announcing the winners of Eavesdrop’s inaugural Poetry contest:

Queer Joy

Guest Judged by Brianna Ferguson

Brianna Ferguson is a writer and educator from the Okanagan Valley. She holds a Master of Fine Arts from UBC, where she also teaches creative writing. Her poems and stories have appeared in various publications across North America and the U.K. Her first book, A Nihilist Walks into a Bar, was published by Mansfield Press in 2021. Her collection Poor Substitute is forthcoming from Acid Bath Publishing.

First Place

“Gathering Wild Petals on the Saanich Peninsula” by Kyeren Regehr

Second Place

“Fig Wasps Doing the Work for Us Queers” by Crystal Rivera

Third Place

“Impossible Boy (a primer)” by Cedric Rudolph

Congratulations to the winners, and thank you to all of the artists who submitted to the Queer Joy contest. We appreciate you sharing your wonderful and intimate craft. We hope to see your submissions again very soon!

shortlisted poems

“Base Ball Mitt” by Kate Brooks

“Nostalgia Recovers / Progression Restores” by Hailey Crampton

“zelda” by Sophie Crocker

“Mountainsky” by Noah Davis

“blessing for a celebration.” by Elisheva Fox

“If [Else] Return; [necessary glitch]” by Angelic Goldsky

“skotomorphogenesis” by Dante Nieuwold