N.Y. Poet Pamela Hart is Named War Poetry Postcard Project Finalist

New York state poet Pamela Hart has been named one of three finalists has been named one of three finalists in the inaugural War Poetry Postcard Project (WPPP), a literary arts experiment to promote empathy and conversation on the effects of war and violence. It is co-sponsored by Middle West Press LLC and Collateral Journal.

Hart is writer-in-residence at the Katonah Museum of Art in Katonah, N.Y. The author of the poetry collection Mothers Over Nangarhar (Sarabande Books), she is also a poetry editor for Afghan Voices and the Afghan Women's Writing Project, and assistant non-fiction editor for Consequence Forum.

The War Poetry Postcrard Project contest encouraged short poems engaging themes relevant to armed conflict, state violence, and military service. 

Hart’s winning poem describes a dream-like, liminal time-space that interconnects mothers of all eras and nations. The poem begins:

“Powered by search engines
and history
mothers navigate 

 

Google Earth, view the flashing 

lights of MRAPs 

as the cursors flag river or range [...]”

Pamela Hart writes to the War Poetry Postcard Project:

“My poem conjures an image of mothers transcending space, time, and geography to witness and tend to their wounded or fallen children. It evokes both the literal and mythic, merging modern technology with ancient battlefields. I hope readers recognize that mothers—and military family members—are active seekers who refuse to be erased from the narrative of war. I hope the poem honors the intimacy and enormity of their presence.”

Hart continues:

“I think poetry and poets bear witness, preserve memory, and give voice to often overlooked experiences of those who serve as well as and their families. Poets confront trauma, challenge dominant narratives, and create space for reflection and resistance. In the context of war, global conflict and state violence, poetry is both a personal and political act. As such, poetry is necessary testimony to the fact that even as wars return and return, we need poetry as an epitaph for those who live and die in its shadow.”

Along with the works of other finalists, Hart’s poem will be published and distributed as a visually engaging glossy 4x6 postcard, suitable for mailing to friends, family, politicians, and others.

Everyone who entered the contest will be mailed a set of the finalist postcards. (Additional sets of the 2025 finalist postcards can be ordered via Submittable here at this link.)

The War Poetry Postcard Project is co-sponsored by Middle West Press LLC and Collateral Journal.

Established in 2016 by Abby E. Murray, Collateral Journal is a twice-annual on-line journal that features “literary and visual art concerned with the impact of violent conflict and military service beyond the combat zone.”

Incorporated as an independent micro-publisher in 2015 by freelance editor and writer Randy “Sherpa” Brown, Middle West Press LLC annually produces from 1 to 4 projects of non-fiction, journalism, fiction, and poetry. Middle West Press’ literary projects often celebrate the people, places, and history of the American Midwest, as well as U.S. military veterans and families.

For more information about the War Poetry Postcard Project, including social media links, visit: linktr.ee/warpoets