Chera Hammons
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Chera HammonsPhoto by Daniel Miller
Bio

Chera Hammons served as the Writer-in-Residence at West Texas A&M University. She is a graduate of the MFA in Creative Writing program at Goddard College in Plainfield, VT. Her work has appeared in publications such as Beloit Poetry Journal, Borderlands: Texas Poetry Review, Connotation Press, Foundry, The Maine Review, Rattle, Ruminate, Sugar House Review, Tar River Poetry, Tupelo Quarterly, and Valparaiso Poetry Review. Her chapbook Amaranthine Hour received the 2012 Jacar Press Chapbook Award. Books include Recycled Explosions (Ink Brush Press, 2016), The Traveler's Guide to Bomb City (Purple Flag Press, 2017, winner of the 2017 PEN Southwest Book Award through PEN Texas), and Maps of Injury (Sundress Publications, 2020).
Her first novel, Monarchs of the Northeast Kingdom, is available through Torrey House Press. She is a member of the editorial board of poetry journal One.


Awards

Texas Association of Creative Writing Teachers:
2001, Poetry, Second Place

Texas Institute of Letters:
2016, Bob Bush Memorial Award for Poetry, Finalist

New England Poetry Club:
2011, Barbara Bradley Poetry Award
2012, Der-Hovanessian Translation Award, Honorable Mention

2012 Jacar Press Chapbook Competition

Spark Creative Anthologies:
2014, Contest Six: "You Are Here", Honorable Mention

Blue Bonnet Poetry Review:
2015, Poetry Contest Finalist

Common Good Books Poetry Contest (Garrison Keillor): "Gratitude"
2016, Second Place

Emily Stauffer Poetry Prize, Franklin College:
2017, First Place

PEN Texas:
2017, PEN Southwest Book Award (Poetry)

The Lascaux Review:
2017, Lascaux Prize in Collected Poetry, Finalist

Best of the Net nominations:
2018, "The Capacity for Malignancy is Ancient"
2019, "Trace Elements"

2019 Joy Bale Boone Poetry Prize, Third Place and Honorable Mention

2019 Pushcart nominee for "Locoweed" (San Pedro River Review, nominated by a previous Pushcart recipient)

Contact

Email Chera directly to request books, a poetry reading or writing workshop, or interviews. Interested parties may also connect with her "socially" on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, and the Poets & Writers directory.