The grand winner of the writing contest is:
METAPHOR IS BOTH FLOTSAM AND JETSAM - KERSTEN CHRISTIANSON
Kersten Christianson derives inspiration from wild, wanderings, and all that glitters and shines. Her newest poetry collection is The Ordering of Stars (Sheila-Na-Gig Editions 2026). Additionally, she is the poetry editor of the quarterly journal, Alaska Women Speak. Kersten lives in Sitka, Alaska, where she eyeballs tides, shops Old Harbor Books, and hoards smooth ink pens. The arm of her writing hand is adorned with colorful tattoos from the Yukon, including the image of Zhùr, a 57,000-year-old wolf pup discovered in the permafrost near Dawson City, Yukon, placed among an array of flowers, birds, stars, and lyrics by Stevie Nicks.

The first runner-up is:
THE ALCHEMY OF DUST AND WATER - JENNY KATHERINE HART
Jenny Katherine Hart is an author, storyteller, and community advocate based in Gifford, Washington. Immersed in the natural beauty of her surroundings, she writes poetry and fiction exploring human connection and resilience. She finds creative expression through nature photography and wandering the outdoors with her dogs, Preacher and Ivy.

The second runner-up is:
THROUGH HIS EYES - HOLLY KEEHN
Holly Keehn is a teacher and writer from Gig Harbor, Washington. Her work reflects the intersections of motherhood, memory, and the natural world. When she isn’t teaching second graders, she can be found writing poetry or exploring the Pacific Northwest with her family.

The top finalists are:
THE CRACK IN THE SAUCER - ASHOK JAHAGIRDAR
Ashok Jahagirdar writes at the edge of ordinary things—cracked dishes, bent spoons, the dust on a windowsill—looking for where memory hides. He believes a poem should feel like turning over a stone you've stepped past a thousand times.

INITIALLY IAMBIC - ANDY BETZ
Andy Betz has tutored and taught in excess of 42 years, lives in 1974, and has been married for 33 years. His works are found everywhere a search engine operates.

I BECAME IMMUNE TO RAINS - MARINA KAZAKOVA
Marina Kazakova (b. Gorky, Russia, 1983) is a Russian-born Belgium-based poet. Published internationally in magazines and journals as well as being the author of two books in art research by frACTalia Press, Marina is a frequent performer, she has been shortlisted at various international poetry festivals and art events. She is the author of the verse novel “Tishe…Piano”, the film adaptation of which was shortlisted for the Leuven International Short Film Festival in 2013, the Miami Indie Wise Festival in 2018, XpoNorth Festival in 2018, and received ‘The Best Narrative Short’ Award at the 2015 International Film Festival behalf Savva Morozov in Moscow. Marina is the author of two books in art research published by frACTalia Press: “SYMPHONISM as a strategy of translating a lyric poem into drawings. In conversation with Bart Dewolf”, 2022, ISBN: 978-606-9028-58-2 “Symphonism as a strategy of translating a lyric poem into an audio-visual aria”, 2023, ISBN: 978-606-9028-74-2 Marina is equipped with a master’s degree in public relations from the State Linguistic University of Nizhny Novgorod, complemented by an advanced Master in Transmedia from Sint-Lukas Brussel. Notably, she holds a Doctorate in Arts from KU Leuven/LUCA School of Arts, underscoring her commitment to academic excellence and interdisciplinary perspectives. Marina is an active member of INSL, the International Network for the Study of Lyric, a clearinghouse of information on current advances in the study of poetic theory.

AWAY AT THE LAKE, TO STAY IN THE BLUE HIGH - GAVIN BOURKE
Bourke from Dublin in Ireland holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in English, Human Development and Irish from Dublin City University, a Master of Arts Degree in Modern Drama Studies from University College Dublin and a Higher Diploma in Information Studies from University College Dublin. His work broadly covers nature, time, memory, addiction, mental health, human relationships, the inner and outer life, creating meaning and purpose, politics, contemporary and historical social issues, injustice, the human situation, power and its abuse, absurdism, existentialisms, human psychology, cognition, emotion and behaviour, truth and deception, the sociological imagination, illness, socio-economics, disability, inclusivity, the human life and situation, selfishness and its consequences, urban and rural life, personal autonomy, ethics, commerce, science, grand schemes and the technological life in English and to a lesser extent in the Irish Language. Gavin has won international competitions for both book-length.


