I Won the Ekphrasis Prize!

Usually I am a finalist, not the prizewinner, "always a bridesmaid, never a bride," but in this case I actually won the Ekphrasis Prize for Poetry for 2011 from Ekphrasis, a literary magazine devoted to poems in response to visual art.

I won for "Repose," based on a painting by John White Alexander, pictured here (click link!) published in the Spring/Summer issue. The poem begins:

There is no repose in the woman
     draped across the divan
          like milk spilling, or a white wave
               crashing on a red velvet rock.

So why am I showing you a picture of limoncello tiramisu? Well, I think there is some sensual connection, but also because I don't think I have the rights to show the painting, but the lemon tiramisu can be found here, at The LoveBite, with a recipe you can "totally cheat on," and also here, at epicurious. Limoncello is a lemon liqueur. And it's Fat Tuesday in the blog.

And we had limoncello tiramisu at my poetry workshop on Sunday afternoon in little glasses similar to the ones shown above (actually candle holders, as revealed by Ginny, the poet/cook, as anything cooked by me would not have been as delicious as this was, oh, my God!)

Also, she brought some for my family, and I had a 2" x 2" square of it for breakfast on Monday morning, to prove my decadence, and I might do the same today, to celebrate Fat Tuesday, since I can't believe my husband didn't eat it all up last night after volleyball.

I still await the fall issue of Ekphrasis, which, I think, will announce my award, but I think it is safe to announce it here, as not only was the check in the mail, it is also already in the bank, and I have silver-edged certificate. This was a total surprise, and editors Laverne Frith and Carol Frith just called me up out of the blue one day, September 10, to give me the good news.

I am excited just remembering it, and I think I need some cake, lemon curd, limoncello, Mascarpone, and whipped cream.