2023 Adjudicators
Mike Madill - Youth
ADJUDICATOR FOR YOUTH ENTRIES
Mike Madill's poetry has been published in literary journals across Canada, including in The Antigonish Review, The Dalhousie Review, Event, The Fiddlehead, The New Quarterly, Vallum and The Windsor Review. He was shortlisted for Freefall's 2019-20 Poetry Contest, and an Honourable Mention in the inaugural 2021 Don Gutteridge Poetry Award Contest earned him publication of his debut, full-length collection, The Better Part of Some Time.
When not writing, Mike pursues freelance editing, and has also taken turns as a social worker, computer analyst and home contractor. He holds a B.A. in Psychology from York University, and is a member of the League of Canadian Poets.
Harry Posner - Adult Poetry
ADJUDICATOR FOR ADULT POETRY
A member of The Writers Union of Canada and Associate Member of the League of Canadian Poets, Harry Posner is an award-winning author of six books and two spoken word CDs. Harry was Dufferin County's first Poet Laureate from 2017-2021. He organized and hosted many open mics and writing workshops, as well as the Day of the Poets festival in Orangeville, Ontario. Harry is co-host with Peter Noce of The Sill podcast (www.thesillpodcast.com).
His writing philosophy can be summed up with the words: "Give me a word and I'll give you a world."
Candy Pryce - Script
Candy has been a Barrie resident for over twenty years and involved in central Ontario theatre as an actor, director and administrator. She has acted professionally for various companies including The Orillia Opera House, Theatre by the Bay, The Humber River Shakespeare Co., Talk Is Free Theatre and Theatre Collingwood. She is a member of the local actor collective Theatre Georgian Bay, and directs many of their Bard on the Bay summer Shakespeare productions at the Collingwood Amphitheatre. In addition to directing for TGB, Candy has directed for the central Ontario community theatres the Kempenfelt Community Players, Mariposa Arts Theatre and The South Simcoe Theatre. Candy holds a BFA in Theatre Performance from York University and a BEd in Drama and English from Ottawa U.
Denis Stokes - Adult Short Story
ADJUDICATOR FOR ADULT SHORT STORIES
Denis Stokes was born in Toronto and grew up in Scarborough. He was educated at St. Mike's, U. of T., F.E.U.T. and Vermont College (MFA).
He is the author of the chapbooks Scarborough Poems (Wordwrights Canada), Dublin in the Sunlight; With Adam, Gathering; What the Street Knows and Peace Comes Dropping Slow (all with Albernum Press), plus the books Tunnel Jumping (Scarlet Leaf Press), The Blackstock Children(Scarlet Leaf) and A Wolf Rages Down the Little Jocko (in final preparations in a search for a home.)
His work has appeared in such journals as Descant, Queen's Quarterly, Quarry, CVII, Arc and various anthologies in Canada, the U.S. and Ireland. He was the winner of the Northern Ontario Writers Award in Poetry (1995, Nipissing University). His work has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize and a National Magazine Award.
Denis has lived and taught in the GTA, northern B.C., northern Q.C. and northern Ontario, often involving students from First Nations. He has been teaching Fac. Ed. courses and Writing courses at Nipissing University. His interests include fastball and other sports (ardent fan for teams in T.O.), canoeing and hiking, the theatre and activist concerns. He organizes and hosts the Conspiracy of 3 Reading Series in North Bay, ON, one of the longest running series in Ontario.
A dual citizen of Canada and Ireland, he is married to a very patient Irish woman who has blessed him with four wonderfully grown up kids.