CONTINUED POEMS ON THE MOON & MY MOTHER - LETA IRIS
Leta Iris (she/they) is a bisexual, two-spirited midwestern poet with a BA in English + a concentration in Creative Nonfiction and a minor in Creative Writing. She is the author of two poetry collections, when summer fades to fall and the fruits of her bittersweet sadness, left to rot. Iris is pursuing an MFA in Writing through the University of Nebraska, concentrating in Poetry. She is published in South Broadway Press, 13th Floor Magazine– and has pieces featured in the Experiences of Femininity exhibit at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. Leta takes pride in her Cherokee/Apache heritage, with her Indigenous name meaning “cheerful spirit.” She enjoys caffeine, thrifting trinkets and collecting purses. You can usually find her beneath a fuzzy blanket, book in hand while cuddled up with her Blue-Heeler Beagle mix, Buffy. letairiswrites.com / @tangledflxwers

MOTHER’S LOVE GROWING BACKWARDS - VINITA AGRAWAL
Vinita Agrawal lives in Indore, India. She has authored seven books of poetry and edited two anthologies on climate change. She is the recipient of the Jayanta Mahapatra National Award for Literature 2024, the Proverse Prize Hongkong 2021, the Rabindranath Tagore Literary Prize 2018 and the Gayatri GaMarsh Memorial Award for Literary Excellence, USA, 2015. She co-edits the Yearbook series of Indian Poetry in English. She has also authored a children’s fiction book Jade and the Harmony Flyers. She was former Poetry Editor with Usawa Literary Review. She is on the Advisory Board of the Tagore Literary Prize. www.vinitawords.com

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST - 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.

Here are our selected contributors:

ALF FIGHTS AGAINST TV RADIATION - LINA BUIVIDAVIČIŪTĖ
TRAGEDY ON THE WARNING TRACK - A.J. CHILSON
UNDER THE WORD OF THE SAME BLUE SKY - ALEX ANDY PHUONG
IN THE PRESENT TENSE - HOWARD OSBORNE
EVEN WHEN SHOE BUYING, A LOVE POEM - STEVE GERSON
STONE COLD - JOANNE MACIAS
A WRITTEN SONG - REEBIE ANN FLOWERS
HEART IN HIS HAND - LEOTIS LAMAR HARGROVE
LUCKY LITTLE STAR - STEPHANIE WHIBBS GONZALEZ
SQUIRRELS IN THE SOFFITS - GABRIEL MCLEOD
ISLE OF HYMENIA, ENDLESS WINTER - TETIANA YATSECHKO- BLAZHENKO
WHAT MAKES A PAINTER - RAFAEL VAZQUEZ QUINTERO
SOLEMN HOUR - SARA CLEMENTE- GOTTARDI
WHEN THE WARM SUMMER SHARED ITS SWEETEST GIFT - THOMAS KORON
TERRA EARTH, SUN’S HALO - SUE ANNE BORDWELL
DONUT DAY - TERRY BRINKMAN
NOW FREE? - RICHARD S. CHIOCHIOS
YOU KEEP FORGETTING TO REMEMBER ME - RILEY DANVERS
EVERY OTHER WEEKEND - CATY MCCLUNG
THE GAMES I’LL TEACH - THAIS HAMILTON
THOSE BREATH MINTS - JENNIFER WEIGEL
THIEF OF MY SKIN - CARRIE FARRAR
MY GEMINI - REBEKAH TELLER
HOPELESS SONNET - MIA BARBER
EROTIC A-HA! - GEORGE MORRIS
BLOOD - DINAH HENRY
WHAT SURVIVES IS THIS: - MICHAEL COLLINS
KNOW IT - BALLALESHWAR TELA
HITTING PAUSE - ED AHERN
BEAST AND BEAUTY - KIMBERLY TRIGG
CHEW - CHENYI WU
BRUISED FRUIT - EMMA
MY MOMENTS… WITH MELANIE MCNABB - AMY L. IMPERO
FATE OR LUCK - HELENA GREY
EVERGREEN - KARLA LACEY
THE DAILY GRIND - STACEY CHURCHILL
HURT - BAILEE RUDOLPH

On behalf of the Wingless Dreamer Team, Congratulations to all the selected participants. Keep dreaming. Keep writing. Keep inspiring. The book is now available on Amazon.com