Bliss Moorhead Shelter Island Poetry honors
An evening of poetry, remembrance, and community gathered at St. Mary’s as the Bliss Morehead Grant Readings — which have become part of Shelter Island’s cultural fabric, presented by the Shelter Island Library — honored this year’s writers while continuing a cherished tradition.
The program opened with thanks to longtime judges — Charity Robey, Virginia Walker, and Irene Cornell — who faced a strong and competitive field of submissions.
Established in 2020 by Mike Zisser following the passing of Bliss Morehead, the grant honors her lasting contribution to the island’s literary life. For more than a decade, she led the Shelter Island Poetry Project, bringing residents together through curated, themed readings that celebrated both craft and community.
First-place honors went to Scott Robbins for “81 Winters Ago,” a deeply personal poem inspired by his father’s experience in World War II. Drafted at 18 and a veteran of the Battle of the Bulge and the Remagen bridge campaign, Robbins’ father rarely spoke of the war, though its effects lingered throughout his life.
The poem evokes the stark realities of winter combat — mortars tearing through frozen forests and soldiers huddled in foxholes — and the memories that endure long after. In one striking moment, his father wakes from a nightmare crying, “I’m freezing, I’m freezing,” as his wife tries to comfort him — a quiet reminder that for some, the war never truly ends.
Honorable mention was awarded to Edward Brennan for “Peacetime,” which turns to a contemporary setting beneath a highway overpass, where a makeshift encampment reveals the unseen struggles of its inhabitants. Through careful observation, the poem suggests that even in peacetime, echoes of conflict remain.
A second honorable mention went to Elizabeth Kaiser for “Bullseye,” a thoughtful reflection that explores the tension between perception and reality, and the lingering impact of violence in unexpected places.
Several readers spoke of their connection to Shelter Island and to Morehead’s legacy, whether longtime participants or newcomers welcomed into the fold. The evening felt less like a competition than a continuation — a gathering shaped by shared attention and the enduring power of the spoken word.
In that spirit, the Bliss Morehead Grant Readings remain what they were always meant to be: a place where poetry brings people together and where stories — personal and historical — are given voice.
