Honourable Mention in the Sheree Fitch Prize

Sheree Fitch is a Canadian author best known for her many children's books. My two favourites are Pocket Rocks and If I Had a Million Onions.

When writing for children, Mrs. Fitch has a very whimsical, fun style to her writing. She seems fond of rhyming stories, as you will know if you've spent much time at all reading her picture books.

As a well-known author, Sheree Fitch has a writing prize named in her honour. It's run by the Writers' Federation of New Brunswick for teens ages 13-18 as one of the many categories in their yearly writing competition.

Last year was my first time entering the Sheree Fitch Prize, and I was actually given an Honourable Mention for a children's poem that I wrote, entitled Goldilocks and the Wolf.

This year, my second time entering, I was awarded a second Honourable Mention, which is what this post is all about. I'm celebrating the fact that another children's poem of mine has received an honourable mention in the Sheree Fitch Prize. You can see my name listed on this page (under the heading "The Sheree Fitch Prize for Teen Writers").

The poem I entered this year is called Murker. It's a small child's interpretation of what is best to do when things don't go quite the way you want them to. Jacqueline Halsey, 2025 judge for the Sheree Fitch Prize, had some fun things to say about Murker.

"Murker is an original and well-thought-out poem that gives negative emotions the quirky name of “murker.”  On the surface it is a children’s poem, starting with a child becoming “glum” after being denied her father’s attention. It continues with delightful silliness and colourful mood, lifting suggestions like wearing a tutu or dressing up like a pirate. But the poem has serious undertones, drawing parallels with the overwhelming feeling of despair that many teens and adults struggle with. Hiding under the bed or hiding in any shape or form doesn’t work, but the poem suggests that using humour and giving soul-destroying emotions a comical name can be empowering.  The poem ends with a suggestion - help someone else. “Handy helpering will bring [your murking] to an end.” This great tongue tickling line is worthy of Sheree Fitch. The vivacious vocabulary, humour, energy and random rhyming scheme make this a really good, funny and perceptive poem. Well done." —Jacqueline Halsey

I must say that I was quite astonished at how far Jacqueline Halsey read into something I see as a playful children's poem and not much more. Different people can see the same things in different ways. I really appreciated seeing a stranger's perspective on Murker. It brought me a lot of amusement and encouragement.

One of my favourite bits from the judge's comments: "This great tongue tickling line is worthy of Sheree Fitch."

Thank you! Really. I mean it. In preparation for this competition, I raided my local library for book after book by Sheree Fitch, reading, studying, and rereading some of them in hopes of successfully creating a poem in a style close to that of Sheree Fitch's. It seems that I succeeded, which pleases me very much. Mission accomplished.

Another favourite bit:"The vivacious vocabulary, humour, energy and random rhyming scheme make this a really good, funny and perceptive poem. Well done." I really like the phrase "vivacious vocabulary," and I'm glad she found my poem humorous. I love writing funny things. Children's poetry is a perfect vessel for light-hearted humour.

I received a lot of good feedback on this year's entry (from judge Jacqueline Halsey, but from others as well), and I know that I did a good job on it. Because of this, I have decided to keep the actual poem itself from appearing on the blog, at least for now, because it would then be harder to have it published somewhere else. If, however, you are on my email list, I will be sending my poem, Murker, out for your private viewing pleasure later today. I dream of perhaps one day publishing a collection of children's poetry. Maybe one day I will, and maybe Murker will star in it. Time will tell. For now, Murker will await it's next opportunity to bring a smile onto someone's face.

Thanks for celebrating with me! While at the moment I don't think that I should post Murker on the blog, I wanted to share this little accomplishment with you. Happiness and smiles are meant to be shared. Thanks for taking the time to share them with me!

Until next time,

Lily Page