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Poet Laureate of the State of Illinois Angela Jackson Announces Leslie Jackson Poetry Contest Winners

Press Releases
By Laura Kenton

December 9, 2024

For Immediate Release   

Contact:
Laura Kenton 
Phone: (312) 961 - 9040
Email: poet.laureate@ilhumanities.org

CHICAGO, DECEMBER 9, 2024 — Illinois Poet Laureate Angela Jackson implemented a third poetry contest. This one was targeted to high school junior and senior students. The Leslie Jackson Woman of Admiration poetry contest was a tribute to her sister-in-law who, although wasn’t famous, made significant contributions within the organizations she served and her community. 

“Drawing from my memories as a young writer, I want to encourage young people to write what’s on their minds as well as their hearts, said Jackson. “I draw a great deal of inspiration from my family. In fact, the first poem I wrote was about my mother. This themed contest allows writers to bridge their love of writing with someone they love.”

Assisting Jackson with the judging were Whittney Jones and Joseph Dominic Saunders, appointed Ambassadors of Poetry, a program Jackson initiated at the beginning of her tenure as Illinois Poet Laureate in 2020 to allow young poets to conduct residencies and promote poetry throughout the state, making poetry accessible and engaging for diverse audiences. 

Each poem was judged in 10 categories with a maximum total score of 100. Submissions were received from throughout the state. The contest proved to be highly competitive resulting in a tie for Second place. First and Second-place winners will receive cash prizes of $1,000 and $500 respectively. The prize money was donated by Ms. Jackson’s brother George Jackson in honor of his wife Leslie, a woman of admiration.

 

  • 1st Place Winner ($1,000) – Grandmom by Sydney D (Carbondale High School)
  • 2nd Place Winner ($500) – Women of Admiration by Alanna M (Limestone Community High School)
  • 2nd Place Winner ($500) – Patriece Gentry by Emalee A (University of Chicago Laboratory
    Schools)

Grandmom was a delight! It was a fresh look at a grandmother! I could really see this woman that was painted with such love,” said Jackson. 

“This is unique,” exclaimed Jackson as she read Women of Admiration by Alanna M. “It says so much about the contributions of so many women.”

“Your poem comes alive when you describe her (Patriece Gentry) as a kaleidoscope. I would like to read more of that,” said Jackson in response to Emalee A.’s winning submission. 

Winning Poems

About Illinois Poet Laureate and contest judge Angela Jackson

Jackson is in her fourth year of her gubernatorial appointment as Poet Laureate of the State of Illinois. The Chicago poet, playwright, and novelist is the fifth Illinois Poet Laureate. She has three published chapbooks and four volumes of poetry. She has received numerous honors for both fiction and poetry, including the Black Excellence Lifetime Achievement Award from the Black Ensemble Theater, the Pushcart Prize, the Poetry Society of America’s Shelley Memorial Award, and fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Illinois Arts Council. Her poetry collection All These Roads Be Luminous (1998) was nominated for the National Book Award, her debut novel, Where I Must Go (2009) won the American Book Award, and It Seems Like a Mighty Long Time (2015) was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize in Poetry among other awards. Jackson’s recent awards include the 2021 Lifetime Achievement Award from the African American Arts Alliance’s Black Excellence Awards, the Poetry Foundation’s 2022 Ruth Lily Poetry Prize Award, and most recently, The African America Literature and Culture Society’s Darwin Turner Award in recognition of her contributions to literature. Jackson also participates in the Illinois Humanities’ Gwendolyn Brooks Youth Poetry Awards program and currently serves in residence with Illinois Humanities. 

About the Guest Judges

Whittney Jones
Jones is the author of The Old Works (The Heartland Review Press, 2019), a poetry chapbook. Her poems have been published in Blackbird, Beloit Poetry Journal, Crab Orchard Review, Ninth Letter, Third Coast, and RHINO, among others. She was a winner of the Gwendolyn Brooks Poetry Award in the 2014 Illinois Emerging Writers Competition.

Joseph Dominic Saunders
Saunders is a talented poet, teacher, and mentor to youth of all ages throughout the City of Chicago and beyond. As an Ambassador of Poetry, he goes beyond conducting numerous residencies throughout Chicago exposing youth to various poets and encouraging them to create their own poems. 

About Illinois Humanities

Illinois Humanities, the Illinois affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities, is a statewide nonprofit organization that activates the humanities through free public programs, grants, and educational opportunities that foster reflection, spark conversation, build community, and strengthen civic engagement. We provide free, high-quality humanities experiences throughout Illinois, particularly for communities of color, individuals living on low incomes, counties and towns in rural areas, small arts and cultural organizations, and communities highly impacted by mass incarceration. Founded in 1974, Illinois Humanities is supported by state, federal, and private funds. Stay connected with us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn @ILHumanities.

Office of the Illinois Poet Laureate
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