For nearly two decades, poets have been putting their thoughts, emotions and experiences into words for the Medford Arts Center’s annual poetry contest.
And for the people behind the event, winning has never been the only point.
“We want to hear your voice and celebrate your art,” said co-host Vince Dispenza.
The Medford Arts Center is preparing for its 19th annual Adult Poetry Contest and ninth annual Student Poetry Contest, continuing a tradition designed to give both experienced writers and those sharing their work for the first time a welcoming place to express themselves.
Dispenza and his wife, Naomi, discovered the Medford Arts Center in 2017 while living in Lumberton. Later that year, Naomi encouraged him to enter the center’s poetry contest.
He walked away with both an honorable mention and first prize.
But the turnout at the celebration caught Naomi’s attention just as much as the competition itself. She suggested to the center’s executive director that the MAC begin holding monthly poetry gatherings, and the couple volunteered to co-host them.
The gatherings began in early 2018.
The poetry contest became part of their programming that year, and the couple added a separate student competition.
Since then, participation has continued to grow.
The adult contest had its largest turnout yet in 2025, when 40 poets submitted 92 poems. The competition continued even during the two years affected by the COVID pandemic, when it was held virtually. Participants submitted videos, which Naomi edited and shared online through Medford Arts Poetry.
The student contest has grown along with it.
Last year, 26 students submitted 52 poems, also the largest participation in the student competition to date.
For Dispenza and his wife, creating a place specifically for younger writers was personal.
“Both Naomi and I have been writing since we were young, and we both see the value in poetry as a form of expression as well as art,” he said.
Their goal is to create a community where young poets feel supported and encouraged to share their work. They credit local high-school administrators and faculty with helping spread the word to students, along with Medford residents Gloria Barone Rosanio and Jim Rosanio, the creative team behind children’s book publisher Payton Press.
There are no restrictions requiring poets to follow a particular form or style.
Instead, judges look for comprehension, creativity and originality.
They consider whether a poem communicates its message clearly, offers depth or surprise and organizes its words in a deliberate and thought-provoking way.
“Reading and judging upwards of 100 poems is exhausting and exhilarating,” Dispenza said.
Traditionally, the previous year’s adult contest winner is invited to judge the following year’s adult and student competitions. When that person isn’t available, a member of the monthly poetry gatherings or Dispenza himself may take on the responsibility.
Each competition recognizes first-, second- and third-place winners as well as up to six honorable mentions.
But some of the most memorable moments have little to do with who finishes first.
Every student who has work recognized receives a personal call from Dispenza. He uses the conversations to thank students for submitting their work, talk about their poetry and encourage them to continue writing.
One such call led to a memorable discovery.
Dispenza asked to speak with a young poet’s parent to confirm attendance at the celebration. As the conversation unfolded, he realized the parent hadn’t known the student entered the contest.
In fact, the parent hadn’t known their daughter wrote poetry at all.
The student poets’ willingness to express themselves continues to stand out to Dispenza.
“Their emotion! Raw, unfiltered, intense – emotion!” he said. “It screams off the page – it laughs at itself – it taunts the reader – then explodes!”
Students write about relationships, identity, reality, truth and exploration. Having judged several student competitions himself, Dispenza said their words have made him both laugh and cry.
Sharing those words publicly can be another challenge.
Dispenza asks students to arrive early for the contest celebration so they can become comfortable with the space. Each gets a name tag and an opportunity to stand behind the podium, see the microphone and look out at the room before an audience fills it.
For many, it is their first time speaking in front of a group of that size, much less reading some of their most personal thoughts.
Some ask a parent to read their poem. Others ask Dispenza.
One year, a student told him during their initial phone conversation that she wanted him to read her poem on her behalf. When she arrived at the celebration, she still didn’t think she could do it herself.
But when her name was called, she unexpectedly walked toward the podium.
“I quietly whispered, ‘You can do this,’ and she did,” Dispenza recalled.
“The creativity is already there. It is up to us to encourage, support and embrace their art. All we really need to do is listen – the confidence will come.”
That encouragement isn’t reserved for students.
Dispenza recently watched a university professor in his 70s publicly read his poetry for the first time during one of the center’s gatherings. Other writers have brought poems they wrote decades earlier but had never shared with anyone.
Dispenza understands the hesitation.
He initially resisted entering the contest himself because, as he put it, “poets don’t naturally compete.”
But poets do want to share, he added, and they often want to be around others who understand why they write.
“I would say, submit your work – join our family of poets – we want to hear your voice – we want to celebrate your art!”
Removing barriers to that community is one reason the contests and monthly gatherings remain free.
While participants are encouraged to become Medford Arts Center members and support the arts locally, organizers don’t want cost to prevent anyone from taking part.
Community partners also help sustain the programming.
Payton Press has supported the poetry program from its early years, and organizers have developed relationships with other local businesses, including Therapeutic Massage and Wellness with Naomi and Restorative Wellness.
The poetry program reflects the Medford Arts Center’s broader mission of “Education, Evolution and Empowerment Through The Arts.”
Dispenza sees the contests and gatherings as an extension of that mission by providing a welcoming community where artists can learn from and inspire one another while reconnecting with their own voices.
Some student participants have continued submitting poetry after becoming adults, and the monthly gatherings include several published authors.
This year’s submission deadline is Oct. 23.
The contest will culminate in the Poetry Celebration on Nov. 9 at 7 p.m., when recognized poets will gather to share their work.
The students are honored first, beginning with honorable mentions followed by the third-, second- and first-place winners. After a break for refreshments, the process is repeated for the adult poets.
There’s an element of suspense, too.
Invited poets are told in advance that their work has been recognized, but they aren’t told whether they’ve received an honorable mention or placed first, second or third until the celebration itself.
Each recognized poet will have an opportunity to step to the microphone and share the work that brought everyone together in the first place.
As the poetry tradition approaches two decades – and Dispenza and his wife prepare for their 10th year as co-hosts – their invitation to prospective poets remains simple.
“Please submit now,” Dispenza said. “We want to hear your voice and celebrate your art!”
