Congratulations to Maria McLeod, scholar, writer, and poet, on her poem, “A Destiny We Welcomed,” winning second place in the prestigious Fish Poetry Prize! The competition draws entries from around the world, and this year Maria’s poem was judged and selected by former U.S. Poet Laureate Billy Collins out of 1, 706 submissions—once more, congratulations, Maria!

Maria’s excellent interview with former contributor Evan Morgan Williams about his most recent collection, The Divide: Stories (Cornerstone Press), can be found in our 2026 issue—check it out!