{"id":35530,"date":"2018-09-17T12:00:00","date_gmt":"2018-09-17T20:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.juneauempire.com\/news\/juneau-poet-wins-national-award-for-self-published-book\/"},"modified":"2018-09-19T18:20:31","modified_gmt":"2018-09-20T02:20:31","slug":"juneau-poet-wins-national-award-for-self-published-book","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.juneauempire.com\/home\/juneau-poet-wins-national-award-for-self-published-book\/","title":{"rendered":"Juneau poet wins national award for self-published book"},"content":{"rendered":"

Miriam Wagoner never thought her poems would be published, let alone win national awards.<\/p>\n

But Sept. 9, the Juneau poet won a National Federation of Press Women’s National Communications Contest award for her book, “A Poem Book From My Kaasei Nook To The World.”<\/p>\n

“I found out in May, and I still can’t believe it,” Wagoner said after returning home from Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, where the award ceremony was held. “It is out of nothingness that I accomplished this, so I’m still speechless.”<\/p>\n

The contest is open to anyone over the age of 18 and is two tiered. The first tier is a state-level contest, and first-place winners then proceed to the national competition.<\/p>\n

Wagoner placed as an honorable mention in the creative verse-book of poetry category.<\/p>\n

Her poems were first published in the Capital City Weekly, and Wagoner later decided to self-publish a collection of poems as a book. She decided to self-publish based on a desire to retain full ownership of her work as well as a sense of urgency.<\/p>\n

“If you want to traditionally publish instead of self-publish, you need to wait for two years at least,” Wagoner said. “I felt I was ready to publish.”<\/p>\n

Wagoner was able to make the trip to Pennsylvania to receive the award in person as documented on her Facebook page<\/a> thanks to support from the community.<\/p>\n

She specifically credited Juneau Arts & Humanities Council, the Filipino community and Exit Realty of Juneau broker Roger Porto with making the trip possible.<\/p>\n

“I was so proud of her,” Porto said. “She’s had some struggles in her life that she’s certainly overcome, and the poetry is very cathartic for her, and it touches a lot of people. I just happened to have some extra mileage, so I helped get her there and back.<\/p>\n

“How about that, somebody from Juneau represents the state of Alaska in a national contest,” he added. “That’s pretty damn good.”<\/p>\n

Wagoner’s story as an immigrant and survivor of domestic violence is a thematic presence in many of her poems, and it will also factor into an upcoming display of her work at the Juneau Arts & Culture Center.<\/p>\n

She will be the featured artist for October in a partnership with local calligrapher Laurence Christenson, who will translate Wagoner’s poems into a visual medium.<\/p>\n

The month of October was specifically chosen because it is Domestic Violence Awareness Month.<\/p>\n

Wagoner started writing poetry while in transitional housing for survivors of domestic abuse. She had not written much since she was in high school, except for the occasional song.<\/p>\n

“Being detached from the world allowed me to be more creative,” Wagoner said. “That was my outlet. It allowed me to have more of a voice rather than be shut up forever.”<\/p>\n

WOUNDED EAGLE’S NEST<\/strong><\/p>\n

BY MIRIAM WAGONER<\/p>\n

You are a bit hidden from the road;<\/p>\n

many seem oblivious or don’t know you exist.<\/p>\n

You stand beautiful, surrounded by towering trees<\/p>\n

where eagles meet and rest and soar again.<\/p>\n

You are more than a home.<\/p>\n

You’re a comforter, a healer, a refuge.<\/p>\n

Inside of you, live, the wounded eagles<\/p>\n

that can’t (yet) ascend and fly.<\/p>\n

Like you, they too are often unnoticed.<\/p>\n

Their plight, no one understands.<\/p>\n

Just how deep they’re wounded and scarred,<\/p>\n

visible or invisible, no one can fathom.<\/p>\n

They’re silenced,<\/p>\n

their hearts, torn apart,<\/p>\n

their spirits, so crushed,<\/p>\n

they just survived abuse.<\/p>\n

From your window, as I gazed at sun’s reflection,<\/p>\n

radiating from calm waters of Twin Lakes,<\/p>\n

I see hope, I see freedom, I see future.<\/p>\n

I looked into my heart. There lives still — unfading — love.<\/p>\n

Amid chaos, pains, terror, oppression, inequities, scorns, unknowns<\/p>\n

I love my life, always did and will,<\/p>\n

That, and faith — in me and in my God, is why I survived.<\/p>\n

I can’t wait to fly again and soar.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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