Poetry
The symbiosis of poetry and wine hit me a few years ago, and our First Ever Judd’s Hill Newsletter was published in 1999 mainly as a vehicle to send out the wonderful wine-related poems we had solicited from our friends and wine buyers. Our dear friend, Jane Hall, had begun the poetry publication Coracle, and was talented and kind enough to judge this ongoing annual poetry contest. The winning poet was awarded a festive 3-liter bottle of Judd’s Hill Cabernet etched in gold and hand painted. Poets are gentle and gracious people as a rule, and the excitement over the prize made us feel like a million dollars. Aha, another sign of symbiosis: We were pleasing poets by providing a new venue, and we were becoming happier and better in the process.
First year entrants included my sister, Marcia Matz, and Holly’s grandmother, Helen Goodman. Their poems, and the one by friend Dr. Gregg Wenger, evoke feelings of being cheered on by devoted supporters, and they warmed our hearts. The first year also was gifted with Richard Paul Hinkle’s wit, and two entries by professional poets, John Dooley and David Swanson. All the poets of 1999 changed my life with the form of their thoughts and the choice of their words. And Jane Hall changed my life with her insightful comments during the readings each year, and by her delight in words and phrases. When Jane bade us adieu in 2016, we were thrilled that Leza Lowitz (award winning poet and author) consented to be our poetry judge.
The poems are all posted here for you to enjoy. Please let them inspire you to your own creative pools, and send the results to us. We thank you in advance for thinking of us when you play with your muse!
Best wishes to you all from everyone at Judd’s Hill!
-Bunnie
Click here to submit your poetry.
Click the following links to view past submissions and winners:
1999 2001 2002 2003 2005 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023