The third annual Annette Allen Poetry Prize celebration and reading took place at the Ekstrom Library at the University of Louisville on February 22nd – and for the second year in the competition’s history, a Bellarmine student has claimed the win!
Josh Bloom, a third-year Bellarmine student studying English and Creative Writing, received the first place prize: an award of $300, a copy of Annette Allen’s collection The Cruel Radiance of What Is, and publication in the prestigious Louisville Review.
“Winning was probably the most validating thing to ever happen to me,” Bloom said. “I've been writing a lot more poetry since winning. I was so grateful to get to read my poem in front of so many great people. I feel like I couldn't stop smiling the entire time I was there.”
Inspired by an art piece featured in 21C—a chain of art museums, boutique hotels, and restaurants serving Louisville’s art community for over a decade—Bloom wrote his award-winning piece about what the American flag means worldwide.
“In describing the photograph, the poem reflects on our nation's violent history, past and present.”
Bloom shared a few lines of his award-winning poem:
Thirteen stripes: seven bleed red,
six are white as jutted bones.
They smother the space.
On a curve, they catch the sunlight
and cast a shadow
on the rest of the world.
Bloom is not the only Bellarmine student to secure this prestigious prize. In 2024, Clare Kramer, a student of Sociology & Anthropology, became the second winner of the competition and the first winner from Bellarmine.
Bloom described Kramer as a great source of inspiration and empowerment, calling her “one of the most talented undergrad poets” he’s encountered.
“When I wrote the "seven bleed red, / six are white as jutted bones" similes, I was thinking about the first poem I ever read by Clare,” Bloom recalled. “It was a poem that had to do with family and religion, and I distinctly remember a simile she used where she said the rain sounded like rosary beads, and I thought that was such a cool way to develop a theme just through the use of a simile.”
Bloom and Kramer have solidified Bellarmine’s impact on the creative community of Louisville not only by winning the prize but also by showcasing the talent, innovation, and care our students embed in their writing.
The prize is named after Dr. Annette Allen, a beloved professor at the University of Louisville. More than a published poet, she founded the Beijing Humanities Doctoral Program and helped establish the University of Louisville’s PhD in Humanities. She also touched the lives of many doctorate students who sought her mentorship and support.
If you are interested in submitting to the contest next year – and potentially becoming the third Bellarmine student to secure this prestigious prize! – you can receive updates about the competition here.
For any questions or concerns, please contact fschildknecht@bellarmine.edu. The poetry competition welcomes any college student from the Louisville metropolitan area to submit regardless of their prior poetry experience.