Jessica Malone Latham — Touchstone Award for Individual Poems Winner 2018

Jessica Malone Latham is a recipient of a Touchstone Award for Individual Poems for 2018 for her poem

crown of thorns
things we make
with our hands

It first appeared in Mariposa 39.

Commentary from the Panel:

“Deepens on each re-reading, expanding into multiple meanings. From the initial haiku moment (the micro), such as making a crown of rose stalks, perhaps replete with buds, in a spring celebration, a wedding or maypole ceremony or ritual. Deepening into a focus on the word “thorns” and the pain they can cause and how we sometimes create that pain ourselves (with our thoughts & beliefs, with our actions or words). A deeper layer, the Christian analogy, with its archetypes and meaning, and allusion to the opportunity for rebirth.”

See the complete list of past winners of both Individual Poem Awards and Distinguished Books Awards in the Touchstone Archives.