Luaseuda
06-21-2005, 02:05 AM
The Poets' Workshop* would like to congratulate one of its members, Richard Deets, for winning the $20,000 Grand Prize at The International Society of Poets Spring Convention and Symposium held in Orlando, Florida this past February. Mr. Deets competed against over a thousand fellow poets in the most lucrative amateur poetry contest ever. He recalls what it was like to win this prestigious award. "I stood speechless at the awards ceremony podium in awe and in shock. A sea of thousands of poets and their guests applauded their approval, yet I knew my poem, We Sailed on with Happy Hearts, was only one of many well-written poems submitted that weekend."
The convention offered poets an opportunity to participate in seminars, comprehensive workshops, and lectures led by the ISP's educational director, Dr. Len Roberts, and a hand-picked group of established professors and Ph.D.s in literature and poetry. These educational sessions gave poets a chance to hone their skills and learn from others' experiences. "Throughout the conference/symposium, I cherished the opportunity to interact with a plethora of poets from around the globe and to sit in on numerous workshops facilitated by some of America's finest poets and university professors. Dr. Len Roberts, Dr. W.D. Snodgrass, and the entire International Society of Poets (ISP) team dazzled us with dynamic entertainment and exceptional poetic instruction," Mr. Deets remarked.
Mr. Deets has been an active member of The Poets' Workshop since December 2004, and enjoys the company of his fellow poets in this growing and dynamic community. "The Poets' Workshop serves as an invaluable tool in my growth as an amateur poet. The critiques by many of my fellow reviewers provide me with input that spurs on my rewriting and study endeavors," Mr. Deets said. "While I respect those who feel they can write an inspired poem in one sitting, I believe the art of poetry is 10% inspiration and 90% perspiration. What the words say is secondary to how the words say what they say. I rewrote the poem, We Sailed on with Happy Hearts, over a dozen times in various forms before I settled on the current version. I am confident that other members of the Poets' Workshop with like thinking will soon share in the incredible feeling of winning the ISP grand prize."
*This site is has the previous winner.
The convention offered poets an opportunity to participate in seminars, comprehensive workshops, and lectures led by the ISP's educational director, Dr. Len Roberts, and a hand-picked group of established professors and Ph.D.s in literature and poetry. These educational sessions gave poets a chance to hone their skills and learn from others' experiences. "Throughout the conference/symposium, I cherished the opportunity to interact with a plethora of poets from around the globe and to sit in on numerous workshops facilitated by some of America's finest poets and university professors. Dr. Len Roberts, Dr. W.D. Snodgrass, and the entire International Society of Poets (ISP) team dazzled us with dynamic entertainment and exceptional poetic instruction," Mr. Deets remarked.
Mr. Deets has been an active member of The Poets' Workshop since December 2004, and enjoys the company of his fellow poets in this growing and dynamic community. "The Poets' Workshop serves as an invaluable tool in my growth as an amateur poet. The critiques by many of my fellow reviewers provide me with input that spurs on my rewriting and study endeavors," Mr. Deets said. "While I respect those who feel they can write an inspired poem in one sitting, I believe the art of poetry is 10% inspiration and 90% perspiration. What the words say is secondary to how the words say what they say. I rewrote the poem, We Sailed on with Happy Hearts, over a dozen times in various forms before I settled on the current version. I am confident that other members of the Poets' Workshop with like thinking will soon share in the incredible feeling of winning the ISP grand prize."
*This site is has the previous winner.