Fertile minds

Wow!

We figured we’d get some entries for our inaugural poetry contest, but 400? Wow.

Even more than Fiction 59, judging Poetry 99 proved an exercise in subjectivity.

Fortunately CN&R editors found consensus on the adult and teen winners, published poet Patricia Wellingham-Jones and Chico High senior Angela Lashbrook, and near-consensus on the kid winner, Violeta Quezada. The other choices weren’t as clear-cut—in fact, your humble editor loved poems that didn’t click with his staff.

Check out the honor roll and judge for yourself.

We’re inviting the winners to read their work at our Poetry Slam Dec. 1 at the Crux Artist Collective, where our spoken-word competition will take place.

Thank you to everyone who entered, and we look forward to seeing what you create for next fall’s contest!