Nurturing a strong, interconnected literary community in Whatcom County and beyond.
The Sue C. Boynton Poetry Contest
wind in my hair
a pot of melancholy
day old peaches
"Changing Seasons" by JS Nahani | Illustration by Angela Boyle
© 2004 by respective artists
Each year, poets based in Whatcom County are invited to submit to the Sue C. Boynton Poetry Contest, which honors poems by young and adult writers. Winning poems are illustrated by local artists and displayed on public busses, placards outside the Bellingham Public Library, and celebrated in a reading at the Bellingham Ferry Terminal. The contest was created in honor of Sue Crocker Boynton, a self-described amateur poet and early Whatcom resident who helped organize Bellingham’s PTAs and St. Luke’s Hospital Assistance League, taught classes at the YWCA and, in 1917, climbed Mt. Baker.
To learn more about this contest and see beautiful winning poems by grade-schoolers, MFA students, avid writers, and first-time poets, visit Judy Klienberg's The Poetry Department: AKA the Boynton Blog, follow the Boynton Facebook page, or check out our YouTube channel of winners reading their work.
Contest submissions are open during March. Review the Boynton Blog above for guidelines.
If you'd like to ensure this contest continues, please consider making a tax-exempt donation or reaching out to the Boynton committee about volunteering.