Gail White Wins the Nemerov!
 

Just got an email from William Baer that Rhina Espaillat has chosen Gail White's "Old Photographs" as the winner of the Howard Nemerov Sonnet Award.

Congratulations, Gail! :)

My sonnet, "Composure", was a finalist. I don't know who the other finalists are, but maybe there are other Spherians.

OH YIPPEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Brilliant news!!! YAYAYAYA!! Happy dance!!!!!!!

And you, too, Cathy - being the finalist is a complete honour.

WOW, you two! The Sonneteers!

CONGRATULATIONS, OUR GAIL!!

Cally

Congratulations, Gail and Catherine. (For whatever reason, Bill doesn't provide a list of finalists, so for the past two years I asked him for a listing and posted it here. Cathy asked me to try to work the magic again - I've finally found my niche in the poetry world - and I've asked Bill and will advise if I hear anything.)

(There seems to be an exuberant Australian woman swinging from my light fixture. Does anybody else have one?)

Added in: Received the complete list of Finalists from Bill Baer. Here they are (I see about six Spherians!)


“Old Photographs” – Gail White (this year's winner)

“Pacific Trash Vortex” – Tony Barnstone

“Housekeeper” – Paul Buchheit

“Composure” – Catherine Chandler

“A Julliard Pianist” – Philip Dacey

“She Drives Through Distance,” – Carol Frith

“The View from the Trees” – Juliana Gray

“In the Asylum” – Jean L. Kreiling

“Sonnet Written on a Drugstore Receipt” – Quincy R. Lehr

“Uncle Vanya” – Marion Shore

“Momentum” – Marty Steyer

“Stages of Snow” – Liza McAlister Williams

Word is that Quincy Lehr was also a finalist. Congrats to all.

Nick

Gail, HOORAY, HOORAY. So deserved!

Cathy and Quincy. Toot, toot and bang on the washboards.

Big congrats to all.

(Mike, yes, she was just in another thread of mine, walking along the ceiling playing a didgeridoo. Is it Spiderwoman? No. Is it Batgirl? No. It's the Kryptonite Kidderoo.)

YEA, GAIL! So happy to learn of this recognition for a terrific poet. Big congratulations to you. Can't wait to read the poem, though it usually takes a while before Measure puts out that issue.

And congratulations to Cathy, whose winning sonnet two years ago was such a gorgeous work of art. And congrats to Quincy, too.

And (modest downcast eyes here), I'm honored to share the news that I'm sharing space with them on that finalist list. Now please excuse me while I go find a light fixture from which to swing.

Best,
Jean

HA! I was just about to post this:

"I'd be very surprised if Salt Kreiling's name isn't on that list."

Go Gail, go C, go Q, go Salt, GO SWING!!!!!

Swinging Jean! Man, you are taking home one honor after the other.

The Sphere is HOT.

Congratulations, Gail, Cathy, Jean, and Quincy! I have heard from Philip Dacey that he is a finalist, too. If you don't know his name, he was one of the two editors of Strong Measures, an early, influential collection of formalist poetry, and recently had some poems in Measure.

Susan

Huge congrats to Gail! And all praise as well to Cathy, Quincy, and Jean. And to Philip Dacey, too, though he's less likely to look in here; thanks for that news, Susan.

Come on, folks, don't make us wait for Bill Baer to get back to Michael. Come tell us who you are, all you finalists, and be appropriately cheered.

"Strong Measures" is one of my all-time fave anthologies. If you don't have it, folks, get it. So congrats to Philip Dacey too.

Many thanks for the kind words, everyone! I just received permission from Bill to make the news public, and I'm already finding it everywhere!

To say that I'm ecstatic would be a miserable understatement. I sing, I dance, I throw money to strangers in the street. I feel so proud to belong to this glorious company. Not quite ready to sing Nunc dimittis,
but nearly.

And now I'm eager to know who the other finalists are. Cathy, Quincy, Jean, Philip, and who else?

I believe that's Jean Kreiling's third finalist designation in three (four?) years. Congratulations and congratulations and congratulations.

Congrats, Gail!

It should take a few weeks for the smoking jacket to come.

Long overdo recognition. Gail was polishing perfectly fashioned sonnets when I was in short pants. Brava.

Hooray, hooray! I'm so excited for you, Gail. You are SO deserving!!!

And Cathy, and Jean, and Quincy too!

What a crowd. Sending showers of congrats to you all.

Charlotte

Note - I received the full list of finalists from Bill Baer and it is appended to my Post #3 above. I believe there are at least six Spherians included.

oohhhhhh!! I wanna read them all NOW!!

Marion, too!!! What a list. You could make an anthology of the names on that list!

Many thanks for the continued flattering comments. The Sphere is a wonderful place.

Full disclosure: "Old Photographs" was originally called "Family Album" and was rejected about 3 times. Then I changed the title, put in a new last line, and POW! So perseverence pays. Never despair.

Thanks for the list, Michael, and warm congrats to all. Especially Gail. Enough about how wonderful you all are, though: when will they come out, so we can read them? This will be an issue to savor.

Best,

Ed


P.S. I really liked Strong Measures, too -- god knows what happened to my copy. I still have Rebel Angels, though.

Lehr a finalist!!! A tear in the moral fabric ~,:^{l=

~,:^)

Congrats all.

Congratulations to all the Spheroids, but most especially to Gail White, much of whose whose so called humorous poetry is as serious as a heart attack.

Wonderful news for Gail. Congrats.
And to all of you finalists as well. Well done!

Mazel tov, Gail. So happy for you! Congrats to all the finalists too.

hearty congrats to all you wonderful spherians, and a big woohoo to Gail!

Congrats Gail, and all the Spherian finalists. Sphere domination of the Nemerov continues.

David R.

F-bomb in the Nemerov mix? Semi-obscure thrash metal reference? I'm praying there's something fun in there.

David R.

It's worse than that, David, much worse. My understanding is that Quincy has purchased an entire new wardrobe at Brooks Brothers and joined the Brooklyn Young Republicans.

Isn't that a post-punk, neo-thrash, hype-hop, all-male Runaways cover band?

Warmest congratulations to all!

Marion, too. Who's surprised to find this added to her honors? Not me, that lady knows what she is doing.

And Tony, congratulations to you too. Dream team player!

Added in after reading Michael #28:

Whut! No more pointy shoes. No Marx except Groucho! No Oscar Wilde gaze under Oscar Wilde hair! Consider your image, Q. Remember those mainstreamers who said, "You look like a poet, we'll take two copies."

Gail,

This is wonderful news and you're such a deserving winner! Many congratulations.

Well done too, to Tony, Cathy, Jean, Quincy and Marion.

Jayne

Well done, Gail! And well done, Cathy, Jean, Marion, Quincy and Tony!

Duncan

Congrats, Gail! Excellent news!

And congrats to all the finalists, especially the celebrated Poet of Personal Style!

Woo hoo to You!
 

Gail, as everyone here knows, this prize shoulda been yours long since. Glad you finally got the cash. Great decision, Rhina.

Can I hang on your coattails at West Chester this year?

Well done, Gail! http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3391/...f0b0dc02_o.gif

Cheers

Chris http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3553/...f7f5973d_o.gif

Congratulations, Gail and all! Look forward to seeing the sonnets.

I hope everyone who has checked this site to see the list (559 as of now) will remember to get a copy of "Measure" in the fall & read the sonnets!

(Never mind me being cynical - congratulations to all! This looks like a
wonderful group. It has also been a warm fuzzy experience for me, reading all the kind messages.)

Congrats to everyone!

Ditto.

Nemo