River of Words: Poetry

Contest Winners | Resources

2002 Grand Prize Winners and Finalists

Poetry submissions are judged by River of Words co-founders Robert Hass, who served as US Poet Laureate from 1995-1997, and writer Pamela Michael. We award four Grand Prizes in poetry every year to United States contestants, in four different age categories. In addition, about 50 finalists are selected each year from the tens of thousands of entries we receive from the US and other countries.

You may look at poems from other years by using the menu below.

**View Yearly Art Galleries**
2007	2006	2005	2004	2003	2002
2001	2000	1999	1998	1997	1996

Whispering Snow

Kaila Ontiveraos, Age 8
Durham Elementary School
Durham, Calfornia
Teacher: Rebecca Ginney

Grand Prize Winner
Category I
Grades K-2

The Simple Life

Scott Laffler, Age 9
Barnwell Elementary
Alpharetta, Georgia
Teacher: Debbie Crider

Grand Prize Winner
Category II
Grades 3-6

Dear Stars,

Jane Jiang, Age 13 (2000 Finalist)
Lakeside Middle School
Seattle, Washington
Teacher: Alicia Hokanson

Grand Prize Winner
Category III
Grades 7-9

And You Dance

Lauren Carlisle, Age 18
All Saints’ Episcopal School
Vicksburg, Mississippi
Teacher: Greg Sellers (2002 Teacher of the Year)

Grand Prize Winner
Category IV
Grades 10-12

(Untitled)

Nicole Grinsell, Age 12
Greenwood School
Mill Valley, California
Teacher: Devika Brandt

Shasta Bioregion Prize
Awarded to a San Francisco Bay Area student

What Can I Do?

Tashae Thompson, Age 10
River Terrace School
Washington, DC
Teacher: Patrica Goodnight

Anacostia Watershed Prize
Awarded to a Washington, DC Area Student

Finalists

Swamp Shack, Allison Alford

Royal Oaks, Lauren Anderson

How to Smell a Poem, Marissa Angell

Oda al Clavo (Ode to the Nail), Jenna Archer

My Backyard, Travis Baker

Wishy Washy Water, Thornton Blease

Peaceful Lake, Tori Borish

The Pond, Marnie Briggs

My Louisiana, Emily Bush

Sun Horses, Alexis Chuck

Pemaquid, Colleen S. Connell

Butterfly, Amanda Ditmore

Oda al Agua (Ode to Water), Lydia Elias

Still Waters, Heidi Fontenot

I Am From, Caroline Greene

Heartbeat Winter, Lindsay Griffin

World Trade Center, Tony Guido

If I Lived in Water, Nayat Hamideh

Rivers, Barron Harris

The River, Taylor V. Hattori

Chuckwalla (Lizard of the Canyon), Jeffrey Herbertson

Know the Earth, Marieke Hodge

Poseidon’s Steeds, Allegra M. Hyde

Song for Night and Day, Joanne Laine Isaacs

Five Ways of Looking at a River, Anika James

Flags, Joanna Kass

ME, Grace Elizabeth Komarek-Meyer

Edisto, Robert Maloney

The Eclat of Sunlight in January, Wythe Marshall

El agua (Water), Yolanda Mendoza

All About Ducks, Brittany Morgan

Grandmother, Analy Nava

Seeds become Trees, Andrew Paratore

The Animas River, Casey Perkins

Maple, Ciro Podany

(Untitled), Madison Powers

Stories Within, Bryce Schneider

River of Memories, Daniel William Seeman

Upon Losing Oneself in a River, Tiffany Simons

My World, Michelle Skinner

Louisiana Morning, Sarah Spain

Summer on the Lake, Jordan Taylor

Eye Speak, Tuan Tiet

Watsonville Storm, Alison Uyeda

Water Whispered, Lulu Wang

Highland Spring, Ruth Warren

Riverbank Song, Elizabeth Westby

Natural Selection or: How Dan McLane was Nearly Lost Forever, Tim Wirkus

Eyes and Ears Wide Open, Annie Zamojski

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