Dorothy Prizes and other blessings

No one gets into poetry for the money. But sometimes, the money from poetry can really help.

The last time I got a notice about the Dorothy Prize (and I didn’t know this yet, but good friend Kelli Agodon was a co-winner with me, back in 2007) I had just gotten back from an overnight hospital stay for a terrible asthma attack, our landlord hadn’t paid the propane bill (apparently) so our rental home’s propane tank was repossessed, and my mother was coming to stay in a house with no heat or hot water. To say the least, I was a little stressed. I walked back into the house from the car, felt so defeated about being sick and having no hot water or heat…and clicked on my e-mail account to read the good news. It could not have come at a better time to cheer me up.

This week was a little better than that – although I did have a very pricey surprise car repair this week, which I was stressing out about, and last night I was worried about the $30-odd dollar ferry tickets it took to get over to my reading in Poulsbo – having sold only one book. (It was a fun reading besides the lack of book-selling, with lots of friends, and a beautiful sunset on the way over.)

But it was a lovely and welcome surprise this morning to hear I had won a Dorothy Prize for my poem, “A Morning of Sunflowers (for Fukushima.)” Other winners include fellow blogger Matthew Thorburn. I am so grateful for any financial support from groups like the Dorothy Sargent Rosenberg fund that are set up to help poets. There are so many stamps, and entry fees, and money spent on classes and books along the path to being a poet, that add up – this kind of gift can go a long way in helping a poet afford to keep writing.
The combination of unexpected February sunshine and this good news makes this an extra-nice Sunday! (and Happy Super Bowl, to those who observe it!)