The 2nd annual Bliss Morehead Poetry Grant will award $1,000 in April to the winner of a poetry contest. Applicants must be unpublished poets aged 17 or older and reside in one of the five East End towns.
Bliss Morehead was a resident of Shelter Island who dedicated much of her life to the art of poetry. Bliss was the founder and curator of the Shelter Island Poetry Project which produced the annual April Poetry Month readings at the Shelter Island Library. As the curator of the Poetry Project, she called upon poets and readers of poetry to present carefully selected poems revolving around yearly themes. The theme for 2023 is “Past and Future.”
Bliss wrote tirelessly about what she called “the frustrating and occasionally illuminating work we all take upon ourselves when we are snatched up by the demanding nanny/muse and forced to admit that yes, we are poets. Or are attempting to be poets.”
This year’s competition will be judged by Irene Cornell, JoAnn Kirkland and Virginia Walker. To apply for this grant, register on the Shelter Island Library website or contact Jocelyn Ozolins at jozolins@silibrary.org. The deadline for entries is Friday, March 24, 2023. The winner and runners-up will be announced on April 10 and will be invited to a poetry reading at the library on April 28. For more information call 631-749-0042, ext. 108.
Staff Writer on Feb 21, 2023