Winners of the 2015 Jacques Maritain Prize for Nonfiction

Having carefully read the four issues of Dappled Things that were published in 2015, our judge, poet and scholar James Matthew Wilson, chose the three essays that impressed him the most.  He responded to the arguments of "How to Think Like a Poet" (by Ryan Wilson) with his own critical sensibility, remarking on the essay's unconventional descriptions of romanticism and classicism, and welcoming its explanation of the problems that make it difficult for us to turn our experiences into a "sensuous, intellectual, and emotional whole" through poetry.  Summing up, he called it "a provocative essay that I hope may be developed by way of response to my comments into a complete theory of the art."

Wilson said he was "gripped from the first" by Silvia Foti's unsparing personal narrative, "The Largest Stone," and awarded it second place.  Finally, Christine Armstrong won third place for her travel memoir "Communion," which deliciously evoked Easter week in Spain and a sacramental meal of paella.  We congratulate the winners, and encourage writers to submit new work to be considered for awards in 2016! The rules of the prize may be found here.

Winners of the 2015 Jacques Maritain Prize:

First Place: How to Think Like a Poet, Ryan Wilson
Second Place: The Largest Stone, Silvia Foti
Third Place: Communion, Christine Armstrong