Poetry Contest 2013 - Redwood Writers

And the Winners Are…! Click here for a Poetic Flyer

Cheri Ause

Cheri Ause, First Place

Cheri Ause lives in Gualala with her husband and their cat, Smokey Robinson. Her fiction, poetry, and creative non-fiction appear online and in print at Every Day Poets and in their forthcoming anthology, The Best of Every Day Poets, Vol. 3; Pure Slush and the anthology, Pure Slush Vol.3: real; The Redwood Coast Review; the ShotgunHoney Press anthology, Reloaded: Both Barrels, Vol. 2; and in the 2013 and 2014 anthologies published by the Writers of the Mendocino Coast.
A complete list of her publications, along with links to her available work,can be found at http://cheriause.blogspot.com.

Jean Wong

Jean Wong, Second Place

Click title to read: “Photo Album”

Jean Wong writes fiction,memoir, (and now poetry!). Her work has also been produced by the Petaluma Readers Theatre, Sixth Street Playhouse, and Off The Page Theater Group. Her book, Sleeping with the Gods, was recently released. When writing, Jean sometimes plods long like a mule—at other times a brilliant race horse speeds by. Whatever the process, she’s amazed to be alive and able to tell the tale!

Betty Les

Betty Les, Third Place

Click the title to read:
“There Are Questions You Cannot Ask”

Betty Les was born and raised in Texas and spent the big middle of her life in Wisconsin where she led the Natural Heritage Inventory, a program dedicated to the conservation of biodiversity. She has written poetry ever since she can remember, scribbling “downloads” on whatever paper she could find and tossing them into a shoebox. She writes about the natural world, how incredibly alive it is, and the great opening it creates for understanding the human heart. She lives in Santa Rosa with her husband and spends her time writing,bird watching and exploring her new home landscape.

Barbara Toboni

Honorable Mention, Barbara Toboni

Click the titles to read: “Red Jacket”

“Lady: Dog by the Creek”

Barbara Toboni, a graduate of Napa Valley College, writes short stories, poetry, memoir, and picture books. Her poetry and short stories have appeared in print and online literary journals, and anthologies, including Wisdom Has a Voice, Vintage Voices 2011, Cup of Comfort for Parents of Children with Autism, and Tiny-Lights. Undertow, a collection of poetry, was published in 2011. Water Over Time, a collection of stories and poems, was published in 2013. Visit her website at www.barbarasmirror.com.