2026 SHORT POEM CONTEST

It’s my privilege to announce that the winner of our short poem contest is Matthew Kirby, for his grace-filled and thoughtful poem “Scene.”

“Scene” will appear in the December issue of Poems for Persons of Interest alongside poems by the three other finalists:

Thank you to all those poets who sent in poems for the contest — while it’s not possible to give a place to everyone’s work, it was a pleasure to read it, and I’m certain many of you will appear in PFPOI (in fact, many of you already have).

The contest was a fundraiser for our poetry editor Sarah Adeyemo, who has recently had a raft of medical issues culminating in an emergency appendectomy. She and I are immensely grateful for everyone who contributed to her expenses with entry fees, donations, and publicity for the contest. It’s been moving to see so many people stepping up to help a fellow poet in need.

Yours with thanks,

Alex Rettie
Editor in Chief, Poems for Persons of Interest

PS: The submission period for our December issue, whose theme is “Home” (broadly construed) runs through October 31. There is no reading fee, and we would love to see your work. Submission Guidelines 

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