We’re excited to share the winners of the 2022 Geist Erasure Poetry Contest!

First Prize

“Return to the Lake of Shining Waters” by Andrea Scott, Victoria, BC

Writer and teacher Andrea Scott grew up in Regina, SK, and now lives in Victoria, BC, with her kids and cats. She is currently writing a collection of poems about mothering in a changing climate. Publications include Arc Poetry Magazine, the Humber Literary Review and the Antigonish Review.

Second Prize

“June Cleaver Lies in Bed” by K.R. Segriff, Toronto, ON

K.R. Segriff is a Canadian writer and filmmaker. Her work has appeared in Atlanta Review, Greensboro Review, Best Canadian Poetry and PRISM international, among others. She won Space and Time Magazine’s 2021 Iron Writer competition and the London Independent Story Prize. She is working on her debut poetry collection.

Third Prize

“Ghosting” by kerry doyle, Toronto, ON

kerry doyle teaches writing at York University. After years preoccupied with her students’ writing, she is now finding time to think about her own. She lives in Toronto with her daughter, her partner and a bevy of cats.

Honourable mentions go to the following pieces, which had a lot of love around the table: “Anne Speaks to Gilbert in the Orchard, August 1937” by Gwen Martin, Yoho, NB; “Migraine” by Emma Skagen, Calgary, AB; and “The Wonder of Things” by Kat Cameron, Edmonton, AB.

Thank you to everyone who submitted. The three winning poems will be published in Geist 123. Be sure to subscribe!