Jeremy Richards wins the Bart Baxter Poetry Performance Contest

Jeremy Richards

In an intense competition, Seattle poet and radio producer Jeremy Richards won the 10th annual Bart Baxter Performance Poetry competition April 10th at the Richard Hugo House. Richards, a veteran of the local and international poetry slam scene won a split decision over Rebecca Meredith, Seattle poet and psychotherapist, and a 1st place check of $300.

What an exhilarating night of poetry, said Alexandra Oliver, a poet who recently moved to Seattle from Vancouver, B.C. and served as one of the poets in the sacrificial bout. Slam poet and Boston transplant Jack McCarthy of Marysville placed third beating Seattle's Jared Leising, an Associate Faculty Member at Cascadia Community College in Bothell, in the consolation round.

The event is an annual presentation of the Washington Poets Association to honor the state's performance poets.

A standing-room-only crowd enjoyed the festivities at Seattle's Richard Hugo House, for the third year a co-sponsor of the event.

Event Chair and Auburn poet and teacher Paul Nelson said he was satisfied with the fine-tuning made to the contest in the last year and felt the goal of having an evening of inspired poetry performances was achieved. Bart Baxter returned in his role as emcee and entertained the crowd before the bout with his limericks and other poems.

The eight poets were chosen from all the applicants and had their work judged on the page before being selected to perform on the stage, making this contest considerably more difficult to win than the typical poetry slam.

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