Koss Works

Writing | Poetry | Art

Contests and Awards

Outlook Springs Best of the Net Nominations 2023

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Very pleased and surprised to be among Outlook Springs Best of the Net nominees for 2023. My poem, if William Burroughs Were Your Secretary, published in Outlook Springs print journal and online, was nominated. There’s lots of great poetry and fiction you can find on their site. Check out the print issue and my sound file on my audio page. Also, another funny poem about job interviews, “Core Values,” was published on their site and there’s also an audio file here on my website. I love Outlook Springs and am grateful to Jeremy John Parker, Andrew R. Mitchell, Jayce and Al Mitchell and the other editors for this honor (and for having a sense of humor).

Outlook Springs Best of the Net 2023 Nominations Promo

Best of the Net 2021 | Kissing Dynamite Nomination

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So honored to get another Best of the Net nomination (for poetry this time). Kissing Dynamite has been good to me. Check out all their nominations on their site. The poem that was nominated is “A Dyke Cowgirl Takes Herself on a Covid Taco Bell Date.” They made this part of their Featured Poet series. Related posts are the “Featured Poet,” another publication with them, “Ensnared, Discarded,” and a link about my Bending Genres fiction nomination. I feel so very blessed, especially after having a very rough year. These journals have both been very good to me.

taco bell sign with best of the net 2021 kissing dynamite promo text
Best of the Net 2021 Nomination, Koss, Kissing Dynamite Poetry

Best of the Net 2021

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I’m really touched today that Bending Genres nominated my Toby and Lady piece for fiction for Best of the Net 2021. It means so much coming from such a talented bunch of writers. Other BOTN nominees included Lannie Stabile for poetry, and, well, you can see the Bending Genres Twitter list here. And read “The Fall of Toby and Lady” here.

Fall of Toby and Lady zuihitsu promo photo with multiple black Airdale silohettes on pink background
Best of the Net 2021 Nominee for Fiction from Bending Genres

Diode Chapbook Contest Finalists and Winners 2021

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Honored to be a finalist for my manuscript, Through the Body’s Bramble. Diode is one of my favorite publishers. Maybe a future book with them . . . Also had my 100th acceptance this week for a poem about my grandmother.

Diode Editions Chapbook Contest Winner and finalist list
Image by DiodeEditions, screenshot from Facebook

Wergle Flomp Humor Award 2021 | My Therapist Sez by Koss

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Utterly thrilled to win first place in the Wergle Flomp Humor Poetry contest this year. The poem, My Therapist Sez, was published in Diode Poetry last year and is the only poem with papaya salad, kundalini awakenings, multiple therapy sessions, and trick or treating in it. Adam Cohen and Jendi Reiter have been absolutely wonderful to work with, and they even engaged me to illustrate the poem. Check it out along with the other amazing winning poems on their site.

Here’s the main contest page with a list and links to the other winners (some great writing) and runner-ups (plus commentary by the judge, Jendi Reiter). And find the press release here.

My Therapist Sez Wergle Flomp Humor Winner promo with drooling hare therapist holding rorschach images
My Therapist Sez, Wergle Flomp Humor 2021 Winner

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