Give a big round of applause to the grand winner:

ARBORVITAE & RED TAIL - PATRICK TROMBLY
Patrick published poetry in 1989-1990 while a student at the College of the Holy Cross, in Massachusetts. He has returned to writing for publication in 2025, with several poems accepted for publication in 2026.

Cue the confetti for our first runner-up:

WHO WINS? - STEVE GERSON
Steve Gerson’s chapbooks include Once Planed Straight; Viral; And the Land Dreams Darkly; The 13th Floor: Step into Anxiety; What Is Isn’t; There is a Season; Have Not; Who Am I Today; and Dystopia.

Beat the drums for our second runner-up:

THE PSYCHOLOGIST OF POETS - AREF MALEMI
Aref Malemi is an Iranian poet, born in 1996. His published works include Pause of the Storm and Individual Gathering. He has received several awards, including recognition at the Wingless Dreamer International Festival in India, as well as national honors such as the Mim Moayed Festival, the Simorgh Festival, and the Faraspid Festival.

Sound the trumpets for our top finalists:

CHAMBER ROUNDS - HOWARD OSBORNE
Howard is a UK citizen, retired. Published author of non-fiction reference book, scientific papers and poetry. Interests mainly creative writing (poetry, novel, short stories, songs and scripts), music and travel

THE LANDSCAPE OF PORTRAIT - ALEX PHUONG
Alex Andy Phuong earned his Bachelor of Arts in English from California State University—Los Angeles in 2015. He was a former Statement Magazine editor who currently writes about literature, film, and culture. He also earned an Associate of Arts in English from Pasadena City College in 2013, and tutored there. He has written hundreds of film reviews for MovieBoozer, and has contributed articles to Mindfray. His writing has appeared in The Bookends Review and The Society of Classical Poets. Emma Stone inspired Alex to submit writing actively to publications after hearing the Oscar-nominated song, “Audition (The Fools Who Dream)” from the “Best Picture” nominee La La Land (2016). His poetry collection is An Altruistic (Cyberwit.net, 2020). Currently residing in Alhambra, California, he now writes with the sincerest hope to inspire readers while fully supporting the ones who dare to pursue their dreams.

SPILLVILLE SANCTUARY - LARA DOLPHIN
A descendant of immigrants, Lara Dolphin lives with her family among the Allegheny Mountains of Central Pennsylvania on the ancestral land of the Susquehannock/Iroquois people. She has written three chapbooks In Search Of The Wondrous Whole, Chronicle Of Lost Moments, and At Last a Valley. She, like countless others, hopes for a world filled with greater peace.

WAITING FOR WINGS TO FLY - MARSHA SOLOMAN
Marsha Solomon has been living and working as a poet and a painter in New York. Her work has received extensive critical attention and has been written about in international, national, regional and local publications like Long Island Pulse Magazine, The Guardian UK, Chelsea News, Art Week, The Suffolk News, Art Slant, and the Daily Record.

WE ARE A PATTERNED CARPET - AZIM MORADI
Azim Moradi (b. 1997, Iran) is an Iranian poet. He is the author of the poetry collection Not Losing to Forever, which won the Iran Book of the Year Award in Poetry (selected by journalists) and was nominated for the Iran Golden Pen Award.

THE VOICE - ROLLIN JEWETT
Rollin Jewett is an award winning playwright, screenwriter, singer/songwriter, poet, actor, author and photographer. His screenwriting credits include Daylight to Dark, Laws of Deception and American Vampire. His short stories, poetry and photography have been published in numerous literary magazines and anthologies and his plays have been produced off-Broadway and all over the world.


Strike the bells, raise the lights, and hold your breath! For all our brave contributors:

DINNER AT SPARKY’S - BILL SIMMONS

WHAT CANNOT BE SPOKEN - LINA BUIVIDAVIČIŪTĖ

A DIAMOND’S ROUGHNESS - REEBIE ANN FLOWERS

ARROGANCE - JOSIE MCKENZIE

REMEMBERING THE POLTERGEISTS OF PARK SLOPE - LindaAnn LoSchiavo

SILK PAJAMAS - JENNIFER WEIGEL

SPECTRUM HER VOICE - JAMES PH. KOTSYBAR

SAUDADE - ALEXIS ANDRADE

WHAT DO YOU WORSHIP? - JENNY HART

AN ODE TO ARTISTS - JUDY HA

DON’T RUSH THE RHYME - CORVUS AERO

WORLD OF GLASS - YUSUF ISMAIL

FOOTPRINTS - VIRGINIA ELIZABETH SAMUEL

SOBREITY IS A FOOL’S GAME - KEWAYNE WADLEY

MIDNIGHT - NEKESHA BROWN

THE NIGHT - ELIZABETH AGRE

IT WOULD HAVE TO BE, SOME OTHER DAY - GAVIN BOURKE

THE LAND OF RECALL - MICHELLE SMITH

COMMUNION - ERIN C. KYLE

SORRY, IS NOT GOOD ENOUGH - LEOTIS HARGROVE

DUST MEMORIA - JAS HOWAN

YOU SEEM TOO - AJ CHILSON

SAND SENSE SAND DOLLARS - JAMES HIGGINS

TO MY SON ON YOUR WEDDING DAY - JACQUELYN MADDALOZZO

UNWRITTEN CLOCKS - HOPE CRAIG

UNLEASHED - ASHOK JAHAGIRDAR

THE MEMORY OF DAWN - SYLWIA HALUB

MOTHER, I - NAIMAL SHERAZ

MICHAEL JACKSON - CHARLES JACOBSON

SPOILED - SONIA BHOJANI

AFTER THE HORIZON REFUSED - COURTNEY LIU

THE EPHEMERAL TRILOGY - RYAN RAHMAN

PURELY DOMESTIC - TERRY BRINKMAN

Congratulations to all the winners! Today, we celebrate poetry and the voices that keep it alive. Don’t forget to get your hands on your copies—they’re now available on Amazon. If you’re looking for editors who truly understand your writing style and edit with care and respect for your voice, feel free to reach out to us. We offer professional editorial support at a minimal cost. Learn more here: https://www.winglessdreamer.com/editorial-services