 Indran Amirthanayagam
for "Essential Fish"
Indran Amirthanayagam has published 28 books and writes in English, Spanish, French, Portuguese and Haitian Creole. In music he recorded Rankont Dout. He edits Beltway Poetry (www.beltwaypoetry.com); writes indranmx.substack.com, for Haiti en Marche and El Acento; has fellowships from NYFA, The US/Mexico Fund for Culture and the Macdowell Colony. He is the 2025 Matwaala Poet of Honor, and the IFLAC World Poet/Poeta Mundial 2022. Indran. hosts The Poetry Channel https://youtube.com/user/indranam. Indran publishes at Beltway Editions (www.beltwayeditions.com). Photo by E. Ethelbert Miller.
  Gary Fox
for "In Plain Site"
Originally from Philadelphia, Gary Fox currently resides on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. He went from a neighborhood kid writing graffiti, to a hip-hop producer, and now a retail manager, father and husband. Gary has published poems in Toho Journal, The Shore, High Shelf Press, Struggle Magazine, Cathexis Northwest Press, Sea to Sky Review, The Dewdrop,Union Spring, The Broadkill Review, and Lothlorien Poetry Journal. He has a B.A. in English and a certificate in creative writing from The Pennsylvania State University.
 David P. Kozinsky
for "Summer Girl"
David P. Kozinski’s books include I HeDavid P. ar It the Way I Want It to Be and Tripping Over Memorial Day (Kelsay Books). He is the Poet in Residence at Rockwood Museum and is a Delaware Division of the Arts fellowship and Wilmington Award recipient. His chapbook, Loopholes (Broadkill Press), won the Dogfish Head Poetry Prize. Kozinski is Art Editor of Schuylkill Valley Journal.
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 Jane Edna Mohler
for "Cicadas Circle"
Jane Edna Mohler is the 2020 Bucks County Poet Laureate (PA), winner of the 2016 Main Street Voices. She placed second in the 2023 Crossroads Contest. Recent publications include Gargoyle, One Art, and Verse Virtual. Her collections are, Broken Umbrellas (2019) and Autumn Clears (2025) both by Kelsay Books. She is the Poetry Editor of the Schuylkill Valley Journal. www.janeednamohler.com
 Christina M. Rau
for "Referral for a Specialist"
Christina M. Rau, The Yoga Poet, leads Meditate, Move, & Create workshops for various organizations worldwide. Her collections include How We Make Amends and the Elgin Award-winning Liberating the Astronauts. She moderates the Women’s Poetry Listserv and serves as Poet in Residence for Oceanside Library (NY). Her poetry airs monthly on Destinies radio show (WUSB). During her downtime, she watches the Game Show Network. http://www.christinamrau.comPhoto by Collin J. Rae.
 Salvatore Roseo
for "Enlightened by way of supermarket lighting"
Salvatore Roseo's poems have appeared in a number of anthology publications such as The Rutherford Red Wheelbarrow; By The WAYE; Big Hammer; and Soup Can Magazine to name a few. A working-class fanboy for most of his life, Sal still self-nurtures on dangerous doses of comic books, mythology, sci-fi, poetry, and obscure but heavy music. He resides near Matawan, New Jersey, where sharks seldom stalk creeks...
 David G. Smith
for "The Matron"
David G. Smith is a retired CPA, formerly a partner at the international accounting firm of KPMG. In his second career, Mr. Smith is currently enrolled in the MA in Writing program at Johns Hopkins University, with a concentration in fiction, on track to graduate in 2026. Originally hailing from Southwest Virginia, he focuses on the plight of rural Appalachians, and in particular the opioid crisis that has devastated the region.
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 Donna L. Smith
for "No Words"
Donna L. Smith grew up in the Washington, D. C. area and attended the University of Maryland. She and her husband lived outside of Annapolis where they raised their family until retiring to Ocean Pines, Maryland. Donna started out as an English teacher and later enjoyed a long career as a learning and leadership development professional in a variety of business settings. Donna has always loved language and poetry as a way to express emotion.
 Sam VanNest
for "Able"
Sam VanNest graduated from St. Mary’s College of Maryland in ’09, went on to get an MA in English from University of Oregon, before moving back home to Easton, Maryland in ’14 to write and teach. In school, he focused mainly on the portrayal and treatment of physical disability in 20th century American literature. Sam was diagnosed with Friedreich’s Ataxia, a rare neurological disorder, at 16, and this is often represented in his writing.
 Lesley Younge
for "Flock"
Lesley Younge is a writer and middle school educator living in Silver Spring, Maryland. Her work has been supported by Poetry, Midnight & Indigo, West Trade Review, Full Bleed, VCCA, and others. She is also the author of two books for young people: Nearer My Freedom, an award-winning verse novel remix of Olaudah Equiano’s autobiography, and A-Train Allen, her first picture book. Visit teacherlesley.com for more information and resources on writing and teaching.
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