BLUE MOONLIGHT
BLUE MOONLIGHT:
NEW WRITING FROM ARTEMESIA ARTS POETRY COMPETITION 2026
Blue Moonlight introduces more new voices and new writing emerging from the 2026 Artemesia Arts poetry competition: forty-three poems by thirty-seven poets exploring a variety of subjects in a multitude of styles.
This year’s competition judge, Malika Booker, said judging a poetry competition “is one of life’s quiet pleasures,” adding: “What interests me most is the interior architecture of a poem: what language is reaching towards and how fully it achieves that ambition. Many poems begin beautifully, but the final line is the greatest test. I look for the poetic turn – that moment of revelation which deepens, surprises, or transforms the reader’s understanding. It is the line that invites an involuntary sigh of recognition.
“The poems in this anthology explore subjects as varied as love, family, war, music, biblical landscapes and characters, ecology, place, myth, and politics. The finest combine precision, fresh imagery, and emotional resonance.”
Blue Moonlight introduces the Brian Patten Memorial Prize for love poetry, an annual award selected from entries to the Artemesia Arts competition.