Season 17 IWC Anthology & Poetry Prize

Image shows the IWC Anthology & Poetry Prize committee, left to right: Michael V. Smith, Shauna Oddleifson, Rina Garcia Chua, Donna Langille, and Steven Taylor.

The Inspired Word Anthology & Poetry Prize celebrates the power of spoken word poetry by poets within the Okanagan region. This anthology is a collection of poetry that reflects the diverse voices and experiences of our local poets.

The second IWC Anthology & poetry prize was launched for the Season 17th Kick Off event on October 1, 2026.

The contest was organized by by committee members Caroline Pinheiro, Shauna Oddleifson along with judges Steven Taylor, Donna Langille, Rina Garcia Chua and Michael V. Smith. The cover was designed by Grey Gardiner.

The winners were Transactions by Ella, Granting Grace to the Grandmother Who Abandoned My Mother at Age Nine But Who Refused To Sign Any Adoption Papers, So My Mother Signed Her Own When She Turned Eighteen by Anne Marie wells, and Pink Pepper by Justene Dion-Glowa. The top three poems received prize money, sponsored by an anonymous donor.

Also included in the anthology was Yellow Warblers by Mariana Perez Perez, WE WERE TAKEN by Jane Eamon, Cherry Blossoms by M. J. Hopley, WHITE RABBIT by Finch Livesley-James, A Plea for Those Still Listening by Charlotte Perry, and THOSE COLOURS COMPLIMENT SO WELL, DON’T THEY by Jack R.

Copies of the anthology can be purchased for $10 each with all proceeds supporting IWC programming.