Bi-State Development Agency of Missouri-Illinois Metropolitan District's Metro Arts in Transit has selected 14 winners for the 2017 MetroLines poetry contest. Local poets were invited to enter their work for consideration, and 14 poems were chosen from more than 230 submissions. Each winning poet will receive a $100 prize and will have their original work reproduced on posters and displayed on MetroBus vehicles and MetroLink trains for up to a year.
The winning artists and the titles of their works are:
- Jane Wayne, "Natural Habitat"
- John Savoie, "These Nights"
- Matthew Freeman, "You Turn Into Something Else"
- Maria Balogh, "Oh, Empty Look"
- Catherine Rankovic, "Babushka"
- Linda O'Connell, "Family Reunion"
- Becca Lozano, "Relaxation"
- Robert Rohe, "Diction"
- Robin Luo, "Awake"
- Jennifer Goldring, "These petunias,"
- Holly Goldfarb, "Interstate 70 at Twilight"
- Monica Obradovic, "The Rising Moon"
- Katherine Gordon. "TO A FRIEND PRONE TO ANALYZING ALL HER LOVE AFFAIRS"
- Craig Small, "Sitting on the Metro"
"I am constantly thrilled at the abundant artistic talent and creativity that our community is home to,” said David Allen, director of Metro Arts in Transit. "We are excited to share these winning poems with our passengers, and give them a new way to experience poetry and an even more enjoyable ride on Metro.”
The MetroLines posters will be installed on MetroBus vehicles and MetroLink trains later in September. They will also be showcased at the MetroLines Poetry Reading and Reception on Thursday, September 21, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Regional Arts Commission, located at 6128 Delmar Boulevard.
Poetry and art lovers will be able to meet the poets, hear the winning poems and also hear from the reception’s featured reader, poet Dana Levin. Levin is the author of four poetry books, and her work has appeared in several anthologies and publications, including Best American Poetry 2015, The New York Times, Los Angeles Review of Books, Boston Review, The American Poetry Review, Poetry, and The Paris Review. Levin currently serves as Distinguished Writer in Residence at Maryville University in St. Louis.
MetroLines is supported by funding from the Regional Arts Commission and the Missouri Arts Council.
