Tag Archives: Poetry

Pen Award for Poetry in Translation Finalist, and Florida Book Award Bronze Medal in Poetry

21 Mar

With all the upside-down-ness of the world, I’m grateful for some gleams of light to shine in with some exciting news about “Homeland of Swarms.” In February, I learned that I won the Florida Book Award Bronze Medal in Poetry! And then, in April the PEN Award for Poetry in Translation shortlist was announced, and “Homeland of Swarms” is one of the five translations named as finalists!

I am very grateful for these recognitions because they help shine a light on the travesty that Venezuelans have been facing for the past 17 years. Oriette’s collection of poetry, originally titled, “Cardiopatías,” was written in the years leading up to 2014, when it won the Emerging Poet Prize in Venezuela, and the reality that Venezuelans faced then has not changed. Eleven years later the world has remained mostly silent while the Venezuelan situation has worsened and worsened.

Thank you to the Florida Book Awards and PEN America judges, and congratulations to the other awardees and fellow longlisted poets and translators! The PEN shortlist was announced in April, and then the winner, Mira Rosenthal, was announced at the PEN Awards Ceremony in New York.

Collage of all the book covers of all the PEN 2025 finalists.
PEN America Literary Awards 2025
Book covers of the five finalists for the 2025 PEN Award for Poetry in Translation
The five finalists.

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Andres Montoya Poetry Prize Finalist!

3 Jul

I’ve been holding on to this news for a few months. On May 11th, 2022 I learned that my poetry manuscript, “Eucalyptus,” was shortlisted for the Andrés Montoya Poetry Prize from Letras Latinas. What a beautiful honor to be read and seen in this way. The preliminary judges for this contest were Ariel Francisco and Adela Najarro, who selected 15 manuscripts as finalists to be judged by the final judges, Alexandra Lytton Regalado and Sheila Maldonado.

This news greatly encouraged me, and while today I learned that “Eucalyptus” was not chosen as the winner, it’s helpful to know that this work is finding its way in the world. I will keep pushing!!

I’m happy to share the wonderful news that Jordan Pérez was selected as the winner for her manuscript, “Santa Tarantula!” I can’t wait to read it! Here is a screenshot of what one of the final judges had to say about Pérez’ work:

Congratulation to Jordan, to Aerik Francis and Alonso Llerena who received Honorable Mentions, and to all of my fellow finalists. I look forward to seeing all of your work out in the world soon.

You can read more about Jordan Pérez’ forthcoming book, Aerik Francis, and Alonso Llerena, and about the prize by visiting this link to the Letras Latinas blog: http://letraslatinasblog.blogspot.com/2022/07/andres-montoya-poetry-prize-winner.html

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Pushcart Prize Nomination for “Knee on Dirt”

8 Feb

It’s very encouraging to be nominated for a Pushcart, but it’s a double blessing when it’s a nomination of a translation. I got word on Saturday that The Arkansas International nominated my translation of “Knee on Dirt” by Oriette D’Angelo for a Pushcart Prize. I didn’t even know that translations could be nominated, so this was a wonderful surprise for me.

My passion for translating comes from the desire to bring more exposure to important poetic voices from South America. Oriette D’Angelo is one of those essential, important voices! This Pushcart nomination provides the opportunity to shed more light on Oriette D’Angelo’s work, and for that I am incredibly grateful.

The poem “Knee on Dirt” comes from Oriette’s collection “Cardiopatías,” which I’ve translated and am in the process of finding a publisher. It derives it’s title from the directive in Spanish, “Rodilla en Tierra” which is what Chavez coerced the Venezuelans to do to show subjugation to his regime, equating submission with patriotism. Bringing the poem across from Spanish into English adds other timely dimensions to the speaker’s words and symbols.

Here’s a link to “Knee on Dirt” from The Arkansas International’s website: https://www.arkint.org/oriette-dangelo

Thank you, Arkansas International, for giving this poem a place to live, and for this meaningful honor. I’m delighted and eternally grateful.

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Finalist x 3: Sewanee, Georgia Review, Naugatuck Review

11 Nov

It’s been a busy couple of months! In September and October I had some super encouraging news. First, my poem “Guaranda” was chosen as a finalist for Georgia Review’s Loraine Williams Prize. Here is Judge Ilya Kaminsky’s citation:

GUARANDA by Lupita Eyde-Tucker, “This poem gives a generous sense of history, of belonging, of crossing across boundaries of both time and place, with a sack cloth and ashes omein and omein, counting Sabbaths.”


Although “Guaranda” was not published by Georgia Review, it was chosen to be published in [PANK]s Jewish Diaspora Folio, so you can read that poem online here: https://pankmagazine.com/piece/guaranda/

A few weeks later I got another encouraging email, this time from the wonderful editors at Sewanee Review. One of my poems was a finalist in their 2020 Poetry Contest! I love Sewanee Review, and they were so kind with their feedback. Even though none of the finalists’ work was published, just knowing that they liked my poem that much means a lot to me.

Then, last week I got yet another encouraging email, this time from Naugatuck River Review. One of my poems was selected as a finalist for their annual narrative poetry contest, and will be published in the winter issue! I love the Naugatuck River Review, they published my very first poem back in 2017, so it’s wonderful to be included in their pages again!

I can’t wait to read all of the winning poems, congrats to all!

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“Ode to la Conquista” Honorable Mention in Margaret Reid Poetry Contest 2019

15 Apr

I entered my poem “Ode to la Conquista” in the Tom Howard/Margaret Reid Poetry Contest by Winning Writers and it won an Honorable Mention this month.

This poem is a sonnet, and one of the poems from my chapbook manuscript “How to Ride a Train in the Andes” which is unpublished and looking for a publisher.

