Poetry and prose awards recognized through collaboration between Green Mountain Power and Vermont Magazine
Vermont Business Magazine The 2022 Vermont Writers Prize winners are Ann Cooper of Middlebury for her poem ‘The cusp,’ and Gail Elizabeth Wind of Newark for her essay ‘Twenty-eight and counting.’ The Vermont Writers Award recognizes the work of an author focused on an aspect of Vermont. Winners receive $1,250 and their work appears in the summer issue of Vermont Magazinewhich is available now.
“The Vermont Writer’s Prize is always a highlight of our year,” said Dr. Joshua Sherman, CEO of Old Mill Road Media and publisher of Vermont Magazine. “We are grateful to all of the writers who shared a piece of themselves through their stories and poems from Vermont – and to the team of judges who carefully reviewed all entries.”
The Vermont Writers’ Award, launched in 1989, celebrates writing about Vermont. It was created to honor the literary legacy of the late Ralph Nading Hill Jr., Vermont historian, writer, and longtime Green Mountain Power board member. It is considered by Vermont writers to be one of the state’s premier literary awards and is a collaboration between GMP and Vermont Magazine.
In his poem, ‘The cusp,’ Ann Cooper celebrates the seasons and nature’s ability to pierce us with variety and beauty each year.
My favorite part of fall is the weather
when its exuberance equals summer’s quieter hue,
just before everything ignites.
But even at its peak, I know,
I dread what awaits us:
cool grey, stick silhouettes
against the steel sky.
– Excerpt from “The Cusp” by Ann Cooper
Gail Elizabeth Wind’s essay, ‘Twenty-eight and counting‘, recounts her move to Vermont, her first-time surprises, and how she fell in love with her new home. The “twenty-eight” in the title of her work refers to the number of winters she now lives in Vermont. At this time of her trial, she and her family have just arrived and their moving truck is stuck in the mud.
I struggled with it until Russel Bedor, the grader operator, came up the hill in front of our house.
He looked at the truck, me, the house, me, the truck again and said, “Stuck?
“Yeah,” I said embarrassed. “I guess we are.”
His next words, verbatim, I swear, were, “Do you want me to get you out of here?” Like that Queen-Mary-sized U-Haul was an Easter basket that had blown through a thicket of burdock.
“Yes please.”
- Excerpt from ‘Twenty-Eight & Counting’ by Gail Elizabeth Wind
“Every year, dozens of writers submit their work, and we’re proud to help celebrate creativity and thoughtfulness in this place we call home. If you are inspired by your experience in Vermont and enjoy writing poetry or prose, you should participate. We are already accepting nominations for the 2023 award,” said Kristin Carlson, Vice President of GMP.
The deadline to participate in the 2023 Vermont Writers Prize is January 1, 2023 and entries are open now. Submissions may include essays, short stories and poems focusing on “Vermont – its people, places, history or values”. Entries must be unpublished and be less than 1,500 words for prose and less than 40 lines for poetry. Individuals may only submit one work. Participants can be amateur or professional writers. Employees of Vermont Magazine or Green Mountain Power and previous winners are not eligible. You can submit your application here.
Vermont Magazine‘s The summer issue is on sale now and you can read the winning entries here.
About Green Mountain Power
Green Mountain Power serves approximately 270,000 residential and commercial customers in Vermont and partners with them to improve lives and transform communities. GMP meets customer needs with integrated energy services that reduce carbon and costs, while continuing to produce clean, cost-effective and reliable energy in Vermont. GMP is the first utility in the world to achieve B Corp certification, meeting rigorous social, environmental, accountability and transparency standards and committing to using business as a force for good. In 2022, GMP was named to the TIME 100 Most Innovative Companies list. Fast Company named GMP one of North America’s Five Most Innovative Companies in 2022. GMP also earned a spot on Fast Company’s list of the World’s Most Innovative Companies in the Energy Sector four years from sequel (2017, 2018, 2019, 2020). In 2021, the Smart Electric Power Alliance (SEPA) honored GMP as a national leader in energy transformation.
6.6.2022. COLCHESTER, Vermont – GMP