Read the poem ‘How Memory Comes’ by Suzanne Langlois

Portland Teacher Suzanne Langlois Wins Maine Writers and Publishers Alliance Chapbook Award

Portland, Maine – Suzanne Langlois, a longtime educator and MFA graduate of Warren Wilson College, has been named the 2026 recipient of the Maine Writers and Publishers Alliance’s (MWPA) prestigious chapbook award for her collection Bright Glint Gone. The honor recognizes Langlois’s lyrical exploration of memory and place, themes that recur throughout her work in journals such as Leon Literary Review, Rust + Moth, Rogue Agent, and the Best New Poets Anthology.

“We’re thrilled to honor a poet who turns everyday rural details into something universally resonant,” said MWPA board member Megan Grumbling, a Portland-based poet and writer. “Suzanne’s voice is a fresh addition to Maine’s literary scene.”

Langlois’s debut chapbook, Bright Glint Gone, blends the intimacy of childhood memories with sharp, sensory imagery. Her latest poem, “How Memory Comes,” has been featured in the MWPA’s Deep Water: Maine Poems anthology this week. The piece, which is available by permission from the author, evokes a sun‑bleached cornfield, the itch of straw, and the buzz of June bugs. A passage reads:

“Sometimes memory is a splinter working its way out. I drive by a field of corn stubble and my skin itches, suddenly lost in an afternoon spent in a friend’s barn…”

The poem’s wistful tone—“How memory comes…unbidden…and leaves without saying goodbye”—mirrors Langlois’s broader concern with how fleeting moments anchor our lives.

Beyond the award, Deep Water—a collaborative project between MWPA and the Maine Writers & Publishers Alliance—has announced an open call for submissions that will run through the end of 2026. The anthology is eager to spotlight writers of color, Indigenous writers, LGBTQ+ voices, and other underrepresented perspectives. Prospective contributors can submit their work through the organization’s website at mainewriters.org/deep-water.

In a statement to the press, Langlois reflected on her journey: “Teaching keeps me grounded in the present, but my poems carry me back to the fields and barns that shaped who I am. Winning this award feels like a bridge between those worlds.” She added that the recognition will help her focus more time on writing and mentoring young poets in the region.

Bright Glint Gone is now available at select independent bookstores across Maine, and the full text of “How Memory Comes” can be read in the online edition of Deep Water.