For the fourth annual Carmen Ziolkowski Poetry Prize, First Prize, $500, donated by Carmen’s family, was awarded to Don Narkevic, a poet from Buckhannon, West Virginia. Narkevic’s compelling poem on craftsmanship and ancestry in “Emerging Stone” resonated with the judges. Jim Ziolkowski remarked, “I think this would bring my mother back to Italy and the family farm. My mom would also think about the rough stones carved by men in Italy. I like this poem.”
Second Prize, $250, was awarded to Sarnia poet Najah Shuqair for the careful detail and natural rhythm in “The Garden’s Quiet Song.”
Third Prize, $100, was awarded to Burlington poet Karen Kerekes for the emergent images and ideas in “When Irises Bloom.”
Honourable Mentions were awarded to Josie Di Sciasio-Andrews, of Oakville, for the captivating perspectives on time and place in “Flowers in Blue Vase,” and to Mary Anne Griffiths, of Ingersoll, for “Looking at the Bed in Candlelight” and its sharp depictions of inheritance and transition.
This year over seventy poems were submitted from across Canada and abroad, and the winners were selected by Carmen’s friends and fellow writers Ryan Gibbs, Rhonda Melanson, and Lois Nantais, as well as Carmen’s son Jim Ziolkowski.
Carmen Ziolkowski was a beloved Sarnia poet born near Naples, Italy. In her spirit, The Lawrence House Literary Arts Committee sought well-crafted poetry that was heartfelt, nature-based, and hopeful for this fourth annual Poetry Prize in her honour.
Carmen immigrated to Canada in 1955, and she studied journalism at Port Huron Junior College and taught creative writing at Lambton College. Her books of poetry include Roses Bloom at Dusk (Vesta Publications), World of Dreams (River City Press), and The Moon Before the Sun (Beret Days Press). She and her husband Bruno had two sons, Robin and Jim, and three grandchildren, Alexandra, Nicholas, and Samantha. She loved her family, nature, travel, and literature. A vibrant member of the Sarnia-Lambton writing community, Carmen passed away on December 26, 2018, at the age of 94.