Category: Commentary

Commentaries, presentations, and interviews

Says Who?

The qualifications of the judges always comes to mind in any competition, and incredibly so in a field like poetry. There are lofty contests with scholarly judges in universities around the world, and perhaps some of the students who shared with us here will go on to participate in that sort of excellence. But who is there to see a grade-school poem for what it is, here? Who can judge the emerging artistry of now?

The first part of that answer is not a who, but a where: Austin Community College. With the imagination of Dean Mathew Daude-Laurents, ACC runs a variety of Vision+Voice competitions meant to showcase the wonder and necessity of subjects that require more creative and critical thought. The K-12 competition celebrates where that thought grows from, and the importance of early education.

This competition has seen a variety of judges throughout its cycles, but all share a similar appreciation and a connection to ACC. The 2022 cycle brought a unique mix of perspectives and experience. So who are they? In their own words:

W. Joe Hoppe taught Creative Writing and English at ACC from 1996-2020. He has a Master’s Degree in English with a concentration in Creative Writing from UT and was a post-graduate Michener Fellow. His poetry has appeared in numerous periodicals and anthologies, and he has two full-length poetry books: Galvanized (2007, Dalton Publishing), and Diamond Plate (2012, Obsolete Publishing). His newest collection of poems is Hotrod Golgotha (2020, Obsolete Publishing). Joe has served as a Vision+Voice judge since it began in 2013.

Christina Brunson is a single mom; grandmother; sister to sixteen siblings; friend; multi-passionate entrepreneur; writer for a local news magazine; poet; ghostwriter; advocate for people and the arts; and a Creative Writing major. She’s one who challenges those who say she can’t do whatever she’s capable of. Simply put, she’s unapologetically vivacious and unstoppable.

Juniper Maldonado is a writer and poet who found their passion for literature as a student at ACC. They have since had work featured in the Rio Review and acted as co-editor for the Spring 2022 issue. They are currently busy hosting poetry readings and interning at ACC in support of the Creative Writing Program. 

Ysella Fulton Slavin is the Outreach Coordinator for LHAC and is an adjunct professor for ACC Composition and Literary Studies. For over 20 years, she taught Literature and Creative Writing at El Paso Community College, was faculty sponsor for the award winning literary journal Chrysalis, and founder of EPCC’s Community Literary Center PaPaGaYo. She has an MFA from American University and her work has been published in numerous literary journals such as Folio, The Juggler, American Literary, BorderSenses among others. She is also the author of the novel Pomegranate published by Stanley Publishing and is currently working on its sequel Rosemary and Cilantro.

Both Juniper Maldonado and Christina Brunson were students at ACC during the course of the contest, both familiar and passionate about poetry and still in close contact with a student’s mindset. Similarly, Joe Hoppe and Ysella Fulton-Slavin’s experience as educators kept a sense of focus on the author’s point of view throughout the judging process. Vision+Voice is committed to continuing the trend to strengthen and foster the growing writing community.

Feedback from our judges

Thank you to everyone who submitted to this year’s Vision and Voice K-12 competition. We saw a lot of amazing entries and have announced our winners. Well done, Poets!

What is it that makes a good poem? One of the most beautiful (and frustrating) things about poetry is how subjective it is, how everyone who reads or writes it has a different idea of what it means. Below are comments from this year’s judges on what made some of our winning poems outstanding and insights on how they might apply to one’s own writing.

Judge Ysella Fulton-Slavin

On Mila G.’s Blue: “Love the use of the color Blue paired with tangible adjective.”

Using words that relate to the five senses allow poems to feel more tangible, more relatable, and more real.

On Lily G.’s Day Time Monsters: “ Very powerful poem–especially the line, ‘I am a child,/ do not say I thought this was a game.’”

Poems don’t have to be pretty. They can be used to make powerful statements.

On River M.’s chamomile: “I really love this poem–so full of wonderful, tangible images.”

Images are the building blocks of poetry; what the words make our minds see.

Judge Christina Brunson

On Leon S.’s Oculus: “The title caused me to look up its definition on my phone. A brilliant beginning to an interesting piece of work. Well done!”

A poem’s title can be just as important as the poem itself.

On Rainy B.’s The Sunbath of Glory: “The elusiveness of which animal is being described is fun in this poem. Well done!”

Describing something without saying what it is can be very interesting and gives room for the reader’s imagination.

On Marina A.’s Vovo: “I cried when reading this one. The innocence of this child’s love and adoration was well described. The sights, sounds, and smells are outlined beautifully. Awesome job!”

Memories can be full of emotion, detail, and can be an inspiring place to write from.

Judge Juniper Maldonado

On Sydney M.’s Snow, Heat, Cold: “The simplicity of this poem is really effective… I love how the meanings of simple words are shown to be both constant and multifaceted.”

Words can have different meanings in different contexts, like different shades of the same color.

On Farrah K.’s Paper Planes: “The imagery of the paper plane as a parallel to the commentary on childhood is interesting. Good use of a semicolon.”

Punctuation in poetry can be confusing, but can help keep things organized.

Judge W. Joe Hoppe

On Inez G.’s El avión de papel: “Excellent flow and imagery–feels like a paper airplane floating down the page. Lovely idea and metaphor.”

Focusing on a single image or theme can be really effective.

On Alexander D.’s GRITS: “Nice image and smooth flow–kind of like good grits.”

Flow is all about how well words go together, how they sound out loud and in our heads.

On Aden P.’s A sad background: “Poet uses personal history to make art (I assume it is autobiographical). Very glad that they are now loved and cared for.”

Poems can be used to express intense feelings and let your readers experience feelings along with you.

On Katelyn O.’s Monopoly: “Thoughtful and class conscious. Good points made in an interesting way.”

For as much as poems can express emotions, they can also be calls to action. They can be revolutionary.