Poets’ Roundtable of Arkansas (PRA) recently announced the winners of its 2018 statewide Sybil Nash Abrams Memorial Student Poetry Contest at its annual Dr. Lily Peter Spring Celebration in Little Rock.

Student winners read their poems at the event and received a prize check from the contest co-chair Laura Loughridge.

2018 Sybil Nash Abrams Student Contest Winners:

Junior Division (Grades 6-8)

• First Place ($30) – Evie Kinsey of Benton – “If I could say one thing, it would probably be”
• Second Place ($15) – Beth Freudensprung of Benton – “Dewdrop”
• Third Place ($10) – Jacob McGinness of Little Rock – “Waves”
• First Honorable Mention – McKenzie Young of Sherwood – “Insanity”
• Second Honorable Mention – Naomi Morris of Benton – “Longing for knowing of happiness unknown”
• Third Honorable Mention – Millie Allgood of Little Rock – “If only you knew”

Senior Division (Grades 9-12)

• First Place ($50) – Annie Knight of Little Rock – “A Mother’s Arms”
• Second Place ($30) – Raehana Anwar of North Little Rock – “i am six”
• Third Place ($20) – Stephanie Verdaris of Little Rock – “Texas and Arkansas”
• First Honorable Mention – Hannah Brockette of Little Rock – “Lake Days”
• Second Honorable Mention — Grace Cassie of Little Rock – “Love Letter”
• Third Honorable Mention — Grace Rew of North Little Rock – “Desirable”

Poets’ Roundtable of Arkansas is the oldest, non-profit poetry organization in the state, established in 1931 to encourage the art of poetry. Members are from all around the state, including past and present Arkansas Poet Laureates.

Poets are encouraged to contact any PRA Branch President and visit a meeting. PRA is affiliated with the National Federation of State Poetry Societies (NFSPS), and PRA’s Jim Barton of Huttig (Union County) is the current NFSPS President.

PRA and NFSPS sponsor educational poetry conferences and contests throughout the year for all ages. For more information, contact PRA President Dennis Patton at [email protected] or PRA’s Sybil Nash Abrams Memorial Contest Co-Chair Laura Loughridge at [email protected].