I don’t know how many times I’ve submitted to this contest. I think 9. It’s a lot. I am thrilled to be among the 50 poets selected by Brian Teare to appear in the 2020 Best New Poets anthology. The poem is one I wrote for a reading series that paired poets with visual artists. I was paired with Miami-based surrealist Alena Rebmann—you can see a poster for the event and the painting that I responded to here.

No surprise; the series was facilitated by Jen Karetnick, who, along with Cat Prescott and Caridad Moro-Gronlier of SWWIM, have moved mountains to create meaningful community and support women poets in Miami.

I’m dreaming of the day I can tell my workshop students about how many times my work didn’t make the cut. Keep shining!