Lord Byron Dark poetry contest

“The great art of life is sensation, to feel that we exist, even in pain.” – Lord Byron

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Hello beautiful people!

Lord Byron was a British poet and satirist whose poetry and personality captured the imagination of Europe. He was a renowned poet of his time, famous for his romantic, satirical and passionate poetry. He himself was an extravagant poet, always seeking greatness and fervour, be it in joy or in deep sadness. Any writer aiming to write poetry with inspiration from him would make use of his creative strengths into writing poems that channel their inner passion, vigour, wit, and extravaganza. Such writers can write from the bottom of their hearts, omitting no words that could best convey the larger-than-life setting established by their artful expressions.

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Last November we held a contest and received some amazing dark poems from all around the world. Wingless Dreamer decided to pay tribute to Lord Byron by launching a book of dark poetry called ‘A tribute to Lord Byron’. Before announcing the winner, we would like to take a moment to thank everyone who participated in this contest and made it successful. Poetry is all about evoking a sentimental response through language and today we are successful to achieve it. Winner or not, today we celebrate poetry.

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Without delaying further, let’s announce the winner. Hold your breath.

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The winner of ‘The Lord Byron Dark Poetry Contest’ is

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ANTHONY CHESTERFIELD- THE SWISS RED CROSS PLAYS GOD

Anthony Chesterfield is a social worker who specializes in end-of-life care and hospice. Each of his patients and their families has individually taught him about the unknown as he continues his vocation.. Anthony’s poem N-95 was also published in Poems from the Lockdown by Willowdown Books, and his poem, Nursing Home Under Siege, is published in Poet’s Choice. His poem Essential Alcohol was recently published in Whispers to Roars. Anthony considers fatherhood to be the greatest adventure of his life, and believes there is no one perfect way to be a father. He is currently pursuing an MFA at Manhattanville College, and lives in NY, with his wife, three daughters, and three cats.

We would like to heartily congratulate Anthony for his exemplary work. Well done!

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Also, cue the confetti for our top finalists:-

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JOAN EYLES – YOUR CANCER SPEAKING

Joan Eyles Johnson is a playwright, poet and author of short stories. In 2016 her story, “The Night Packet” won her the Ernest Hemingway prize for short fiction. Her plays have been off-Broadway and on NPR, and her poetry has been published for many years in journals in print and online, beginning when she was a college freshman ages ago and Robert Graves published four of her poems in his “Mediterranean Review.” Now retired after a lifetime teaching, she lives in a cabin among tall cedarpine trees in the alpine village of Crestline in the mountains a mile above the Pacific Ocean.

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DEHLIA MENDENHALL – FRIGUS UMBRA

Dehlia is a graduate of Metropolitan State University of Denver with a Bachelor’s in Creative Writing. She works from home and enjoys travel, baking, and spooky stuff.

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SANDRA D. SIMMER- THE UNINVITED VISITOR

Sandra D. Simmer likes to write short stories and memoirs of her childhood adventures on her family’s Southwest Colorado ranch. She is a member of two writing groups in the Bay Area. Fellow members and muses have encouraged her to explore writing poetry as well. Sandra is a budding author and has two short stories published in anthologies by the Northern California Publishers & Authors (NCPA) organization. Destination: the World Volumes I & II are available on Amazon. She is currently writing her first novel.

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TAUNJA THOMSON- ODE TO AGING

T.M. Thomson’s work has been featured in several journals, including Wild Age Press, The Ekphrastic Review, and These Fragile Lilacs, most recently appearing in The West Trade Review and Borrowed Solace. Her poetry will be featured in upcoming issues of The Voices Project, The Blue Ash Review, and The Pittsburg Poetry Review. Three of her poems have been nominated for Pushcart Awards: “Seahorse and Moon” in 2005, “I Walked Out in January” in 2016, and “Strum and Lull” in 2018. She has co-authored Frame and Mount the Sky, a chapbook of ekphrastic poetry (2017), and is the author of Strum and Lull (2019) and The Profusion (2019). She has a writer’s page at https://www.facebook.com/TaunjaThomsonWriter/. When she’s not writing, she can be found communing with cats, playing in the mud, or spinning.

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KATE MACDONALD- DIFFERENT DRUM

Kate Macdonald is a septuagenarian insomniac who has returned to writing only in the past few months. She has had five poems published in Stardust Review. She has also had two short stories published, one in Stardust Review, the other in “Nonsensically Challenged” which is for charity.

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JAMES SCHNEIDER -FATHER OF THE SEA

J. Russell Schneider is a poet who delves into the darkest corners of the psyche. He finds whimsy in the macabre and ghoulishness in the fanciful. Publications of his poetry include Jitter Press, Inwood Indiana, and Coffin Bell.

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ALAN MEYROWITZ – SPECIAL DAYS

Alan Meyrowitz retired in 2005 after a career in computer research. His writing has appeared in Dark Ink Anthology, Eclectica, Esthetic Apostle, Existere, From Whispers to Roars, Inwood Indiana, Jitter, The Literary Hatchet, The Nassau Review, Poetry Quarterly, Schuylkill Valley Journal, Shark Reef, Shroud, Spirit’s Tincture, and others. 

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A big round of applause for the selected participants whose work will get published in the A tribute to Lord Byron poetry book.