Poet Eric Forsbergh Wins Prestigious Prize—Again!

ARLINGTON, Va. - April 10, 2014 - PRLog -- Poet Eric Forsbergh Wins Prestigious Prize—Again!

(Arlington, Virginia) For the second year in a row, poet Eric Forsbergh has won the prestigious Edgar Allen Poe Memorial Prize, sponsored by the Poetry Society of Virginia. “I'm surprised and delighted and kind of humbled all at the same time,” Forsbergh said of his new award.

“Under the Influence of Internet,” Forsbergh’s winning entry, finds the poet wading in a tide pool, remembering reading Dante the night before, distracted by the constant lure of the online:

      Calf deep through roiling surf

I wade.       Elsewhere, fixated millions     plash in electron’s froth as well.

        Opaque foam bursts against my legs,   pippling away as evanescent lace.

Later he says

My mind tacks, stumbling backwards onto last night.

        In half-sleep, had I presumed to scan in Alighieri’s hand?

and goes on to weave these various strands into a compelling meditation.

Forsbergh’s first collection of poems, Imagine Morning: Poems of Companionship & Solitude” (online at www.richerresourcespublications.com/Books/Poetry/Eric_Forsbergh/Imagine_Morning/Imagine_Morning.htm) was published in December 2013 by Richer Resources Publications. The book was hailed as a “masterful debut collection” by Virginia Poet Laureate Emerita Carolyn Kreiter-Foronda.

“Eric’s poems are strong, lyrical, and rich in imagery,” says Sally Zakariya, Richer Resources poetry editor. “An accomplished poet, Eric combines an observant eye with an empathetic sensibility."

An active member of the Poetry Society of Virginia, Forsberg has received numerous other prizes for his poetry, including the University of Tennessee Knickerbocker Poetry Prize, the Hampton Roads Writers Conference Poetry Prize, and additional prizes from the Poetry Society of Virginia.

"My inspiration comes from numerous sources," says Forsbergh, "including long walks through the woods, hearing stories, and even from strange phrases which jump out of my imagination without warning, often in the middle of the night."

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