Congratulations to Sarah Black on the selection of her poem, “Mooring the Boat to the Dock,” for the 2016 Orlando Poetry Prize. “Mooring the Boat to the Dock,” will be published in Waves: A Confluence of Women’s Voices, Featuring Maxine Hong Kingston.
“Mooring the Boat to the Dock” holds the brutality of history in one hand the work of life in the other. It testifies to the enduring power of the archetypal feminine, ancient and still yet with us “On every given morning.”—Diane Gilliam, Orlando Finalist Judge
Sarah Black, Winner of 2016 Orlando Poetry Prize
We asked Sarah to talk about her piece and to tell us what publication means to her. She replied:
This piece came from listening to Paul Gregory’s interview on the Econtalk podcast about Stalinism and whether the ascendance of power abusers in unstable times is inevitable. I was thinking about how indistinguishable the personal and political are to caregivers in any society facing changing historical circumstance.
I am pretty much wholly unpublished, so this is extremely flattering and encouraging. I’m glad that someone enjoyed something I wrote, and that good use can be made from the time and energy I carve out for writing projects.
Sarah Black is a graduate of the Alabama School of Fine Arts and Grinnell College. She currently works as a title analyst and a bar manager and intends to pursue a masters of public administration in the fall.
