2024 Vázquez-Valarezo Poetry Award winners announced

Caitlin Campbell's poem "places with blue" won the 25th annual Vázquez-Valarezo Poetry Award at Augustana. Campbell is a senior from Romeoville, Ill., a double major in creative writing and multimedia journalism and mass communication.

Of the winning poem, the judges noted: "The title and images do evocative work that create the experience of human wreckage, making the consequences of war, even one distanced from us by mythic reimagining, as an argument for unity and peace. 'places with blue' shows us how a little can do a lot."

Lainey Terfruchte's poem "Blowing Apart In the Wind" was awarded second place in the contest. Terfruchte is a senior from Bloomington, Ill., majoring in creative writing and English.

Of Terfruchte's piece, the judges commented: "This poem weaves historical material such as Bob Dylan's famous anthem and Gen. Curtis LeMay's controversial statements into the speaker's present-day ruminations on war and peace. It eschews overly-poetic language and resists easy answers in exploring the limits of armchair activism."

John Flannery's poem "movie night" won third place in the contest. Flannery is a senior from Washington, Iowa, majoring in music performance (piano) and music composition.

Of Flannery's poem, the judges said: "Unique metaphors and sharp, surprising images cohere and amplify beyond the poem's domestic setting to show — not merely tell about — the sensation of unity through physical touch."

The judges were Farah Marklevits, associate professor of English and assistant director of the Reading/Writing Center, and Lucas Street, assistant professor of English and director of the Reading/Writing Center.

The award is sponsored by Dr. Jeanneth Vázquez, professor of Spanish. Winners receive a small monetary award and a certificate of recognition. The award is named in honor of two educators, the late Honorato Vazquez and the late Angelica Valarezo, writers who worked in the field of education in Ecuador for 35 years. 

In addition to recognizing excellence, the award is designed to encourage student poets to submit their work for consideration.