As a way to further showcase the talented writing published on The Milk House, as well as to get readers involved in sharing their thoughts, a new annual initiative has been started: awarding the best poem published on The Milk House this year.
Judged by poet Nicki Griffin, she read the submissions blind and chose what she believed to be the best ten poems. What follows are videos of each of those poems, read by their authors.
It is now up to you, as a reader, to choose what you think is the best poem of 2022. Please lend your opinion and vote at the end of this post. You can watch each video individually below, or enjoy them all at once with this Youtube playlist.
Also, it would be extremely appreciated if you would subscribe to The Milk House’s Youtube channel. It would be a quick and simple act of support that allows us to do better for our writers. You can also subscribe by clicking the logo in the top left corner of each video.
Voting is open until midnight, December 27th, 2022. The Reader’s Choice for the Best Poem 2022 will be announced on December 28th. On the same day, the Judge’s Choice, picked by Nicki Griffin, will also be awarded. Each winner will receive a 50€ gift certificate for the online bookstore Kennys, out of Galway, Ireland (and who ship internationally).
Thank you for taking the time to listen to these ten poems.
About the Judge
Nicki Griffin lives in County Clare, Ireland. Her debut collection of poetry, Unbelonging, was published by Salmon Poetry in 2013 and was shortlisted for the Shine/Strong Award 2014 for best debut collection. The Skipper & Her Mate (non-fiction) was published by New Island in 2013. Crossing Places, her second collection of poetry, was published by Salmon Poetry in 2017. A third collection is forthcoming. She was awarded a Literature Bursary Award by the Arts Council in 2012. She won the Trócaire Poetry Ireland competition in 2016. She has been published in a wide variety of anthologies and journals and is co-editor of the poetry journal Skylight 47.
Best Poem 2022: Shortlist
Dire Straits by Sinéad Griffin
Sinéad Griffin was published in numerous journals and was the winner of the adult unpublished category Trócaire Poetry Ireland Competition 2021.
Sennelier Dry Pigment — Caput Mortuum by Jeremy Proehl
Jeremy Proehl’s poems have appeared in several anthologies, such as Kent State’s Edith Chase Symposium, Hessler Street Fair, #ThisIsCle Poetry, and others.
Drumnacross by Edward Denniston
Edward Denniston published several books of poetry, including The Scale Of Things (Salmon Poetry, 2013) and For Crying Out Loud (Salmon Poetry, 2017).
Masterclass by Jonathan Humble
Jonathan Humble is the editor of The Dirigible Balloon and has written several books of poetry, the most recent being Fledge by Maytree Press in 2020.
Tenant by Sinéad Griffin
Sinéad Griffin was published in numerous journals and was the winner of the adult unpublished category Trócaire Poetry Ireland Competition 2021.
Blue Plaques by Elizabeth Ryan
Elizabeth Ryan is a retired medical scientist and now lives near Lough Derg in East Clare, Ireland.
Fear by Jeremy Proehl
Jeremy Proehl’s poems have appeared in several anthologies, such as Kent State’s Edith Chase Symposium, Hessler Street Fair, #ThisIsCle Poetry, and others.
Closing Inventory by BJ Omanson
BJ Omanson’s poems have appeared in many journals. His book Stark County Poems covers the history of Stark County, Illinois, from the 1830s through the 1930s.
Sundays by Ger Duffy
Ger Duffy’s poetry have been published in various journals, and she was a recipient of a Poetry Mentoring Award from the Munster Literature Centre, Ireland.
Bruschetta by Sinéad Griffin
Sinéad Griffin was published in numerous journals and was the winner of the adult unpublished category Trócaire Poetry Ireland Competition 2021.
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