In the National Federation of State Poetry Societies 2021 contests, Donna Isaac won the following awards: First Place in the Margo Award for "Avoidance"; First Place in the William Stafford Memorial Award for "Markings"; Second Place in the Winner's Circle Award for "Distant Lightning"; and Honorable Mentions in both the Jim Barton Memorial Award and the Poets' Work Award. To see all of the awarded work in print, go to Amazon and order the Encore Prize Poems 2021 anthology. It features 160 winning poems selected from more than 6,000 submissions from across the U.S., as well as Canada, the United Kingdom, Spain and India.
Donna's poem "Anticipatory Set" has been accepted for publishing by Shark Reef, Summer 2021 edition.
June 2021: A new selection of "Poems of Hope and Reassurance" are being featured on The Poetry Walk at Green Island in Wadena, Minnesota. The poets featured in June include Donna Isaac. Green Island is located at 850 Scheer Drive, Wadena, Minnesota. It is open to the public from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.
The Ramsey Country Library published This was 2020 which is now available at the Minnesota Libraries Publishing Project. The ebook/print-on-demand publication will be available late June 2021. Donna's poem "Late October" is part of the publication.
Donna Isaac won the following awards from the Poetry Society of VA (2021 contests): First place in the Edgar Allan Poe contest with her poem "Letting Go"; 2nd place in the Carleton Drewery contest for "Picking Asparagus"; 2nd place in the Celie Moon contest for "Taco King"; and 3rd place in the Laura Day Boggs contest for "Frog Prince."
Donna Isaac's poem "Whither" was published in the journal Conestoga Zen (Order here).
Donna's poems "Palette," "Birds of Ireland," "Suburban Woodlands," and "All Raccoons," will be in Startled by Nature, Gabriel's Horn Press. Startled by NATURE 2020: new poetry in traditional forms - YouTube. The book is now available (Jan. 2021) in print. It will soon be available in ebook.
Donna's poem "Costumes" is scheduled for Midway
Journal's Volume 15, Issue 2, which will go
live on April 15, 2021. Please check Midway
Journal.
Donna Isaac's poem, "Circle Dance, " has been chosen First Place in Category III of the Arizona State Poetry Society’s Annual Contest.
Donna's poems: "Watching On Golden Pond Again," "Flight," and "Easter," have been accepted for publication by Moving Images: Poetry Inspired by Cinema (Before Your Quiet Eyes Publishing) in book form late 2020.
Poetry Society of Indiana Fall Contest 2020 announced the following for poet Donna Isaac: The following poem won Reserve: "Photos on my Phone" in the Grace Potter Hearkins Award; the following poems won Honorable Mentions: "Rocketman" in the Premier Poet's Award, "2020" in the Life Worth Remembering Award; "Gems, Suburban Woodlands" in the Noble Poets' Award; and "Spring, 1964 in the Alda Johannes Memorial; and the following poems won First: "Wagons, Ho!" in the Love of Country Award; and "Rustic" in the PSI Memorial Award.
At the October 2020 League of MN Poets, Donna Isaac won the following awards for several of her poems:
1. Awards of Merit in The Moccasin Award for "Meditation"; in the Stone Gathering Award for "Big Shot"; and in the Florence Hynes Willette Memorial Award for " Out of Service"
2. Honorable Mentions in the Southern Minnesota Poets' Award for "The Waczieleski Girls"; and in the Writing Circles for Healing for "Canyon."
3. Third Place in the Steinography Award for "Visitation."
4. Second Place in the John and Helen Pappas Award for "Wheels."
5. First Place in the Board Games Award for "After Supper."
Donna's poem "Photography" was published by The Poeming Pigeon, the Pop Culture Issue (The Poetry Box, 2020).
Donna's poem,"Markings" will be published by Streetlight
Magazine, May 2020.
Donna's poem "Tripartite Threat" will be published in an
e-book, "Art
in the Time of Covid-19" (San-Fedele Press), late
June 2020 publication date.
Donna Isaac's poem "Is this the zombie apocalypse everyone
talks about?" will be published in Whistling
Shade, Spring/Summer issue due out May 2020.
--1st
place, Carleton Drewry Memorial Award for her poem
"Rustica"
--2nd place, Brodie Herndon Memorial Award for her poem
"Hero"
--Honorable Mention, Nancy Byrd Turner Memorial Award
for her poem"Coitus Interruptus"
--1st place, Judah, Sarah, Grace, Tom Memorial Award for
her poem"Helping Out"
--1st place, Miriam Rachimi Memorial Award for her poem
"After Chores"
--3rd place, Ann Spencer Memorial Award for her poem
"Meditation"
The
2020 contest anthology will come out in the fall, as The
Poetry Virginia Review 2020.
Here are a few of the judges' comments about her work:
1) "Meditation pays homage big time to the
Symbolists, and how can that ever be a terrible thing?
I'm drawn to the quirk and the twist of expectation."
2) "Congratulations on your poem "Hero", which I am
pleased to select as Second Place Winner in the Poetry
Society of Virginia's Brodie Herndon Memorial contest,
for poems on the topic of Heroism. Excellent. The
poem is... powerful,...memorable. I loved it."
