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
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
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 LaBerge, Conversation with Fatimah Asghar
Michelle Donahue, Conversation with Lindsay Tigue
Aidan Forster, Conversation 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
