I'm so thrilled to announce this I can hardly type it: A. M. Juster has won this year's Richard Wilbur Award for his
"The Secret Language of Women." The best news in a long time!

Wonderful news! That's about as big as deals get, and well deserved.
Richard

Justice for Juster...congratulations, Mike!

Alan

Now that's a WOW.

Congrats, Michael, wherever you are.

wendy

Warmest congratulations to Mike, who has toiled long in the vineyard and is richly deserving of a first book! Another famous victory for the Powwow Poets. I've read this book in manuscript, and I urge all Spherians to read it.

That is spectacular news. Many, many well-deserved congratulations, Michael. And thanks for letting us know, Deborah.

Jennifer

By the way, who judged this year? I didn't enter and I know little about it.

[This message has been edited by Jennifer Reeser (edited March 02, 2002).]

Congratulations, Mike!

Carol

Thanks everybody. As many of you know, it's been a long wait with many frustratingly close calls. Indeed, I just saw a piece in the Monadnock Review distinguishing Gail White and me from other New Formalists because we were "periodical poets" or something like that.
Many friends here have been extraordinarily helpful to me over the years. I met Alan Sullivan and Tim Murphy at the first West Chester; their support combined with their tough critical love has been a huge help to me. The long poem probably made the difference, and there would have been no long poem without the effervescent Rhina Espaillat. Sam Gwynn has been terrific on several occasions. Deborah, Len and all the Powows have been great at boosting my literary morale when I was very close to giving up.
The book will come out in 2003 and will be called "The Secret Language Of Women" (the title poem is the long poem that ran in The Formalist a few issues ago). I have followed Alicia's advice from a few West Chesters ago, and dropped most, though not quite all, of the light verse, and I am now trying to package together the light verse with the Martial and some other translations as a separate volume.
Thanks again.

Kudos!

Oh, for those who want a taste of the book in advance, a site called Vers Libre has republished seven of my poems--all of which predate Eratosphere. I think the URL is www.nthdimension.co.uk/vl

Oops, that doesn't work--so just punch "vers libre" into yahoo and it's the first site.

Michael,

If that bear-hug the other night wasn't enough,
further congratulations!

I'm going to suggest,
however, that despite Alicia's advice, you INCLUDE
the "light" verse with the rest of the ms. It's some
of your very best work--truly terrific--and many, many
poets have done it. Will you re-consider?


Meantime, who was this year's judge?

Couldn't happen to a more deserving guy!

I can't think of a prize more well-deserved than this one; but of course, as I wrote to Mike, the real winners are the readers, who need the kind of intelligent, witty, generous poetry he writes to counterbalance so much published today that is none of those things. Congratulations and love, Mike, and many more such triumphs!

Congradulations, Mike. I'm looking forward to reading it.

Good news and a link to some of the poems? I love coming attractions--especially when it whets the appetite for the featured presentation.

Congratulations--I raise me coffee mug to ye.

Tom

Mike, I just opened this thread and I'm sure you know that my congratulations are no less enthusiastic for being a little belated. Euge! This honor is well deserved!

Tony

Congratulations, Mike! Wonderful news!
I very much admire the poem for which you received the prize -- as I believe I mentioned when it came out in the Formalist.

Congratulations Mike, on a reward well deserved. I am also grateful to you for taking the time (at Sonnet Central) to comment on my poems, and offer some very good advice. We miss you at Sonnet Central, and do stop by when you get the time.

Best regards,

Paddy

Having just made the trip to Vers libre, I'd warmly recommend the selection of these poems to all Eratospherians - especially anyone who works in metrical mode. All seven pieces are elegantly crafted, but the voices are unmistakably modern. Apologies to anyone confused by the earlier version of this comment - had confused two talented poets and wasn't even chewing gum. Margaret.

[This message has been edited by Margaret Moore (edited March 07, 2002).]

Michael

Congratulations on this fine achievement!

Terese