Women of Ohio

Celebrating the Winners of the Women of Ohio Art & Poetry Competition

We are absolutely delighted to celebrate the winners of the first-ever Women of Ohio Art & Poetry Competition, whose remarkable work was unveiled at our special event during the Columbus Book Festival this past Saturday.

It was a joy to gather in the heart of Columbus for an hour of poetry and community. The event marked the culmination of months of collaboration and creativity, made possible by the generous support of GCAC and the vision behind Women of Ohio.

The competition called on women artists and poets across the state to reflect on identity, place, heritage, and hope. The response was overwhelming. From Cleveland to Cincinnati, from rural towns to urban neighborhoods, we received an extraordinary range of submissions—each one adding something vital to the shared cultural landscape of Ohio women’s experiences.

At the Columbus Book Festival, we held a celebratory event featuring live readings by our commissioned poets, visual artworks displayed and on free postcards, and conversations about what it means to make and share art as women in Ohio today. The day was boiling hot but the energy was electric—supportive, joyful, and full of purpose.

The Artistic End Result:
Thanks to GCAC funding, we created a dynamic body of new poetry and visual work by women across Ohio. The final pieces will be released over the next few weeks on our website at www.womenofohio.com, forming a digital archive of creativity, resilience, and representation. The artists tackled themes ranging from migration to grief, joy, protest, and selfhood—with originality and depth.

This project was about more than just celebrating excellence—it was about creating space. For women’s stories. For women’s voices. For Ohio women’s creativity in all its forms.

We’re proud of what we’ve built together. And we’re just getting started.

With gratitude,
 Zoë Brigley

See below details of the winners and ordering. Detailed articles about the winning and commended poems and artworks will be released week by week. Please subscribe to follow:

Chosen Poets

1st Prize, Esther Sadoff, ‘On Leaving and Coming’

My poem is inspired by Jacqueline Woodson and her verse memoir, Brown Girl Dreaming . Though Woodson was born in Columbus, Ohio, she spent much of her early childhood in Greenville, South Carolina, living with her maternal grandparents. Her memoir captures the many moments of change that upend her life: leaving Ohio behind, moving to the south, learning to read, discovering the meaning of home, and finding her own voice. 

-Esther Sadoff

2nd Prize, Darren Demaree, ‘A Poem for the Aunts and Grandmothers on Livingston Avenue’

On Livingston Ave., it’s a collection of women (moms, aunts, grandmothers, sisters) that refuse to allow their neighbors to go unseen or un-helped. I was there to provide information, services, materials, hand-offs to community partners, and they ended up taking care of me the same way they take care of everyone else. The incredible women listed in the poem are real. They loved and cared for everyone that walked in our library.

-Darren Demaree

3rd Prize, Emily Patterson, ‘Land : Water : Memory’

‘Land : Water : Memory’ honors the work of artist and architect Maya Lin, born in Athens, Ohio. Known for her design of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Lin is also an environmental activist whose earthworks interact with natural landscapes and ecosystems.

-Emily Patterson

4th Prize, Kellie Kirksey, ‘I Wish’

My poem ‘I Wish’ is inspired by Toni Morrison and Animah Robinson.   Our voices are critical, and the liberation of our stories is imperative.  Art heals. Art transforms.

-Kellie Kirksey

Commended Poets

• Ariane Prinz, ‘The Last Memorial’
• Diane Callahan, ‘What is Missing’
• Sarah McHatton, ‘Wild and Free’
• Angela Romines Smith, ‘Granny Gatewood’
• Rose Smith, ‘General Admission’

Chosen Artists

1st Prize Marcus Jackson, Livestream

The people in the photograph “Live Stream” were gathered for a Women’s Day demonstration in 2020. It was a joy to witness them representing the unity, vitality and brilliance of their communities in downtown Columbus, Ohio. 

-Marcus Jackson

2nd Prize Rob W. Jones,  The Flower Lady of Mount Vernon, Study of Edna Bryce 

Edna ran a very successful floral business out of her living room from the 1930s for several years. In the 50s she was a driving force in the restoration of the Mt. Vernon Ave. Neighborhoods. She was a very active civil servant, giving her time and energy to many committees and boards all striving to make Columbus a better place for all.

-Rob W. Jones

3rd Prize, McKenzie Gilbert, Is the Grass Greener?

This piece honors the women I’ve met while working in education and the sacrifices we make to ensure we meet the needs of our youth. Women in education. I wanted to honor educators’ commitment while recognizing the unfair pressure placed on individuals.

-McKenzie Gilbert

4th Prize, Julie York, My Home My Land

This piece honors Chief Glenna Wallace, who played an instrumental role in the designation of the Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks of Ohio as a UNESCO World Heritage site, which recognizes the eight sacred sites built over 1600 years ago by the indigenous people living in the area. The earthworks were constructed with baskets full of dirt and aligned precisely with a complex lunar cycle involving highly sophisticated mathematics, astronomy and engineering and were believed to be a ceremonial gathering place for widely dispersed tribes.

-Julie York

Commended Artists

• Gail Joyce, Fury
• Emily Morgan, Ghosts 2
• Marcia Shubert – Mary Ann rescued an owl from the belfry of an old church in Amesville, OH
• Nia Nyabinghi, Nancy Wilson Song 

Over the next few weeks, we’ll be releasing details on each artwork and poems with a little about the women who are being honored. Please think of subscribing so that you can find out more about each piece and woman.