Judge Soma Mei Sheng Frazier had this to say about the poem:

“Ode to la Conquista“ by Lupita Eyde-Tucker
This ceremonious ode, with its rich imagery, shrewd metaphor and mesmerizing anaphora, lays bare the savagery of human exploit. Like Ferrero’s opera, like colonization itself, the poem gives and takes—yielding beauty “to bet a kingdom on,” then reproaching with “brine rotting on boards / shrieks of secret spoils in island forests.”

“Ode to la Conquista” first appeared in Raleigh Review’s Spring 2020 print edition.

Galeón San Francisco (1586)

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Translation: Question of Lust

3 Nov

I’m happy to share that another one of my translations of Oriette D’Angelo’s poems from her book “Cardiopatías” has been published!

The poem “Question of Lust” is now live on the Columbia Journal Online.

Screenshot of Oriette D'Angelo's poem on the Columbia Journal website

To read the poem, click on the image.

 

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Sábado en Alausí / Saturday in Alausí

22 Oct

Columbia Journal Fall Contest Finalist!

I’ve always been a little wary about sending poems to contests. It seems almost impossible to win, and although the prizes can be substantial, the entry fees are not cheap.

This year I decided to try my luck and entered a number of contests. While I’ve definitely gotten my usual share of rejections, this year things have been different. I won the Betty Gabehart Prize, which was amazing. Then, I was selected as a semifinalist for the Frontier Industry Prize. While I didn’t make it to the finalist round, they told me that my poem made it to the top 4% of entries. That made me feel very good and it’s been a huge encouragement for me and my poetry.

Last week I got excellent news: my poem “Sábado en Alausí/Saturday in Alausí” was selected as a finalist in the Columbia Journal Fall Contest! I didn’t win any money, but my poem got published in the Columbia Journal Online— so stoked!

The poem is about the knock on the door that so many of my ancestors dreaded. Even after emigrating to South America from Spain, the Inquisition followed. The characters are different, but this story keeps repeating itself over and over.

This poem is in Spanish and English, which is another reason why I am so grateful that it was selected. It is a gamble to send a multilingual poem in as a contest submission. But, this poem has to appear in both languages, because it is written for the descendants. I couldn’t just send it in English. It would have been like sending half the poem.

Click here to read the poem: https://web.archive.org/web/20191223174519/http://columbiajournal.org/fall-2019-contest-poetry-finalist-sabado-en-alausi-saturday-in-alausi/

Screenshot of poem "Sábado en Alausí / Saturday in Alausí" on Columbia Journal's website

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2019 Betty Gabehart Prize for Poetry!

25 Jul

I have amazing news – I won the 2019 Betty Gabehart Prize for Poetry! I will  be reading my poems onstage with Dr. DaMaris Hill, author of “A Bound Woman is a Dangerous Thing.”

From the Kentucky Women Writers Conference website:

“Every year the Kentucky Women Writers Conference offers three emerging writer awards in poetry, fiction, and nonfiction. Each winner receives full tuition support for the September conference, enrollment in a workshop, a $300 honorarium, and the opportunity to read her winning manuscript onstage during the conference. The Betty Gabehart Prize honors our good friend, patron, and former director who led the conference during its seminal decade in the 1980s.  2019 WINNERS ANNOUNCED! (please click on this link)”

The prize did not include publication. My winning manuscript was called “How to Ride a Train in the Andes & other poems.”

Betty_Gabehart_Twitter_Announcement.jpg

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Heart Diseases on Asymptote!

23 Apr Meme-type graphic depicting a woman in distress with the overlay of text "Caracas is a woman with a chest full of bullets. I am a foreigner next to so much lead." From "Heart Diseases" by Oriette D'Angelo, translated from the Spanish by Lupita Eyde-Tucker. This image is property of Asymptote Journal.

 

The past year, in addition to working on my own poetry, I embarked on a project translating the work of Venezuelan poet Oriette D’Angelo, who has been exiled from her native country since 2015. D’Angelo’s first book of poetry, Cardiopatías, won an award in Venezuela that same year.

Five of the poems from her award-winning book appear in the Spring 2019 issue of Asymptote, translated by me! To see how the world is embracing Oriette’s work brings me a ton of joy. Please jump over to Asymptote’s website and check them out, and if you like them, please jump back and let me know!!

Meme-type graphic depicting a woman in distress with the overlay of text "Caracas is a woman with a chest full of bullets. I am a foreigner next to so much lead." From "Heart Diseases" by Oriette D'Angelo, translated from the Spanish by Lupita Eyde-Tucker. This image is property of Asymptote Journal.

“Caracas is a woman with a chest full of bullets. I am a foreigner next to so much lead.” From “Heart Diseases” by Oriette D’Angelo, translated from the Spanish by Lupita Eyde-Tucker.

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Guest Poet: Isabel Alvear

21 Apr

The Park Awakens

Inside the park, dirt churning
The sandy soil moistly warming
The earth readying, fortifying
Nurturing, gathering power
Pushing up daffodils and lilies

Deep inhale, the smells of spring
Heat gathering as nature’s strength
Returns to give life, permeates
All through Jackie Robinson park
The dogs following her vigor
Gather scents feverishly, salivating
Zig-zagging, nuzzling the earth

Oft times like forensic scientists
Dogs are like the original CSI’s
Of the human domestic experience
Lifting one paw whilst noses buried
Smelling all creatures’ messages
Like the tulip bulbs splitting open
Like the worms actively moving seeds

Pollen floating through sun-rays
The park cheerful with mating birds
Budding branches gently quivering
Under the weight of their vibrating
Chests, and nature yawns, stretching
Awake under winter’s uneasy slumber
Spring’s dominance now commencing

©April 2019, Isabel Alvear

Spring is coming on strong, and this poem illustrates that heady sensation exquisitely!

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