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The Best Poems of 2023: Winners of the 12th Annual SCP International Poetry Competition
Judges
Joseph S. Salemi, James Sale, Evan Mantyk, Sally Cook, James A. Tweedie,
Susan Jarvis Bryant, Adam Sedia, C.B. Anderson, Reid McGrath
Based on the poems, all written in 2023, excluding poems by judges, submitted by poets employing the finest, classical traditions of English poetry, below are the best poems of the past year and their ranking:
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First Place ($2,000)
Brian Yapko, Florida
“Farinelli”
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Second Place
Shaun C. Duncan, Australia
“Nero Redivivus”
Andrew Benson Brown, Missouri
“The Death of Joseph Warren”
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Third Place
Adam Wasem, Utah
“Letter from a DC Prison”
Mark F. Stone, Ohio
“A Pro Who Can Con”
Michael Pietrack, Colorado
“Ballerina”
Joshua C. Frank, America
“If You Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter”
Steven Binns, Maryland
“Evening, Washington Metro”
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Fourth Place
Cynthia Erlandson, Michigan
“The moon hung low in the sky like a yellow skull.”
Martin Rizley, Spain
“Village Home”
Peter Austin, Canada
“Zelda”
Daniel Howard, Massachusetts
“Ode to the Strings of My Guitar”
Morrison Handley-Schachler, Scotland
“The Five Ages”
Patricia Rogers Crozier, Florida
“The Thief”
Gigi Ryan, Tennessee
“Summer of ’73”
Daniel Moreschi, United Kingdom
“A Wind-stroked Spectacle”
Mary Jane Myers, Illinois
“A Petless State”
Mark F. Stone, Ohio
“I’ll Keep My Truck”
Brian Yapko, Florida
“Hero, Leander, and Marlowe”
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Honorable Mentions
“Stage Fright” by David Whippman
“A Leftist Rebukes Hamas” by Joshua C. Frank
“Reversing Babel” by Cynthia Erlandson
“Blessings” by Adrian Fillion
“Venus Sighed” by Suzanne Ramljak
“Tampering with Permanence (A Seattle Pantoum)” by Alison Jennings
“Smash, Careening Thrash” by Maura H. Harrison
“Yet Another Year” by Satyananda Sarangi
“What Do You Do When You No Longer Drink” by Geoffrey Smagacz
“A Travelogue of Wonders” by Cheryl Corey
“Forgotten” by Angel L. Villanueva
“Decay” by Janice Canerdy
“Bend in the River” by Leland James
“After the Stroke” by Mary Gardner
“Alfie’s Answer” by Peter Duff
“To a Sand Gazelle” by Rohini Sunderam
“Icarus Sings” by Paris Michael
“What Time Is it?” by Vicki Roberts
“Pirate Costume” by Benjamin Cannicott Shavitz
“Foothold” by Maggie Palmer
“The Pillar of Salt” by Brian Yapko
“Ambition” by Siân Marlow
“The School Bell” by Satyananda Sarangi
“To Find a Waterfall” by Monika Cooper
“The Blue Absorbent Towel” by Charles Southerland
“Learning to Laugh” by William Harder
“The Old Native Chieftain from Forest Among” by Corey Elizabeth Jackson
“I Know Them Well” by Mike Ruskovich
“Sinfonietta” by Mary Jane Myers
“Job’s Rant” by Cynthia Erlandson
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Congratulations to Brian for his win and for all the great poetry he has provided for us over the years: well done indeed. Also, congratulations to all the entrants and especially those listed with awards: there is a depth of talent writing here at the SCP and it is good to see it flowering. It was a privilege to be a judge in this competition: looking forward to next year’s!
Congratulations to Brian and to all the winners. I feel privileged to have got among the “Honourable Mentions.”
Congratulations on a well-deserved win, Brian! You’ve produced a lot of fine poetry this year, and “Farinelli” is an outstanding piece of work, even by your standards. And thank you to the judges for honoring my own poem as well!
Congratulations, Brian! And God bless your future poetic endeavors.
Congratulations, Brian, and everyone! There are so many exceedingly gifted poets here, that it is a great pleasure to be a member of the Society. And I’ve been happy to see quite a few new names here this year!
Congratulations, Brian, for the winning entry, being listed with another one in the fourth place winners, and even one more among the honorable mentions!
Superb work indeed! Congratulations to all the others listed as well.
