the david wade hogue scholarship

A poetry award that benefits mothers

The David Wade Hogue scholarship was created in 2022 at a time when Covid 19 had taken a disproportionately high toll on mothers, particularly working mothers. Thanks to ongoing support from AIM Higher Board President Kim Noriega, one scholarship will be awarded in 2023 in Dave’s honor: The Rocket Man Award.

Ms. Noriega says, “David Wade Hogue (Dave) and I grew up together in a suburb of Cleveland, Ohio and were friends for over 50 years. Even during times when our life paths diverged, we’d reconnect as if we’d never missed a beat. I’m counting on that pattern to hold: Dave passed away after a long battle with cancer in October 2021.”

Called the Rocket Man Award because, as a kid, Dave loved space exploration, Ms. Noriega adds that “One of our ‘divergent path’ times was a particularly dark time in my life, one that Dave came to understand through poems I later wrote about that period of my life. He always expressed regret that he wasn’t close at hand to support me during those tough times. I can absolutely see him smiling, knowing he’s supporting other moms now."

Ana C.H. Silva and Jenny Della Santa were the winners of the inaugural David Wade Hogue Poetry Scholarships in 2022. Ms. Silva says, “Winning The Rocket Man Award is one of the great highlights of my life so far! I love the spirit of the prize. Honoring David Wade Hogue, and born out of an essential friendship, this award honors both the enduring resonances of friendship as well as the creativity of women.”

Ms. Della Santa notes, “Kim Noriega will pull the best work out of you. Having had her as a teacher through Poetry Barn, I know her deep love of poetry, and her unique way of intuitive and creative nurturing. It compelled me to do something I never thought I'd do – apply for this opportunity. I'm humbled and grateful for having had it. Kim's mentorship has guided me through some of the most rewarding and productive work I've done.”

This year, The Rocket Man Award will consist of a three-month mentorship with Poet/MentorKim Noriega and a $500 cash award for artist support.

To apply, please see details and form below.

How to Apply

Key Dates

Application Opening Date - Monday, June 26
Application Closing Date -Friday, August 5 (Midnight PDT)
Award announcement: Email Notification October 15
Public Announcement: October 27

Eligibility

A mother of a child age 17 or younger
Who is working in the genre of poetry
Who agrees to give a public reading (in-person or online)

The Award

A three-month private mentorship with Poet/Mentor Kim Noriega
A $500 cash award for artist support: child care, books, etc.

How to Apply

Please complete this Google form, including information about yourself and your writing, confirmation of how you qualify based on the award criteria, and what you would like to accomplish during your mentorship. In addition, please include one original poem about life-long friendship.

Note: You will need to sign in to or create a free account on Google to submit.
Only one application per person is allowed.

Click here to fill our the form: https://forms.gle/FYwtT5QgLwvLZTyAA

Additional Information About the Award Process

Please ensure that your name, phone number, and email address are included on each page of your application. Please submit no later than midnight (Pacific Time), August 5, 2023.

Applications will be reviewed by Lissa Kiernan and Kim Noriega, with Kim Noriega being the final judge. Applicants will be notified of scholarship results via email beginning October 15, 2023.

Three poems by Kim Noriega about David Wade Hogue

Imagine from Beneath the Full Long Nights Moon

I was freezing. I’d refused to trade my black leather

jacket for a coat that would cover my pregnant belly.

The gusts from Lake Erie were bitter. You held

out a candle, to warm my hands by. That was the December

Mark David Chapman shot John Lennon. Despite the weather

we’d risked Route 2 in Bob’s rusted-out shell

of a Volkswagen Beetle to get to the vigil

downtown on Public Square. In November,

Rich had left me—nineteen, unemployed, unwed,

and pregnant—for that bitch, Sandy, who looked

like Ursula Andress as Catwoman. I’d decided to keep

the baby. You helped me move to my parents’, said

Rich wasn’t worth my spit, painted my sister’s old room

moonglow white and sweet Georgia peach.

Rocket Man from Beneath the Full Flower Moon

Do you remember May’s perfume counter? Lilacs in Bloom

Eau de Toilette? I’d coax you within reach—

I swear, I promise—spray you till you’d reek,

then run like hell. You’d feign outrage, boom:

god damn it, Kim, and laughing, give chase, dooming

yourself to years of such abuse. Or your role as Peter,

the goat herder, in the Butternut Ridge Theater

debut of Heidi, Girl of the Alps? When your two

goats (distracted by squirrels) charged off barking,

I nearly peed my pants laughing. You just played along.

Clear nights, I’ve imagined you, eye

pressed to your telescope aimed at the stars.

You wanted to be a rocket man—Neil Armstrong.

I wanted to be Emily Dickinson, or Harriet the Spy.

Wish You Were Here from Beneath the Full Snow Moon

When you told me, No more tears on this shoulder at 4AM,

I believed you. Vowed I’d never again bring my grief

to your door. How could I have foreseen

the distance this would bring between us? That decades

would pass before I’d see you again? Dave,

when I sent you my poems, I never dreamed

they’d cause you pain; could not conceive

of you not knowing about the holes in my walls in the shape

of his fists. You say you should have known about those dark

times. Say you left when I’d needed you most—have regrets.

I say, you befriended the sad-eyed girl that I was, came into my

life when I’d needed you most. You say I’m your inspiration, a star.

I say, make a wish on me, my dear old friend. The air is redolent

of lilacs in bloom, the moon is a sweet Georgia peach in the sky,

and I still refuse to give up my black leather jacket.