Winning authors for Northport Village Poetry Path announced
Participants in the first-ever Northport Village Poetry Path have been announced – winning authors include Northport and East Northport residents whose works will be celebrated alongside other Long Island poets.
The path, which will travel along the Village Park walkway from the park flagpole, to the rear of the gazebo, and end at the steps up to Bayview Avenue, will feature twelve stands designed to coordinate with the park’s beauty and history. An additional stand containing information about the project and its sponsors will also be on the path.
The first of its kind on Long Island, the Northport Village Poetry Path is the result of a partnership between the Northport Arts Coalition (NAC) and the Village of Northport. This year, the path will be dedicated as part of NAC’s yearlong 25th anniversary programming, with a poetry celebration to be held in the park after the launch.
A committee of professional poets from all over Long Island adjudicated almost sixty submissions to be considered for inclusion in the poetry path’s inaugural year, shared NAC Director Amy Connor in the nonprofit’s most recent newsletter. In his winning poem, #1483 (Northport, 1986), local author Douglas Swezey reflects on his childhood, watching “second run movies for two bucks on a Friday night,” checking out the new releases at Tracks on Wax, and hanging out carefree into the night in Northport Village Park, “overlooking the harbour, it’s tide lapping up against the docks under fluorescent lights.”
The entire list of winners and their works are as follows:
Joan Amato, A Singular Spectator
Luke Briner, The Song of Ganymede
Paula Curci, You Are Northport
Jesse Curran, Dove's Long Island (1940)
Tara Lamberti, Growing Up Grumman
Diana Poulos-Lutz, I Can Not Live Without Magic
Kelly J. Powell, Now and Again
Emily Sue Sloane, Sleepless in January
Barbara Southard, Widow
Douglas G. Swezey, #1483 (Northport, 1986)
James P Wagner, Heaven Has a Dock
George Wallace, An Old Fishing Village at Dawn
In addition, the judges selected three honorable mentions:
Nicole Baccon, Dreams of Kharkiv
Kristen Memoli, Come Follow, Follow Me
Darren Sardelli, The Magic of Poetry
“This was a very difficult decision and we're honored that you shared your poetry with us,” wrote Connor, who said information about the poetry path’s opening celebration should be released soon.