Judges and SCP members, I cannot begin to tell you how honored I am by this and how much it means to me. Thank you for this. I’ve been a bit teary since getting the results and have thanked God more times than I can count. You see, I’ve loved poetry my whole life but stopped writing it in 1984 – exactly 40 years ago – when I started law school. When covid closed my law practice in 2020 I started writing poetry again at the ripe age of 59. I submitted five rather awful poems to an organization I’d never heard of called The Society of Classical Poets. I received some candid feedback from a fellow named Evan Mantyk who offered very helpful suggestions for revisions. I resubmitted, he took a chance and published “The Reindeer” and from that point on I became thoroughly invested in writing more and better poetry. I have tried to remain teachable and open to inspiration and, most importantly, to read all of your work and learn from all of you. I’ve learned more about poetry from my fellow SCP poets in 3 years than I did earning my undergrad degree in English literature. Thank you for that and for giving me this amazing opportunity!
I’m so honored by the company of fellow winners. There are so many great poets on this list, but I must mention how thoroughly dazzled and intimidated I am by the talent and creativity of Shaun Duncan and Andrew Benson Brown. ABB especially inspires me with his commitment to a massive poetic epic (I don’t have that kind of attention span!) and to his incredible dedication to the world of classical poetry and all he does to bring it out into the world.
As for Farinelli – it is an odd and unexpected poem which, though set in the 18th Century, has a cautionary message for todays’ world. I think the story of a much-honored but damaged and lonely castrato has a contemporary message worth hearing. I am deeply grateful that this poem will have new life and that it is one I might (if so blessed) be remembered for.
Your win is well-deserved, Brian. It is astounding how much excellent verse you have produced in the short span of only three years. As it happens, that is also around the time I connected with the SCP. My first submission was also rather bad, and I echo your same sentiments about learning more about versecraft here than I ever did in my formal schooling.
It is understandable how emotional you are getting. The competition is getting stiffer every year and you have a lot to be proud of. You are quite literally on top of the world. I’m going to resume doing my podcast episodes soon and would love to have you on.
As for me, I’m trucking along here. While there have been many first place winners over the years, no one has ever won second place three times (consecutively, no less). I am in a category of my own!
That in itself is an amazing achievement, Andrew!
And I’d be honored to be on one of your podcasts.
Congratulations all! What a collection of great moments captured in text! And bravo, Evan, for hosting the space and all the hours you put in.
Long live true, traditional poetry!
I’m proud to add my congratulations to Brian and to all the amazing poets and judges that have made this year’s contest such a success. Thanks to all the entrants, the judges, Evan and to the Society… it just gets better and better.
Congratulations to everyone honored, and thank you for blessing us with your fine work!
Many congratulations, Brian! A well-deserved win! And, frankly, a relief for me: Now your name gets to leapfrog up the alphabet agencies’ watch lists instead of mine.
May the judges please accept my thrilled and heartfelt thanks for the Honorable Mention in the 2024 SCP International Poetry Competition. I feel so fortunate to be included amongst such extraordinarily gifted poets that won this year. Congratulations to you all!
Many congratulations on your well deserved win, Brian. Also, congratulations to All who
placed. Thank you, Judges, in what was no doubt often a difficult task.
Congratulations, Brian, on your well-deserved (and unsurprising) win!
Congratulations, Brian! A well deserved award for a beautiful and poignant poem.
Congratulations, Brian, and everyone else who placed! This is indeed a list of excellent poems!
Well done, Brian. Much deserved, not least for keeping the old grey matter active with your edu-verse that informs as much as it entertains.
Well done too, to all the runners-up, honourable mentions, judges, and of course the guv’nor, Evan, who’s keeps the whole shebang ticking over.
Congratulations, Brian. You were certainly very prolific this past year. You’ve given us so many great poems, and no doubt there’s more to come!
I had a feeling it was going to be your year, Brian. The contest this year could not have been difficult to judge.
Many thanks to the judges for selecting my poem for inclusion. It is an honor.
Congratulations to Brian and all the others for their outstanding and uplifting works.
My congratulations to Brian and all the other winners! And my thanks to all the judges and staff for their tremendous effort in conducting this competition.
Congratulations to Brian and all the winners of this competition! It is a pleasure reading all of these outstanding as well as entertaining poems that I missed. Such poetic talent.
Congratulations to Brian and all other winners! I’m honored that one of my poems was among those that placed third, and that another earned an honorable mention.
What a thrill to see my Sand Gazelle poem earn an honourable mention. Thank you judges! And congratulations Brian Yapko, your beautiful, sad, superb poem absolutely earned its place!
Congratulations to Brian Yapko on a well-deserved win, and also to everyone else listed. Reading through these entries gives me so much hope for poetry. It’s an honor to have picked up a 4th place award. Thank you to the judges.
Congratulations, Brian, for your well-deserved win. And congratulations to all the other talented poets who had placements in this contest. Some fine poetry has been created to be enjoyed for years to come.