Struck me a few minutes ago.

I’ve been talking for a while about wanting PSI to fund a prize for good writing.

I just realized that I should just do it myself. Plunk down 500 bucks and get a couple of judges to read poems.

Get a structure and a process to get poems mailed to me that were used in competition at the NPS. Have house managers sign off on them or something.

Award one serious prize of 500 bucks to the best poem submitted.

Do it piggybacked onto the PSI structure without going through the PSI process. Control the whole thing myself.

And call it “The Ken Hunt Prize,” given each year for exemplary writing within the slam community.

The last conversation I ever had with Ken involved the disappointment both of us were feeling with slam. The last book he ever gave me of his was signed, “Thanks for helping me keep my faith in poetry alive.”

I think I have my marching orders.