About the WPA Poetry Contests

William Stafford Contest (any form)

The WPA's William Stafford Contest began in 1972, and was first judged by the renowned Northwest poet William Stafford himself, with Tess Gallagher as the first winner. Since then, this contest has continued to attract some of the best poets of the region, and is the WPA's most prestigious contest. It is open to poetry in any form.

Bart Baxter Poetry Performance Award (performance poetry)

Begun in 1998, the Bart Baxter Poetry Performance Award recognizes poetry on the stage, not just on the page. The award is named for Seattle-area poet Bart Baxter, who has won the 1994 MTV Poetry Grand Slam and the 1998 Seattle Poetry Grand Slam, among other honors. In 2001 he was named as Seattle’s first Poet Populist. His books of poetry include A Man, Ostensibly (Egress Studio Press, 2004), The Man with St. Vitus' Dance (Floating Bridge Press, 2000), Sonnets from the Mare Imbrium (Floating Bridge Press, 1999), and others. In his spare time, Bart is also a pilot for Alaska Airlines. This annual contest welcomes contest finalists to perform their poetry on stage in a live competition.

Francine Porad Contest (haiku)

The WPA held early haiku contests in 1973, 1980, and 1994. In 2004, the contest was resurrected as an annual event, and named after Francine Porad. In addition to being a painter, Francine was a major influence in haiku poetry in the Pacific Northwest. She founded the Haiku Northwest group in 1988, was for many years the editor of the haiku journal Brussels Sprout, and served two terms as president of the Haiku Society of America. Francine also published about two dozen books of her haiku, tanka, and related poetry. A lifelong resident of the Seattle area, she died in Kirkland in 2006, at the age of 77.

Carlin Aden Contest (traditional rhyme and meter)

The Carlin Aden Contest for poems with traditional rhyme and meter began in 1990. First judged by Ed Harkness, the contest was named after Carlin Aden for his long years of inspiration in writing formalist poetry.

Carlin Aden was a founding member of the Washington Poets Association and served as a board member through most of the 1970s and 80s. During some of the 1980s he was an exchange teacher in Europe. He served as board president from 1981 to 1983. As an educator, he was principal of Clover Park High School in Lakewood, Washington, and an instructor of English and creative writing at Ft. Steilacoom (now Pierce Community College).

Aden was an unabashed and enthusiastic supporter of poetry. He was the author of six books including 25 Poems published by the WPA, The Drum Tuners with an introduction by his friend William Stafford, and The Seventh Gate with blurbs by Howard Corning of the Portland Oregonian and Beth Bentley.

An introductory quotation from William Stafford: "There is a direct human interest, an alert awareness of others and events that illuminate the possibilities of our lives and just as the Aden conversation has a burning urgency about it, so do the poems."

Beth Bentley wrote that "He is both wise and witty in his survey of the human scene, expert at observing human folly as well as human loyalties. . . . Indeed, Aden's voice is so attuned to the human predicament that it is impossible not to feel empathy with almost all he writes."

Aden was involved in several writing groups, one in Tacoma as well as the Pacific Northwest Writers Conference. He conducted workshops around the state and did readings in Washington as well as Portland, Oregon. He appeared on panels with Stafford, David Wagoner, and Laura Jensen. Amelia Haller characterized him as "a good listener and everyone listened to him when he talked."

Carlin Aden critiqued many poets. The following is an observation of his from a review of Ballad for a Striped Bass by Anne Fasulo: "Her poem, without saying so, is about love. And that's how to write a poem about love; do it without saying so."

Respected for his work with traditional forms, Aden also wrote free verse and one of his six books was entitled Prose Poems.

On May 14, 1989, Tom Erdmann Jr. moved to rename the Adult Traditional Contest as the Carlin Aden Contest. At the same meeting, the Junior Traditional Contest for students was renamed after Betty Fukuyama and the Totem Award for students was renamed after Tom Erdmann "in honor of founders of the WPA."

Charlie Proctor Contest (humorous poetry in any form)

The Charlie Proctor Contest for humorous poetry began in 1989, and was first judged by Christine Deavel. Charles Proctor was a Washington Poets Association board member from the early 1980s until 1988. He served as president in 1986. Although he was known for his humorous verse, in 1980 he won second place in the "serious poetry" division of a contest sponsored by the National League of American Pen Women. He was active in various WPA events and worked on Yipe, the WPA newsletter of the 1980s.

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