Clay County Poetry Contest --IT'S A TIE for FIRST PLACE

Clay County Historical and Art Council in Hayesville, North Carolina recently announced the winners of their 23 Annual adult Poetry Contest which is open each year to practicing poets who reside in Clay County, North Carolina. This year's poetry judge Nancy Simpson found it impossible to name a winner among the top two finalists. Two poets were named in a tie for first place --left to right--Linda Grayson Jones and Kimberly Chastain at an Evening of Art and Poetry held at Hayesville High School Lecture Hall on April 22, 2014.

Dr. Linda G. Jones, Associate Professor of Biology,Dean of the Division of Mathematics and Science at Young Harris College.

She joined the faculty of Young Harris College in 2009 and teaches human anatomy and physiology, animal physiology, comparative anatomy, developmental biology and various seminar courses. She earned her B.S. in biology from Stetson University, and both her M.A. in biology and Ph.D. in pathology from Vanderbilt University. She completed her postdoctoral studies in pharmacology at the University of California, San Diego.

She won First Place for her poem "The Bloody Pond Shiloh April 6-7, 1862"

Kimberly Chastain writes almost exclusively of her home in the Southern Appalachian Mountains. She teaches English at Hayesville Middle School. She won First Place for her poem, "High Fields."

Second Place went to Rana Williams ( not pictured) for her poem 

"To Mother Nature."

to read her poem, click here http://ranawilliam.blogspot.com/2014/05/to-mother-nature-by-rana-williams.html

Third Place went to Dorothy James (not pictured) for her poem 

"The Church on the Deck.

Alice Andrews received Honorable Mention for her poem "I Don't Remember."

Poetry Contest Judge Nancy Simpson was present at the award ceremony, and she read a  selection of her mountain poems from her most recent book, LIVING ABOVE THE FROST LINE New and Selected Poems published at Carolina Wren Press in Durham,NC.

http://carolinawrenpress.org/books-and-merchandise/poetry/living-above-the-frost-line