CutBank is thrilled to announce the winners of our 2021 Chapbook Contest!
Congratulations to Craig Beaven, Blanche Brown, and Kevin West, whose books will be published by CutBank in 2022.
WINNER
Teaching the Baby to Say I Love You by Craig Beaven
About the Author:
Craig Beaven’s first book of poems, Natural History, won the Gerald Cable Book Award and was published by Silverfish Review Press. The recipient of scholarships and fellowships to The Sewanee Writers Conference, the Vermont Studio Center, and the Martha’s Vineyard Institute for Creative Writing. His poems have appeared in the Best New Poets anthology, Tin House, Prairie Schooner, Pleiades, artful dodge, Quarterly West, and many others. He lives with his wife and children in Tallahassee, Florida.
What Our Judges Say:
“Bracing in its intimacy and loving in its critique. Deft on every front.”
“The ease with which this collection moves between and weaves together themes of language, race, gun violence, parenthood, etc. It's an ambitious project that does a lot in a relatively short space.”
“Sí. Yes. Superswipe! I knew I was in good hands from the get go.”
“I am happy to be awash in all this, alongside a very capable and charming and careful voice.”
Runners-Up
The Subject Line Reads by Blanche Brown
About the Author:
Blanche Brown grew up in the Florida panhandle. She currently lives, works, and collaborates with arts and community-based organizations in Philadelphia. Her chapbook, Consider the Oyster, won the 2019 Diagram/New Michigan Press chapbook contest.
What Our Judges Say:
“Oh lord, can't look away from this one… Very fresh.”
“I love the arrangement here. I love the tone, the cadence, the assuredness of the speaker. Yes yes yes.”
Each Lie That Pollutes the Body by Kevin West
About the Author:
Kevin West is a Ph.D. candidate at the University of North Texas. His poems have appeared in Ploughshares, Pleiades, The Journal, The Boiler, and elsewhere.
What Our Judges Say:
“Brutal in the best way. A wreck, a flurry of punches, and you can’t help but watch the whole thing. You can’t help but love it.”
“This chapbook is compelling in its unflinching exploration of sexuality. The poet develops strong imagery throughout that heightens the emotional effect.”
Honorable Mentions:
Uninvited Guests - Dujie Tahat
Okay to Joy - Patrick Whitfill
Love is a Strange Country - Jim Johnson
What Choir of Reality Will Sing Today? - Laurel Szymkowiak
one for damaged and two for dead - Amy Bagwell
Estrangia - C. Kubasta
The CutBank Chapbook Contest honors three works of startling, evocative, and beautiful new writing in prose and poetry each year. To purchase previous chapbook winners, please visit our online store.