Two locals chosen to have their work published in the IPA book

Lee Enslow of Beaver and Linda Pharoah-Carlson of Pilot Mound are among the 368 poets who will be showcased in Iowa Poetry Associations, 183 page book.

Selected from nearly two thousand entries in the Iowa Poetry Association’s annual contest, choices were made by qualified judges from Maine, Connecticut, New York, North Carolina and Washington, as well as Iowa. Over $500 in cash prizes was awarded, as well as publication, to high-ranking poets in Grade School, High School, College and several Adult Division categories.

Submissions came from 76 Iowa counties across the state, from Rock Rapids to Burlington, from Shenandoah to Decorah. Many were first-time entrants, with nearly sixty of them - approximately 18% of the adults - having poems selected for publication in this edition. Content and form of the poems is as varied as vocations and backgrounds of the writers. The winning poem in the National/World Events category dealt with guns and mental health issues, while others explored the personalities of Lance Armstrong, Richard Nixon, and Queen Elizabeth.