Erasure poetry begins with removing letters and words from an existing text in order to create a new stand-alone piece that provides new meaning to the original passage. For the 3rd Annual Geist Erasure Poetry Contest, we posted an excerpt from a prose poem, Cottonopolis, by Rachel Lebowitz. The winning entries are listed below.
1st prize:
"Do You Recognize Me Without My Tomahawk?" by Karen Kachra
2nd prize:
"Now There's War" by Jenni B. Baker
"Your Indian Blanket" by Gail Perry
3rd prize:
"Rise Up For Me Against The Evildoers" by Kim Suttell
Longlist:
"A Long Time Before We Even Asked" by R.C. Neighbors
"Besieged" by Jennifer Griffin
"Doggrel" by Raymond Nakamura
"Moon Hell" by Lori Martínez
Many thanks to everyone who submitted an entry! Read the top three winners in print in Geist 91. Sign up for the Geist e-newsletter to receive updates on all our writing competitions.