The Charles H. Stone Memorial Library announced the winners of its April poetry contest, with the top five finishers being recognized last Friday evening during a public presentation in the Town of Pilot Mountain parking lot.
More than a dozen Pilot Mountain businesses had taken part in promoting the contest, with each encouraging their patrons to submit original entries at the business. Each business then selected a winning entry which advanced to final judging at the Charles Stone Library.
The entry to finish in first place, submitted by Blue Mountain Herbs, was entitled “Gardening.” It was written by Tate C. Williams of Pilot Mountain
“I had taken classes in college, and I enjoy writing when I have a chance,” Williams said. “I’d heard about this and thought it was exactly what the town needed. I was thrilled to take part.”
Second place went to a work entitled “Pilot Mountain.” It was written by Kathy Mueller and the submitting business was West End Arts & The Head Shoppe Plus.
Poet Joni Handley took third place with her work, “After Time in the Garden.” The piece was submitted by Indulge Soapery.
Charity Rosenhauer was recognized with Honorable Mention for her whimsical work, “The Burp Monster.” The poem was submitted by Mount Pilot Antiques.
The People’s Choice award, recognizing the work which received the most online votes, went to Sydney Tucker for her poem, “The Earthquake in Me.” The selection was submitted by Elliott’s Therapeutic Massage.
“The entries were varied and diverse,” said Charles H. Stone Memorial Branch Librarian Anna Nichols. “There were lots of interesting experiences and it was fun to see the response of the community. We had one person say they hadn’t written for years but after hearing about this, they wanted to take part.”
The contest was part of a month-long celebration of poetry involving the library, downtown business community and the Town of Pilot Mountain.
Other activities included a Storywalk activity, based on the book, Poetree, by Shauna LaVoy Reynolds. After hearing of the promotion, Reynolds contacted the library and donated an autographed copy of her book which was used as one of the poetry contest prizes.
In conjunction with the activity, prominent trees from throughout the community were hung with snippets of classic and original poetry, creating the library’s own version of “Poetrees.”
With permission of the town, downtown sidewalks were decorated with phrases and poetry, with many hinting at references to nearby businesses.
Also featured was a Poetry in Motion Yoga Class which will continue through May.
The festivities also involved an event called Book Club Outside at the Library. The featured book club selection was The Poet X, a novel by Elizabeth Acevedo. The book is a winner of the National Book Award, the Michael L. Printz Award and the Pura Belpre Award.
“We want to thank our businesses as well as our local residents and visitors,” Nichols said. “Visitors are beginning to filter back in and that’s exciting to see. And we must thank Diane (Library Program Assistant Diane Palmieri) and Jenny (Pilot Mountain Main Street Coordinator Jenny Kindy).”
“No one could have done this without lots of help,” Palmieri said. “It was a delight to see the number of businesses that jumped on board. And we had some fabulous poets step up and take part. All the poetry entries were wonderful and that made the deliberations tough.”
Source: https://www.mtairynews.com
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