2017 WINNERS!
​Sidewalk Poetry Contest

Youth Division
​1st PLACE

Megan Alms

Megan Alms 
​"I entered this poetry contest because I loved the idea of decorating Zionsville with words.  When people think of art, they don't often have poetry in mind, but words can be just as beautiful as a painting or sculpture.  I can't think of a better way to leave my mark on my hometown than using words to make it more beautiful."  She is pursuing a Professional Writing major at Taylor University.  Her hope is to become a published author, then work as an editor to help others publish their own writing.

---

WINNING POEM

As I travel
I unravel
leave threads of myself
on the gravel;
leaving slivers of soul
on the roads that I stroll
in every place
I've ever called home.

- Megan Alms, 2017

Youth Division
​2nd PLACE

Sarah Bush

Sarah Bush 
"Thank you so much for this opportunity!  I had a lot of fun writing the poems and waiting with baited breath for the results to come, but I never thought I would make top two in the Youth category."  Sarah is currently a junior at Zionsville Community High School.

---

POEM

I'm best for outdoor chalk
I'm perfect for a daily walk
I'm given life by poets' hands
I'm the sidewalk; here I stand.

- Sarah Bush, 2017

---

Adult Division
​1st PLACE WINNER

Carrie Chiula

​Carrie Chiula
​Carrie entered the Sidewalk Poetry Contest after a friend mentioned it because "it felt like a good and fun way to support our community."  Carrie is a local writer with a focus on whole & wild foods, community, connection, spirituality and sustainability.  Learn more about Carrie at www.carrieciula.com.

---

WINNING POEM

Acknowledging each other
speaks of love for
and awareness of
our shared journey.
Tender and powerful,      
it can strengthen the spirit,
weaving its own brand of magic
. . . the deeper hi.  

- Carrie Ciula, 2017

Adult Division
​2nd PLACE

​Frederick Michaels

​Frederick Michaels
Frederick Michaels writes in retirement from his home in Indianapolis, Indiana. His poetry has appeared in Flying Island, So It Goes Literary Journal, The Boston Poetry Journal, The Australia Times, Branches magazine and Lone Stars magazine, among others. A number of his poems are included in the anthologies Reckless Writing 2012 and 2013 (from Chatter House Press, Indianapolis, IN), Naturally Yours (edited and self published by Stacy Savage and Kathy Chaffin Gerstorff, 2013), Words & Other Wild Things (from Brick Street Poetry, Zionsville, IN, 2016) and Paw Prints in Verse (edited and self published by Stacy Savage, 2017). His first book of poems, Potholes In The Universe, was published by Chatter House Press, Indianapolis, IN in 2016. An engineer by training, Michaels has always been pulled to the side of the arts by his love of written words. He particularly enjoys the challenge poets have of conveying both feeling and meaning using words  He would say that the words are always there. They just need to be carefully chosen, and then put in the proper order.

---

POEM

If I stare long enough
at stars in a night sky,
I can make them blink.
Such is the power  
of one human being
over a mighty universe.

- Frederick Michaels, 2017

We would like to acknowledge Weston LeCrone for his creative work on the posters.

---