GIBSON — Beth Copeland of Gibson has been named the winner of the 2017 Dogfish Head Poetry Prize for her manuscript, “Blue Honey.”

.The prize was presented on Dec.er 9 at the Dogfish Inn, in Lewes, DE.

The award consisted of publication of her manuscript by Broadkill River Press, 10 copies of the published book, $500 in prize money, two cases of Dogfish Head beer, and two night’s stay at the Dogfish Inn.

The judges for this year’s contest were Christopher Salerno, of William Paterson University in New Jersey; Destiny O. Birdsong, of Vanderbilt University in Tennessee; and Michael Dwayne Smith, of Mojave River Press in California.

Copeland is the daughter of missionaries and was born in Japan. She received her MFA from Bowling Green State University in Ohio and teaches at St. Andrew’s University in North Carolina.

Her two previous full-length books of poetry are “Traveling Through Glass”, which won the 1999 Bright Hill Press Poetry Book Award, and “Transcendental Telemarketer” (BlazeVOX, 2012).

Before the winner was announced Jamie Brown, editor and publisher of Broadkill River Press, gave a brief reading, as did Sherry Chappelle, 2011 DFH winner for “Salmagundi”, followed by Linda Blaskey, 2008 winner for “Farm”.

Finalists for this year’s contest are CL Bledsoe (VA) for “Driving Around, Looking in Other People’s Windows”; Ken Pobo (PA) for “Dindi Expecting Snow”; Adam Tamashasky (MD) for “Meteor”; Kathy Ackerman (NC) for “A Quarrel of Atoms”; and Nicole Heneveld (NY) for “The Fragility of Spines”.

The Dogfish Head Poetry Prize is in its 15th year and was created by Sam Calagione, CEO of Dogfish Head Craft Brewery and Distillery and a literature major in college, and by Jamie Brown, of Broadkill River Press. The contest is open to residents of North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York, and District of Columbia. Publication of the winning manuscript is supported by The Cape Gazette.

To order copies of “Blue Honey”($17.95) go to www.thebroadkillriverpress.webs.com

Courtesy photo Beth Copeland of Gibso, is the winner of the 2017 Dogfish Head Poetry Prize.
https://www.laurinburgexchange.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/web1_Beth_Copeland__Mongo_Manor_cmyk.jpgCourtesy photo Beth Copeland of Gibso, is the winner of the 2017 Dogfish Head Poetry Prize.

Staff report