Talking Mourning and the DiBiase Poetry Stephen A. DiBiase Poetry Prize with Howard Kogan

Thom Francis talks with poet Howard Kogan about the loss of his father and his poem “Mourning Becomes Her”that was a finalist for the 2025 Stephen A. DiBiase Poetry Prize ——– The Stephen A. DiBiase Poetry Contest began in late 2015 and announced its first winners, including Dawn Marar of Delmar, in the spring of 2016. Initially, most submissions came from New York State, but the contest quickly grew into an international event, now attracting entries from around 40 countries each year.

The contest is edited by Bob Sharkey and sponsored by his family in memory of Stephen DiBiase, Bob’s best childhood friend. The two grew up together in the Libbytown neighborhood of Portland, Maine, where they spent their days exploring the fields and marshes between their homes. Stephen served as an Army photographer in Vietnam and, upon returning, helped Bob secure conscientious objector status. Stephen tragically drowned in 1973 near Bath, Maine, and the contest was named in his honor.

The DiBiase contest was created to offer a more inclusive and welcoming alternative to traditional poetry competitions. There are no entry fees, no line or page limits, and no restrictions on subject matter, form, publication history, or age, making it especially appealing to younger poets. Each year, approximately $2,500 in prize money is awarded, with $500 going to the first-place winner and the rest distributed among top finishers. Bob personally reads every submission and selects 30 to 40 poems to forward to a panel of judges. The panel consists of three permanent judges and the previous year’s first-place winner, all of whom review the poems independently and submit their top five choices along with honorable mentions. The combined scores determine the final rankings.

This year one of the finalists was Hudson Valley Writers Guild member Howard Kogan for his poem “Mourning Becomes Her.” Before Howard reads his poem, he tells me more about the inspiration of the piece and why he submitted it ten years after first writing it.

After that, we will go back and hear Howard read his poem “Advice to Poets” that he shared ten years ago this week at the “Up The River, Issue Three” launch party and reading at McGeary’s in downtown Albany.

Howard J Kogan is a retired psychotherapist and poet. He and his wife Libby moved to Ashland, MA in 2018 after spending thirty years in the Taconic Mountains of rural upstate New York.

His poems have appeared in Still Crazy, Naugatuck River Review, Up the River, Poetry Ark, Farming Magazine, Jewish Currents, Stone House Museum Newsletter, Literary Gazette and many other publications.

His collections of poems include “Indian Summer” (Square Circle Press, 2011), “General Store Poems” (Benevolent Bird Press, 2014), “A Chill in the Air” (Square Circle Press, 2016), and his recent book, “Before I Forget” (Square Circle Press, 2023).

For more information on the Stephen A DiBiase Poetry Prize and to read the poems from the winners, finalists, and honorable mentions, go to dibiasepoetry.com.