Dorothy Marie Rice, a 77-year-old retired Richmond Public Schools teacher and practicing poet, earned first place in a Tanka Deathmatch Poetry Tournament at the Main Library on Franklin Street on Saturday. The tournament, sponsored by CommonWealth Poetry and Events, drew 16 serious and talented competitors, each facing off in head-to-head rounds using Tanka — a precise five-line Japanese form that inspired the Haiku, with a 5-7-5-7-7 syllable pattern. 

Rice, who read a notice about the event the previous week, decided Saturday morning to assemble and revise her poems and join the competition. Each round was best 2-out-of-3, with winners advancing until the final champion was crowned. Judges vetted all poems for proper form while the audience clapped and cheered for their favorites.