I apologize for not posting these sooner. Life got away from me a bit. But, I am happy to announce the winners of the 2017 Naomi Cherkofsky contest. If possible, join us at the Open Mic, Beverly Public Library, April 22, 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
- Otto Laske, Gloucester, Mass, for the poem “July Garden.”
- Jennifer Revill, Middleton, Mass, for the poem “Seven Turkeys.”
- Richard Samuel Davis, Byfield, Mass., for the poem “Magic Act.”
Honorable mentions, which were not ranked so are simply listed wily nily:
- Mark Hudson, Evanston, Ill, for the poem “Ostrich Eggs.”
- Linda Werner, Marblehead, Mass., for the poem “For Closure.”
- Sandra Thaxter, Newburyport, Mass., for the poem “Geronimo’s Bones.”
- Martha Perry, Rockport, Mass., for the poem “Allahu Akbar.”
- Jennifer Revill, Middleton, Mass., for the poem, “The Note We Found in Grandma’s Purse.”
Thank you to all who entered poems. It was a very good group and a tough competition. Congratulations to those who won!
North Shore Poets' Forum 
I hope the winners were notified more than 1 hour and 19 minutes before the readings. And it’s Linda WERBNER – no Werner.
I have received this year’s poems as of today, April 7, and I’ll try to be better about notifying the winners in a timely fashion. I have to contact the contest chair when the judging is complete, so she can tell me the names of the winners! Then I’ll post the names on the web page. In any case, I hope you can join us for the reading on April 21.