Celebrating its 50th year, the Dyer-Ives Poetry Competition will again be accepting entries Feb. 1 – March 1.
In 1968, at the urging of the Dyer-Ives Foundation founder John Hunting, poet James Allen initiated the Dyer-Ives Poetry Contest. The contest was run by the foundation for 48 years In 2017, the Dyer-Ives Foundation endowed the contest and turned it over to the Grand Rapids Public Library.
“I’m glad I’m still around to see it,” Hunting continues, who founded the competition in 1968 at the urging of poet James Allen, a childhood friend of Hunting’s and at the time, a poetry professor at GVSU. Hunting, a poet himself, says he understands that “poets are sensitive people” and realized that “a little recognition can go a long way to encourage young poets.” Hunting’s conversations with Allen led to the formation of the competition’s mission, which is to “encourage excellence in writing and provide recognition for local work of high quality.” Many Kent County poets receive their first recognition from the Dyer-Ives Poetry Competition.
The contest is open to all residents of Kent County and to students attending classes within Kent County including Grand Valley State University and the Kent Intermediate School District. Poems must be original and unpublished. It is free to enter and only one poem per person will be accepted.
Winners receive a cash prize along with being published in “Voices,” Dyer-Ives Poetry Competition publication. All winners will have the opportunity to read their poem during Festival of the Arts, which is June 1, 2, and 3. Awards and divisions are:
First Division — Kindergarten through Eighth Grade
• 1st Place $100
• 2nd Place $75
• 3rd Place $50
Second Division — High School through Undergraduate
• 1st Place $125
• 2nd Place $100
• 3rd Place $75
Third Division — Graduate Student through Adult
• 1st Place $150
• 2nd Place $125
• 3rd Place $100
Local poets of note comprise the first tier of judging for the competition as they decide which poems continue on to the national judge, who makes the final decisions. Spanning 50 years, the list of national judges reads like a who’s who in the poetry world, including luminaries such as William Stafford, Gwendolyn Brooks, Anne Sexton, James Wright, Diane Wakoski, Robert Bly, Naomi Shihab Nye, former United States Poet Laureate Billy Collins, as well as former Grand Rapids Poet Laureates, Linda Nemec Foster and Patricia Clark.
Judging this year’s contest is author, community organizer and cultural advocate Azizi Jasper. Jasper has shared the stage with rapper/actor Common, poet Gil Scott Heron, Grammy winner Marvin Sapp, Detroit super-group Slum Village, renowned poet Saul Williams, and Min. Luis Farrakhan. He gave the keynote presentation at the Grand Rapids Rosa Parks statute dedication as well as recently dedicating a poem to Detroit Superproducer J-Dilla’s mother during the 5th annual Dilla Day at The Filmore.
Jasper is one of the founding members of Grand Rapids’ poetry collective The Diatribe and is one of the hosts of the largest weekly open mic set in Detroit (The Retort) and also curates a Thursday night show at Nandi’s Knowledge Cafe.
For more information about the Dyer-Ives Poetry Competition, visit grpl.org/dyer-ives/.
