The winner of our 2008 national chapbook contest is Jen Karetnick of Florida. Her chapbook entitled “Bud Break at Mango House” will be published in the fall of 2008. She has received $200, a publication contract, and will be awarded 30 free copies. In both form (sonnet, villanelle, sestina) and free verse, Karetnick’s poetry achieves a sub-tropic lushness and power that is awe-inspiring and spooky. Whether she is telling us “How to Shop for a Hurricane” or about a “Sea Turtle on South Beach,” Jen Karetnick creates unforgettable scenes and meditations about life’s challenges in precise and expertly crafted language.
Writing from a mango plantation near Miami, Karetnick has placed more than 75 poems in journals such as Barrow Street, The Nebraska Review, and The Spoon River Poetry Review. As a food-and-travel writer, she has published books and articles with Random House, HarperCollins, and other publishers. She combines her interest in poetry and fine dining in Now Taste This!™ , a poet-chef pairing event that benefits literary organizations. Karetnick has published one previous poetry chapbook, Necessary Salt, with Pudding House Publications and is a flute player in an ensemble. She holds a MFA in poetry from the University of California, Irvine, as well as a MFA in fiction from the University of Miami.
Finalists in the competition were:
Eleanor Berry of Lyons, Oregon, for Small Repair
Steve Lautermilch of Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina, for Creel
Greg McBride of Silver Spring, Maryland, for Back of the Envelope
Oz H. Koglin of Portland, Oregon, for Gardens for Everyone
The quality of manuscripts we receive from across the nation is very high and there were many manuscripts worthy of publication. We regret that we only have the time and resources to publish one chapbook. All entrants will receive a copy of Jen Karetnick’s chapbook Bud Break at Mango House for no additional fee later this year (retail value $8). Our four volunteer judges, all published poets with advanced degrees, were Helen Marie Casey of Sudbury, Massachusetts, Robert Brown of Astoria, Oregon, Elisa A. Garza of Houston, Texas, and myself. All of these poets volunteered their services.