2023 November PAD Chapbook Challenge: Results

I’m sorry for the delay, but it’s finally time to reveal the results of the 2023 November PAD Chapbook Challenge. This year, there were nearly 80 entries from all around the country and the world.

Once again, I saw a mix of familiar names as well as new-to-me names. The first round narrowed things down to 29 chapbooks; the second round worked the list to just 13.

In this post, I share the winning chapbook and poet, along with four finalists and eight honorable mentions.

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Play with poetic forms!

Poetic forms are fun poetic games, and this digital guide collects more than 100 poetic forms, including more established poetic forms (like sestinas and sonnets) and newer invented forms (like golden shovels and fibs).

Click to continue.

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This year’s winning manuscript is Kowloon, Kowloon, Hong Kong, by Emily Skulmoski!

It’s a very interesting mix of prose poems and poems with line breaks. It offers the sounds that I love juxtaposed with really interesting imagery and language.

Congratulations, Emily!

Here are a few poems from Kowloon, Kowloon, Hong Kong:

“Dictation Exercises,” by Emily Skulmoski

Mei, be good enough to set the table. Place a knife at each plate, and a seashell in the middle. Seashells gather sounds of crashing waves. Mei, waves are everywhere if you look for them. A basement is a confession booth. A darkroom is for family pictures. Proverbs are riddles for the wise. Mei, your soul is as eternal as plastic. Plastic lives in the ocean. Mei, look up, don’t look down. Great is your reward. God is in the dark matter, light years away. They found a sliver of light in a dark hole.Whose eye was hurt by the light? Which boy turned on the light? Are there enough trees in the forest? Remember, the moon is your birthright. Do you like your fish rare? Fetch Mother some tea. Can you fetch her some sugar? Did you trim your own bangs? The music is too loud. Do not be like Ming. He forfeited his soul. Do not fear Ming. He cannot eat your soul. Your soul is as eternal as the light. Dead stars are still shining.

“Cantopop,” by Emily Skulmoski

Your voice is yarn pulling heaven down.

The Sun rises in your mouth.

Woe is my beating heart on a boat down a river.

“Karaoke,” by Emily Skulmoski

is where you sing a school crush into a boyfriend. You sing the latest cantopop hits like Karaoke King. The words go something like: if I don’t sing to make you cry, don’t be upset as I sniff for your light. I wrap my arms around your ghost, the whole mountain of you where your smile is etched on the rock face. We will meet forever till death. And if you are feeling brave to catch the attention of an old lover, you sing Hurt Love. It goes something like: Your words are rocks grating my face. Open wounds are cooled by the sad autumn breeze. Hurt is the vowel at the bottom of your cup. Bad is the dirt I worship on, oh…it’s not you at all. All mouths open at the same tie, and I love you.

“The Sink in the Kitchen is Now My Moon,” by Emily Skulmoski

The sink in the kitchen is now my moon.
My only solace is the neon lights
and the shadows I count to pass the night.
You are the sun that slipped away too soon.
I warm my hands under the dishwater
as I converse with you through the bubbles.
I ask out loud why we have these troubles.
Was my love for you too late in another
life, too? I know I read too much into
dish soap bottles—everything looks like you.

Maggots sprout up overnight on a sponge,
They used to be flowers in a past life
when we used to be lovers watching sun-
sets, when all I wanted was to be your wife.

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Again, congratulations, Emily!

But wait! There’s more!

In addition to Emily’s winning manuscript, I selected four finalists that gave Kowloon, Kowloon, Hong Kong quite a challenge:

North of Here, by Julia McMullenOrder of Operations, by Gus PetersonPeeking Out from Beneath the Crawl Space, by Melissa LemayCling, by Jane Shlensky

Congratulations to the finalists!

And finally, here’s a list (in no particular order) of honorable mentions:

Time Has a Way, by Lisa L SteadLessons for the Therapist, by Nicki Nance
Birds and Other Animals, by Michelle MeyerBone Scatter, by De JacksonWalking Our Mornings, by Taylor GrahamThe Holiday Cycle, by Joseph MillsThe Time Between, by Dan HardisonEscaping Thoughts on a Blue Couch, by Minh-Tam Thi Le

Congratulations to all the honorable mentions! And to everyone who put in the time to write poems in November and assemble and submit collections in December and January. Great job!