3) "After Chores" is moving in its restraint, and for
its vivid thumbnails of a past shared by the speaker and
the one they mourn. The turn from the scene of death to
the surprising and unexpected recollection that finishes
with "the earth moving below" is both potent and
electric."
4.) "With muscular language, the first place poem,
"Rustica," captures generational breadth and
cultural identity with the crafted use of specific,
memorable imagery, as well as thoughtful references that
evoke the ancestors as well as the speaker with their
strength, survival, and joys."
Post Office Box 1626
Georgetown, KY 40324
Donna
Isaac's first full-length collection of poetry, Footfalls
is now available through Pocahontas
Press or through contacting Donna at donnaDonna's
poem "Encounter Near Aldie, Virginia" won first place in the
New Voices category sponsored by the Poetry Society of
Virginia.
Here are the judge's comments:
In addition, for the other winner "Carmen Aponte," here are
the judge's comments:
Genre:
Urban Arts
will publish Donna' s poems ""Carrots" & "Teeth" in the
next issue, #8.
genreurbanarts.com (announced February 2019)
"Story"
has been accepted as a semi-finalist in The DavenTree
writing challenge. Winners and finalists will be selected in
a few weeks. (announced February 2019) KYSO Flash
Literary Journal
Donna's poem "Brokenness" will be
published by Earth's
Daughters, issue #92 with the theme "She
Persisted."
Two poems, "Encounter Near Aldie, Virginia" and "Mist" by
Donna Isaac were published in The
Moccasin, The League of Minnesota Poets
(2018).
Donna earned the following recognition:
•First Honorable Mention in the Lost in Translation category for her poem "Learning Arabic."
•First Award of Merit in the South Minnesota Poets' Society category for her poem "After."
•First Honorable Mention in the Musica Award for her poem "The Day Rita Dove Danced for Me."
•Second Award of Merit in the Mississippi Valley Poets & Writers' category for her haiku "Over the Mountain."
"Dark Sky Spot" was published in the Martin Lake Poetry Anthology.
Purchasing the book benefits local food shelves.
The anthology can be found at various independent bookstores, e.g., Micawber's at 2338 Carter Ave., St. Paul. A plethora of fine Minnesota poets!
St. Paul Almanac published my poem "To Grandma Delores Suffering from Lewy Body Dementia" in their spring 2017 publication.
The book release party was April 6, 2017
Black Dog Cafe, 308 E. Prince St., St. Paul.
Shark Reef literary journal published my poem "The Great Escape" in their winter 2017 issue
If you go to this link you will read a poem I wrote. Hope you enjoy!
My poem "Summer Job" was published by Pine Mountain Sand & Gravel: Appalachia Under Thirty, vol. 19, 2016.
To purchase copies of the annually themed journal, go to sawconline.net or contact Donna via donna@donnaisaacpoet.com
recently announced the John Ciardi Prize for Poetry. My poetry manuscript was honored as a finalist for this award.
My poem "Venus, Later" won first place in the Dakota County Library's Adult Poetry Contest.
The winning works were published on this website: www.co.dakota.mn.us/libraries by June 18th, 2015.
Click on Poetry to read my poem and the other winning poems.
My poem "Visitors" was published in Pine Mountain Sand & Gravel, Volume 18
the literary journal of the Southern Appalachian Writers Cooperative at the beginning of June 2015.
Copies of the journal are $12.00 and can be purchased through pmsg.journal@gmail.com
"I Want to Go Out" won honorable mention in the Bloomington City Poetry Contest.
"Wedding" was an acknowledged achievement.
Winners of the contest were honored at the Creekside Community Center in Bloomington
Aug. 16th, 2014 from 4:00-6:00 P.M.
Reception and readings
The poems was featured on bloomingtonmn.gov beginning in Sept. 2014.
These poems were in the October edition of White Stag, a literary/arts magazine.
To purchase the book, go to whitestagpublishing.com.
"Off" Published on Sleet an on-line literary magazine in the spring 2012 issue
Go to www.sleetmagazine.com to read it.
"Springs" was published in The Highlands Voice distributed by West Virginia Highlands Conservancy.
Dakota County Poetry Anthology
"Shoveling" www.co.dakota.mn.us
 Perfect
Dragonfly"Sestina" DragonFly Press www.reddragonflypress.org |
 St.
Paul Almanac 2011"New Year" |
 Hunger
and Thirst"Thursday Dinner" |
 Juked
#7"West Virginia: Steps" |
"Strength"
Minnesota Arboretum Calendar 2010-2011
Sponsored by Writers Rising Up
My poems: "Ode to the Dragonflies" "Asking" "Turns"
All of the poetry revolves around the theme of loss, leaving, and death.
My poem "Nativity: Four Years Later" was published in the Cancer Poetry Project book.
Go to www.cancerpoetryproject.com for full information and to purchase the book.
My poetry capstone "Sustenance" received Outstanding Poetry Thesis 2007 from Hamline University.