We, the editors of the Potomac Review, would like to congratulate Sarah Mucek of Madison, WI -- Sarah's poem, "Aditya in December," has been selected as the winner in our annual poetry contest. Also our congratulations to Margot Wizansky of Brookline, MA -- her poem "In Babylon The Birds" is our first runner up.  W. Luther Jett of Washington Grove, MD is the second runner up for his poem "The Chalk Horse."

We would like to thank Nancy Naomi Carlson for judging the contest for us. A gracious thanks goes to Dr. Esther Schwartz-McKinzie and the Paul Peck Humanities Institute at Montgomery College, Maryland for the donation for the prize money.

We would also like to extend our sincere thank you to all the entrants of our poetry contest for their interest and continuing support of the Potomac Review. Be sure to check our web site for the soon-to-be announced fiction contest.

Next up --The F. Scott Fitzgerald Literary Conference announces its annual short story contest. It is limited to residents of Maryland, Virginia, and D.C. The prize is $1,000 and publication in the Potomac Review Issue #45. Click on the link for more information.

A CALL FOR ESSAYS ON RIVER JOURNEYS:  We are seeking short creative nonfiction essays on the theme of "River Journeys.” We will feature a section in Issue #44 of these essays to honor our namesake, the Potomac Review. We seek essays on water travel or water journeys. Content is not limited to the Potomac River. Send short essays of 2500 words or less. Send us something interesting and intriguing as we finish up the reading period. Deadline is May 15th. You mail or email your submissions to PotomacReviewEditor@montgomerycollege.edu. Write "river journey" in the subject line.

Our co-sponsored writing conference, "Conversations and Connections II" was a great success. Friday's night reading was standing room only with over 80 people. On Saturday, over 225 people attended the conference. All day long we all networked and chatted and generally had a good time. Thanks to our co-sponsors, The Baltimore Review, Barrelhouse Mag, the Johns Hopkins University, Montgomery College and the Arts and Humanities Council of Montgomery County. Check the website for an interview with Mary Gaitskill and photos of the day. www.writersconnectconference.com