Three cheers for the winner of Hearts in Orbit Contest. Hip! Hip! Hurray! X3

The universal crown of the best writer in Hearts in Orbit Writing Contest is:

ALICIA WYNEKEN - PORTRAIT OF MOTHER
Alicia is a scholar, writer, and educator. She is currently living in California. She has a Bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Alaska, Fairbanks, a Master’s in Fine Arts, Creative Writing Poetry, and Literature from Antioch University, Los Angeles, and a Master’s of Science in Psychology from Mount Saint Mary’s University, Los Angeles. She is currently a Ph.D. student in Cultural Studies at Claremont Graduate University, Claremont. Alicia is also a consultant for the Foster Kinship program at Antelope Valley College, Palmdale. Alicia is an advocate for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. She adopted four children from the foster care system and is dedicated to advocating for their needs and other foster care children. She grew up in Nice, France, and has family ties to Martinique. Her research, writing, and heart are connected to both landscapes. Alicia’s creative work, essays, and poetry have been published in the US and the UK. As an undergraduate, she revived and edited a journal at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks, titled Tidal Echoes, which continues to thrive over twenty years later. During her free time, you can find Alicia at the Tae Kwon Do studio, ceramics lab, or the beach digging feet into the sand.

The first runner-up is:

WYATT ALEXANDER - A BLINK
Wyatt Alexander is a soon to be (or recent, depending on when this is published) college graduate. The themes and inspirations of his writing vary with form, but he frequently draws from life experiences, his background as a queer Jewish man, and the various pieces of media which drove him to become a creator himself.

The second runner-up is:

TERRY MILLER - AN OCEAN OF STARS
Nottingham England-based writer Terry Miller honed his writing skills as a creative director for a number of advertising and creative agencies. Lately, a successful game inventor, Terry utilizes his skills to create evocative, funny, and sometimes disturbing poetry. Written in an accessible form, Terry's poetry is deceptively complex, often tackling topical issues and exploring deep emotional issues. Terry's poems have featured in several international poetry anthologies. https://www.instagram.com/terrymillerartist/

Here are our top finalists:

OLADEJO ABDULLAH FERANMI - PHASES
Oladejo Abdullah Feranmi is a writer and hakuist from Nigeria. He was shortlist in the Thomas Dylan Poetry contest (youth category) and received nominations for the Best of the Net and Pushcart Awards. Abdullah is actively involved in the literary community, working as a submissions reader at Sea Glass Literary Magazine and editing for The Incognito Press. In 2023, he achieved second runner-up in the Wingless Dreamer's Contest. His work can be found in publications like Paper Crane Journal's 'Outstanding Young Poets '23' and as a finalist in the Hayden's Ferry Review Poetry Prize. His writing appears in Gone Lawn, Salmon Creek Journal, Spare Parts Lit, SPIRITS, The Lumiere Review, Hooligan Magazine, South Dakota Review, among others.

JANET FENDER - THE TWO FACED CLOWN
Janet Fender lives with her husband of over 35 years in Illinois. She writes because she can’t stop. She finds it cathartic. She is inspired by the strangest of things, like an orange cat on a broom flying over the moon stitched on a pillow, a tree in her backyard, her falling face, her bipolar brain, and sometimes a Twitter prompt.

GABRIEL MCLEOD - POLLINATORS
Gabriel is a writer and artist who currently lives on a corner of Earth known as Florida. His work has been featured in The Elephant Journal, Beyond Words Literary Magazine, Storyteller Journal and Wingless Dreamer. He feels blessed to be born as a Creative and is honored to have his work ready by other kindred spirits. He is currently working on his first collection of short stories for publication.

AJ CHILSON - THIS DANCE
A.J. Chilson is an award-winning author of over 30 books; some of the books are poetry collections, but most of them are children's work. He currently lives and works in Winnsboro, Texas, where he hopes to inspire others.

We heartly congratulate to all the winners and to those who participated with us. It doesn't matter whether you win or lose. Together we celebrate poetry. Hasta la vista!