David C. Kopaska-Merkel (1957–2026)
David C. Kopaska–Merkel was an award-winning speculative poet, impassioned advocate of speculative poetry, and editor/publisher of one of the longest-running speculative poetry magazines, Dreams & Nightmares, established in 1986. David was the editor of Star*Line from 1996–2002 and the Hard Science-Fiction themed issue of Eye to the Telescope in 2020. He was also President of the Science Fiction & Fantasy Poetry Association (SFPA) from 2011–2014.
During his long career as a poet. David received many accolades. His poem "The Tin Men" (written in collaboration with Kendall Evans) won in the Long Poem category of the 2006 Rhysling Awards, “Medusa’s Tale” and “Rattlebox III” won second place in the same category of the Rhyslings in 2003 and 2010, respectively, and his poems “Clark the Ripper” and “Tsunami Child” placed second in the Short Poem category of the Rhyslings in 2000 and 2006.
In 2014, Kopaska-Merkel’s The Edible Zoo took second place in the Chapbook category of SFPA’s Elgin Awards. Then in 2015, his book SETI Hits Paydirt took second place in the same category of the Elgins. In the 2018 Dwarf Star Awards, “If She Knew She Was a Ghost” took second place.In 2017, David received the honor of being named 2017 SFPA Grand Master, and in 2025 he received the President’s Lifetime Service Award from the SFPA.
David was the reason that I began my journey into the realms of speculative poetry; he published my first poem in Dreams & Nightmares. Until then, I barely knew what speculative poetry was and doubted my talent as a poet, but he told me in an email to cut just the last line, which made the poem land solidly. That crucial modification gave me a glimpse into the mind of this seasoned poet and poetry editor.
Later, David and I co-edited the 2023 Dwarf Stars Anthology, and he helped me to learn the ropes with kind mentorship. When I became the Editor-in-Chief of SpecPoVerse, I was thrilled that his poem "Aquifer" would be in the inaugural issue, and even more pleased that he agreed to be part of the first poetry readings for SpecPoVerse.
To remember how much David touched the lives of many poets, I have established this page to post stories about David from those he embraced with his wit and friendship.
~~ Miguel O. Mitchell