My poem “This World is Yours” nominated for Poetic Publication of the Year for Spillwords Press 2025 Writing Awards

On By Mike U.In Poetry
Image © Michael L. Utley

Hey, friends. I’m excited to announce my poem “This World is Yours” has been nominated for Poetic Publication of the Year for the Spillwords Press 2025 Writing Awards. This nomination is both an incredible honor and deeply humbling. I’m grateful to Dagmara K. and her staff for publishing my poem and for this wonderful opportunity.

If you’d care to cast your vote for my poem, all you need to do is register at Spillwords Press (it’s free and takes only a couple of minutes). Voting runs from January 26 through January 31. You may cast your vote by following this link:  https://spillwords.com/vote/

I’ve mentioned before that people who know me understand that self-promotion is not my forte so this sort of thing is a bit awkward for me. I don’t have any social media presence whatsoever so it’s difficult to get the word out. I believe these awards should be merit-based on the quality of the writing, not on social media popularity. It’s my sincere hope you’ll take a few minutes to read my poem and cast your vote, and if you enjoy my poem, please spread the word. I’d be beyond delighted to have your support. I’ve always believed my poetry should do the talking, not me, so if you find my poem worthy of your vote, I’d appreciate it so much.

Congratulations and all the best to all the other nominees. 

58 thoughts on “My poem “This World is Yours” nominated for Poetic Publication of the Year for Spillwords Press 2025 Writing Awards”

      1. Thank you Mike. Hoping to catch a couple days to recalibrate. Haven’t been able to just sit and write for a day… or read. Life has been nonstop. But I should have. Day off this week. Hope you are well my friend.

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  13. You know how I feel about your poetry, Mike, and this one deserves all the accolades it receives. That powerful fiendish voice gives me the chills, but I recall commenting on your original post, that despite it all, that “wee lad” is still here. I had that same conclusion again. And asking for votes is a total pain, but there you go. Have to do it, and I’m glad you did. ❤

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    1. Thanks a bunch, Diana. Your words of encouragement mean a lot to me. I don’t think I’d make a good politician since I stink at this whole self-promotion gig. “Vote for me…um…if you want to, that is…you don’t have to but just in case you do, it would be super-gnarly…I mean, no one’s forcing you, maybe you’ll even vote for me by mistake! Yeah, that’s the ticket!”

      In sixth grade, I ran for president of the WHOLE ENTIRE GRADE SCHOOL!!! I remember having to make speeches, craft campaign buttons out of construction paper, etc. My best buddy Bobby was my campaign manager. I actually won, but the whole experience was stressful for a young kid. This feels similar in many ways. I never want to think of my writing as a competition, you know? It shouldn’t feel that way, so these nominations are always sort of bittersweet for me. I’m just glad for the nomination as it’s sort of a validation of my poetry in a lot of ways. 😊

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      1. Too funny. Love your campaign speech, Mike, Lol. I don’t think you’re alone in your discomfort. Almost every author I know would rather just create and skip promotion all together. I asked for votes once and didn’t enjoy it. Like you, I’d prefer to be judged on merit on a level playing field.

        On the other hand, your nomination and the votes you receive are well-deserved and a validation of you immense talent. Endure the praise, my friend. It’s real.

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    1. Thanks, Cindy. I know you’re familiar with these annual Spillwords awards. The nomination is nice. No expectations of winning (I have no social media presence so no way to spread the word other than here on my blog), so I’m just going to be content with the nomination. Thanks for your kindness, my friend. Hope you’re doing well. 😊

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