Turk Wins Poet of the Year Award

This year’s contest was especially organized to celebrate the centenary year of the American Literature Committee. Head of the American Jack Frank described Dogdu as, "one of the rare poets to grasp the global dimension".

Thanking to those who felt he deserved the award, Dogdu said, "My intention is to write what people in the world experience from the perspective of a Turk, and to globalize my ideas. If I can do that, that is the biggest prize I can get.’

Dogdu became the first Turk to be admitted to the American Poets Society last year and was selected as a candidate for the 2003 Poetry Prizes in three categories by the Canadian Poets Union. This year, he received the Poet of the Year Award with his poem entitled, ‘The Curtained Sky’.

Admitted to the Poetry Society

Another Turkish poet Alper Baskalfa with his poem, ‘Contradiction’ became the first Turk to be admitted to the Illinois State Poetry Society. Pointing out that Baskalfa had been admitted to the society for harmonizing East-West contradictions, Society Head John McWilliams said about Baskalfa, "Expressing the contradictions in the best way in his poem, brought him success."

aa / New York / USA