State of the Heart Employee Winner in National Poetry Contest

 New Madison resident and State of the Heart Hospice employee Laurie Brumbaugh has won an award in the sixth annual Writer’s Digest Poetry Awards Competition for writers. Her poem, “Jam,” has been published in the sixth annual Writer’s Digest Poetry Collection. Brumbaugh is the Marketing Manager for State of the Heart.

“It is an incredible feeling to be selected,” Brumbaugh said. “Writer’s Digest is a well-respected publication. After reading the other winning entries, I can tell you this is a high quality collection. Many of the other winners have been successful poets for years, so I feel truly honored that my work is among them.” Writer’s Digest refers to the winning poems as the “50 winning entries.” For her winning entry, she received a free copy of “Poet’s Market 2011” and $50 worth of books from Writer’s Digest. The collection of poems will be available for purchase at www.writersdigest.com/shop.

Brumbaugh, who graduated from Bowling Green State University with a B.A. in English with a creative writing minor, said, “Since I was 12 years old I have enjoyed writing poetry. I studied poetry in college and really developed my unique voice there. One of my life’s goals is to become a successful, published author. I would like to publish at least one poetry collection as well as novels.”

Of her winning poem, she said, “The inspiration for ‘Jam’ came from a frustrating experience I had last summer trying to harvest overgrown, overripe strawberries. It made me miss my late mother-in-law a great deal. It was one of those moments that hits you out of nowhere and makes you feel the loss of that person in your life. I have always turned to writing as a way of expressing grief, though it doesn’t always turn into a polished piece like this.” She added, “Inspiration can come from anywhere. I am often inspired by nature and I write a great deal from my own experiences. I also get inspired by literature and historical events.” The entry was her first in the contest.

Brumbaugh has been an employee of State of the Heart for a year. The local non-profit agency, with offices in Greenville, Coldwater and Portland, cares for patients in eastern Indiana and western Ohio who are confronting a life limiting illness. Visit the agency web site at www.stateoftheheartcare.org.

Editor’s Note: Brumbaugh is pictured with the Writer’s Digest Poetry Collection book.