our TSDG also chose the following, which did not make the finals, as honorable mentions:

"Cramer and Two Eggs" by Bradley Omanson
"Elegy for the People of Earth" by Mike Snider
"I May" by Martin Elster
"Lingering Myths" by Birthe Myers
"Matins" by Michael Payne
"Rehearsal" by Julie Stoner
"Seasonal Sonnet" by Janice D. Soderling
"Remembered Wings" by David Anthony
"The Table" by Jay Rogoff
"Ukiyo" by Wiley Clements



Finally, who is our expert sonneteer aka Top Secret DG? Check the TSDG's posts, with username now decoded and declassified!

Cheers,
...Alex

[stephenspower]

Well done.

[Maryann Corbett]

Congrats to the winners and the honorable mentions, and thanks to Marion for the (sometimes thankless) work of winnowing and selecting, and to Alex for the technical matters. As much as we fuss about this event, it seems to be worth the effort.

[E. Shaun Russell]

Congrats to all of you, and thanks to Alex and Marion for their respective parts. Great to see a few unfamiliar names among the finalists and honorable mentions. Hope these folks become regulars.

[Elise Hempel]

Honored to be in the top three again this year, and among such good company. I was planning to vote last night but fell asleep and woke up after the thread was closed.... Three sonnets ("Bed," "Columbus Circle," and "Postcard") got my attention for their attention to feeling, which, for me, is what sonnets are about. But congrats to all.

I hope it wasn't inappropriate to comment on my own sonnet through the contest. These were legitimate questions/concerns I had, and I never quite like my own writing!

Thanks to Alex, and everyone who voted, and Marion Shore, who must have some special insight into what it's like to be a twin. Or else she's got one heck of an imagination.

[L.M. Price]

Congrats, everyone.
And thanks to Alex and Marion for doing all the hard work.

[Susan McLean]

Thanks to Alex and Marion for putting on a fun bake-off. There were lots of surprises, though the biggest one for me was finding out that my own sister had written the sonnet that I argued could have been written by a man. I laughed out loud when I saw that.

Susan

[Mary McLean]

Originally Posted by Susan McLean

Thanks to Alex and Marion for putting on a fun bake-off. There were lots of surprises, though the biggest one for me was finding out that my own sister had written the sonnet that I argued could have been written by a man. I laughed out loud when I saw that.

Susan

Yes, your comment made me laugh too!

Thanks to Marion and all the finalists and commenters for a fun bake off. I was surprised and delighted to be included for the first time.

[Janice D. Soderling]

What fun, what fun. Marion, a multi-prizewinning sonneteer in her own right, made some great choices with a diversity that stirs up the usual Sphere spirit and eternal hand-wringing, "WHAT is a sonnet?" And no one is surprised at the high quality of the winning poems. Thanks Alex for once again arranging this year's top-notch event. Double secret was a good fillip.

[Catherine Chandler]

Thanks to Marion for her hard work in the bake-off and to the popular and TSDG winners and finalists!