SAN FRANCISCO, CA – DECEMBER 1, 2024 – James Morehead, current Poet Laureate of Dublin, California, and founder of Viewless Wings has nominated six poems that were submitted to and appeared on the Viewless Wings Poetry Podcast in 2024 for the Pushcart Prize 2026. Read on to learn more about the nominated poems and poets:
- Alton and Aaliyah by Dolapo Demuren
- ràithean by Eartha Davis
- A Defense of Vermin by Peter Carellini
- African Black Soap Burns Me Now by Dereka Smith
- Which Is To Say… by Breanna Reyes
- Under by Scott Pleasants
Alton and Aaliyah by Dolapo Demuren
I had to play make-believe with my sister:
had to come to tea, to baking class...
Excerpt from Alton and Aaliyah
Dolapo Demuren is a Nigerian-American writer from the Washington D.C. metropolitan area. He received his B.A. in Writing Seminars from Johns Hopkins University and M.F.A from Columbia University. Currently, he is a doctoral candidate in Education at the University of Southern California. His honors include a fellowship from the Cave Canem Foundation and The Academy for Teachers, as well as scholarships from the Bread Loaf Writers Conference. His poems and other writings are featured in the Adroit Journal, Frogpond Journal, Prelude Magazine, and Small Orange Journal. He teaches creative writing at the University of Maryland College Park, where he is currently the Associate Director of the Jiménez-Porter Writers’ House.
ràithean by Eartha Davis
Look: seasons
are softening
under
our
hands / tufting...
Excerpt from ràithean
Eartha Davis is a 19-year-old Ngāpuhi-Albannach woman living on Wiradjuri land. She placed second in the 2022 Global Woorilla Poetry Prize Youth Section and has been nominated for Best of the Net, with work published or forthcoming in Wildness, Rabbit, Frozen Sea, Minarets, South Florida Poetry Journal, JMWW, LEON Literary Review, Arboreal Magazine, ELJ Editions, Boats Against the Current, the Basilisk Tree, the Stirling Review, Where the Meadows Reside, Eucalyptus Lit, Uppagus, Blue Marble, Discretionary Love, Sour Cherry Magazine, Revolute, & Eunoia Review, among others. She is a poetry editor at 3 journals and dreams of birds.
A Defense of Vermin by Peter Carellini
My heart weeps for shady vermin They who scurry in pre-war nooks not caulked And under the eyes of social climbers, dwindle How I loathe parameters of holy and hellish!....
Excerpt from A Defense of Vermin
Peter is a filmmaker, photographer, actor and writer based in NYC. His photography and poems, short stories, and essays have been published in over a half dozen publications – including Travel + Leisure, Bruxelles Art Vue, Mythos Magazine – while his directorial film debut “Hello, World!” had its public premiere at the Greenpoint Gallery in October of 2021. He currently works as a background extra actor in several NYC film and television productions, while workshopping upcoming screenplays, stage plays, and a full novel. In his spare time, Peter loves to disco roller skate, find new things to do with his prosthetic, and travel the world!
African Black Soap Burns Me Now by Dereka Smith
When I was a kid, I wondered if my mother ever questioned why the dermatologist
told her to bathe me in bleach...
Excerpt from African Black Soap Burns Me Now
I’m a burgeoning Mississippi poet based in Houston, Texas. My affair with poetry began in high school here, in the fertile ground of the South’s literary heritage. Now, I enhance my skills at the Imprint House based here in H-Town, where workshops with local fellows and talented writers are challenging and inspiring me daily to grow and expand my creative expression. While doing this, I’m currently working on my first poetry collection “Swamp Girl” which explores youth, deep reflections on childhood trauma, mental illness, spirituality, and the nuanced experience of being an African American woman in America.
Which Is To Say… by Breanna Reyes
My father’s name is Jamie, it’s Hebrew for Supplanter which means to take over someone
which means to over power
which is to say
Maybe he never had a chance ...
Excerpt from Which Is To Say…
Breanna Reyes is a 26 year old Indigenous author. She has been published in a number of journals and anthologies. Breanna is currently writing full time and settling into motherhood. She lives in sunny central California with her husband, daughter, and various little animals. When not writing she can be found in nature, hiking, camping, and exploring with her family.
Under by Scott Pleasants
she was grown from the seed of strange fruit
that lay just beneath the decay of ashes...
Excerpt from Under
Scott Pleasants is the first and current Poet Laureate for the Township of Teaneck, New Jersey. He is originally from The Bronx, New York and is expressing his thoughts through the lens of a seasoned transportation executive and U.S. Air Force Veteran. A published poetry author who allows his words to rhythmically tell the story of our journey. Scott has been recognized on the local and state levels. He has performed poetry at many venues including the Nuyorican Poets Cafe in NYC, Busboy & Poets in D.C. and his poetry has been featured at Harvard University.
The Pushcart Prize: Best of the Small Presses series, published every year since 1976, is the most honored literary project in America – including Highest Honors from the American Academy of Arts and Letters.
Since 1976, hundreds of presses and thousands of writers of short stories, poetry and essays have been represented in our annual collections. Each year most of the writers and many of the presses are new to the series. Every volume contains an index of past selections, plus lists of outstanding presses with addresses.
The Pushcart Prize has been a labor of love and independent spirits since its founding. It is one of the last surviving literary co-ops from the 60’s and 70’s. Our legacy is assured by donations to our Fellowships endowment.
0 Comments