THE 2016 ADROIT PRIZES FOR POETRY AND PROSE

 

Until his death, the great American existential psychologist Rollo May believed that we as human beings suffer from a dampened sense of life because we deny the daimonic, emotional responses that have the power to take over us completely. He believed that we fear losing control in this way and thus repress those aspects of our lives.

And perhaps he was onto something. Perhaps we do avoid investing ourselves in others—in the work of others—because we would rather not risk the emotional. Because we would rather repress the contradiction that what is beautiful can be painful, and that what is painful can be therapeutic, or even necessary. We would rather live our simple, dampened lives.

If this sounds like you, I have some advice: read these poems, this prose, in the full spirit of the daimonic.

I’m so pleased to present the recipients of the 2016 Adroit Prizes for Poetry and Prose, Rachel Cruea (of Findlay, Ohio) and Brynne Rebele-Henry (of Richmond, Virginia). These pieces were selected from thousands upon thousands of submissions from around the world. It was an impossible task—to compare brilliance with brilliance, to let it settle in the mind—but somehow judges Corey Van Landingham and Kevin Moffett did just that.

So let yourself be awed. Let yourself be taken places by the enormous maturity, control, subtlety, and beauty of these poets’ and prose writers’ work. They may be young (high school and college-aged!), but they are frankly stunning, all of them, and there is much—so much—to be gained from becoming immersed in their work. And who knows? Perhaps while swinging over the cliffside, you’ll enjoy the view.

Peter LaBerge
Founder & Editor-in-Chief
April 2016

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THE 2016 ADROIT PRIZE FOR POETRY

selected by Corey Van Landingham

Recipient:
Rachel Cruea
Ohio Northern University, ’17
“The Yellow Marrow Doesn’t Matter”

 

Runner-Up:
Theophilus Kwek
Oxford University, ’16
Three Poems

 

The 2016 Adroit Prize for PROSE

selected by Kevin Moffett

Recipient:
Brynne Rebele-Henry
Homeschool, ’17
“from The Glass House

 

Runner-Up:
Walker Caplan

Lakeside School, ’16
“Elephants”

 

HONORABlE MENTIONS


Christina Im
Sunset High School, ’18
Poetry
 

Scott Stevens
Menlo School, ’16
Poetry

 

Christian Wessels
State University of New York at Brockport, ’16
Poetry

 

Jessica Li
Livingston High School, ’16
Fiction

 

Polina Solovyeva
The Hotchkiss School, ’16
Fiction

 

Sophie van Waardenberg
University of Auckland, ’18
Fiction

 

THE GOOD STUFF

Audrey Zhao & Peter LaBergeConversation with Fatimah Asghar

Michelle DonahueConversation with Lindsay Tigue

Aidan ForsterConversation with Gabriel Ojeda-Sague

Caroline Tsai, Review of Jordan Windholz’s “Other Psalms”

 

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Editor’s List


Adam Berman
Princeton University, ’18
Fiction
 

Morgan Blalock
Hollins University, ’16
Poetry

 

Maddie Clevenstine
SC Governor’s School for the Arts & Humanities, ’16
Poetry

 

Helli Fang
Walnut Hill School for the Arts, ’16
Poetry

 

Aidan Forster
The Fine Arts Center, ’18
Poetry

 

Mitchell Glazier
West Virginia University, ’17
Poetry

 

Ashley Gong
Newtown High School, ’16
Poetry

 

Alex Greenberg
Ethical Culture Fieldston School, ’17
Poetry

 

Jaclyn Grimm
Lake Highland Preparatory School, ’17
Fiction

 

Kathryn Hargett
Alabama School of Fine Arts, ’17
Poetry

 

Michal Leibowitz
Stanford University, ’19
Poetry

 

Elizabeth Lemieux
Interlochen Arts Academy, ’17
Fiction

 

Alison Liu
Rice University, ’18
Fiction

 

A. E. Long
LaSwap Sixth Form, ’16
Poetry

 

Annalise Lozier
Interlochen Arts Academy, ’17
Poetry

 

George Lubitz
Skidmore College, ’17
Fiction

 


Grant McClure
Wofford College, ’19
Nonfiction
 

Meg Millure
University of Pittsburgh, ’18
Poetry

 

Alexa Perlmutter
National Cathedral School, ’17
Fiction

 

Kathleen Radigan
Wesleyan University, ’17
Poetry

 

Ben Read
Lewis and Clark High School, ’17
Poetry

 

Brynne Rebele-Henry
Homeschool, ’17
Poetry

 

Max Seifert
University of Iowa, ’16
Poetry

 

Anna Sheppard
SC Governor’s School for the Arts & Humanities, ’16
Poetry

 

Serena Solin
Columbia University, ’16
Poetry

 

Erin Stoodley
El Camino High School at Ventura College, ’16
Poetry

 

Christina Sun
University of Massachusetts – Amherst, ’16
Fiction

 

Smriti Verma
Apeejay School, ’16
Poetry

 

Alex Zhang
Phillips Exeter Academy, ’16
Poetry

 

Emily Zhang
Richard Montgomery High School, ’16
Poetry