My first poetry award! I received a Second Honorable Mention in an annual Bay Area poetry contest. At their monthly get-together, I read my poem along with many other winners (there were four categories) and got to hear theirs.
The little kid in me is very excited about this. When I enter a contest or send off a submission, I look at it as gathering experience. I’m still so new to sharing my poetry that I need experience to become comfortable with the process. But I’d be lying if I said getting some recognition isn’t fun. This comes on the heels of doing that small feature, which was also an honor.
Here’s what I want to say to poets who haven’t yet read their work in public: TRY IT!
I first read poems in public on June 4, 2016. That’s less than nine months ago.
Lori Lynne Armstrong 
Hello Lori, found your blog! So pleased about your second honorable mention! Well-deserved, I am sure. Would love to see the poem sometime.
– Liz Alford (from Poetry Express)