Deadlines: March 16 - April 30

3/25: Naomi Long Madgett Poetry Award +
Entries must be received by this date
Poetry Manuscript: Open to African-American authors. The deadline was formerly 6/30.

3/25: Nicholas A. Virgilio Memorial Haiku Competition for High School Students +
Entries must be received by this date
Individual Poems: Open to any student who was in grades 7-12 as of September 2004.

3/30: The bp Nichol Chap-Book Award ++
Prize is for the "best poetry chap-book in English published in Canada."

3/31: National Translation Award +++
Published Book: Honors a work of translation published in English by a US publisher in 2004. Entries must be submitted by the publisher.

3/31: Word Works Young Poets Competition +++
Individual Poems: High school students in the Washington, DC region may enter.

4/1: Washington State Book Awards ++
Honors books published in 2004 by writers who were born in Washington State or have lived in the state for at least three years. Ten prizes of $1,000 each are awarded for books of poetry, fiction and nonfiction.

4/15: Balticon SF Poetry Contest +
Poems with themes of science, science fiction or fantasy are sought.

4/15: Ruth Lilly Poetry Fellowships +++
Two awards of $15,000 each will be given to students enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate English or creative writing program. Nominations must be submitted by the department chair or writing program director. Only one nomination from a school will be considered. Candidates must not yet have published any book of poems.

4/16: The Foley Poetry Contest ++
Entries must be received by this date
Individual poems of 30 lines or less. America is a national weekly Catholic magazine founded by Jesuits in 1909.

4/30: Betsy Colquitt Award for Poetry +
This annual prize of $500 is for the best poem or series of poems published in an issue of Descant. There is also a $500 Frank O'Connor Prize for Fiction awarded annually to the best story.

See our complete list of free poetry contests by deadline date

Key to Ratings
Highly Recommended: +++
Recommended: ++
Neutral: +

All deadlines are postmark deadlines unless otherwise specified.

FREE CONTESTS WITH ROLLING DEADLINES
We have found eight free contests with rolling deadlines. These typically accept entries at any time of year. See them now at:
http://www.winningwriters.com/winfree/contests/indexbydate.htm


Sponsors' Messages

Amnesty International Poetry Competition
Entries must be received by April 30
This competition is organized by the local AI group in Reading, UK. We offer prizes of 250 pounds, 100 pounds and 50 pounds for poems of up to 40 lines (any subject). There is also a Human Rights prize of 100 pounds for poems promoting our campaign to Stop Violence Against Women, and an under-16s prize of 100 pounds. The judge is Jane Draycott. The entry fee is 2 pounds for the under-16s, 4 pounds for all others, and you can enter online using PayPal. For details please visit our website at www.amnestyreading.co.uk.


Dancing Poetry Contest
Postmark Deadline: June 15
Sponsored by Artists Embassy International. Three Grand Prizes of $100 each plus your poem will be performed at the Dancing Poetry Festival in San Francisco (all winning poets will be invited to read) and may be read in China PRC at the World Congress of Poets. First, second and third prizes totaling $850 will be awarded. Limit: 40 lines maximum (due to choreography). Send two copies, one with name, address, phone number and email address (if you have one). The anonymous copy will go to the judges. Entry fee payable to Artists Embassy International: one poem, $5.00; three poems, $10.00. Send your entry to: Contest Chair, Attn: Judy Cheung, 704 Brigham Avenue, Santa Rosa, CA 95404.


The Virginia Brendemuehl Poetry Prize
Postmark Deadline: July 30
Winner receives $1,000 plus publication. Send 1-3 unpublished poems, a self-addressed stamped envelope and a $10.00 entry fee to The Virginia Brendemuehl Prize, Rock & Sling, P.O. Box 30865, Spokane, WA 99223. Finalists will also be published. Deadline extended to July 30. Winner will be notified by September 1. No simultaneous submissions, please. Rock & Sling seeks poems that nudge up against Christianity. Visit our website for guidelines, excerpts, editor bios and more: www.rockandsling.org.


Affordable Chapbook Publication
Preserve and share your poetry by publishing it at the reasonable price of $0.105 per page for 100 copies. For example: 100 copies x 32 pages x .105 = $336.00, or $3.36 per book. Contact us for details: Bear House Publishing, 14781 Memorial Drive, No. 10, Houston TX 77079, email tedbadger1@yahoo.com, or call 281-920-1795. Publishing poetry since 1985.


Ed Albaugh - Stories, Poems, Lit-mag Ruminations
Stories
An aging couple's visit to the Grand Canyon is disrupted by a suspicious fall. En route back to Las Vegas, violent weather besets them, and the time-tested equilibrium of companionship is frayed. A great newspaper goes under, but amid the mourning much of the staff survives and eventually prospers.
Concrete poems
"Akhmatova's Apartment," "Fireflies," "Foreign Weather in Brief," "MacArthur," "Miami Mid-50s," "Mountains, Mountains, Mountains."
Rejection slips
Observations and poems about the downside.
Acceptance
What if the lottery miraculously pays off? Poems that found a welcome.
www.edalbaugh.com


$1,000 and Book Publication: Autumn House Poetry Prize
Postmark Deadline: June 30
All finalists considered for publication. Final judge Jean Valentine. 50-80 pages of poetry. Enclose $25 reading fee. Autumn House Press, P.O. Box 60100, Pittsburgh, PA 15211. See website for complete guidelines:
www.autumnhouse.org.

Please enjoy this excerpt from Dear Good Naked Morning, winner of the 2004 Autumn House Poetry Prize:

Trees in Wind
by Ruth L. Schwartz

How sure they are, the trees in wind,
gangly, manic, drugged, exuberant, rustling,
reckless, lost; wringing a thousand hands
over a thousand graves; placing long fingers
to long lips, saying Hush, all is not lost
that you think is lost; saying There are costs
you have not yet paid. They know more than you
want to know, you who want to know

everything. They know more than that and aim
to tell it all night long, in song you can't repeat
or translate; Don't forget, they say, and pray, equally
to the gods of wind and ground; chance and purpose;
air and failure; gods of all things fallen, their limbs
block the way, arrow toward the way.

Copyright 2005 by Ruth L. Schwartz
Published by www.autumnhouse.org


Try Poetry Contest Insider, Winning Writers' Expert Online Database
Poets sometimes ask why they should pay for a contest directory when there are some free ones on the web. Here's what makes Poetry Contest Insider different:

Comprehensive. Most free directories list perhaps 50-150 poetry contests. We profile over 650. You have a much better chance of finding specialized contests that suit your work well. Each profile reports all the rules for a contest whenever possible, so you don't have to research further or send away for them.

Searchable. You can search our contest profiles by name, contest type, prize, fee, deadline, location, experience level, genre and more. Go straight to the contests that interest you without wasting time.

Expert Guidance. We tell you which contests we recommend, and how highly. We spotlight contests that are good for emerging poets, and contests that are good for poets with more experience. Concentrate your time, effort and entry fees on the contests that can do you the most good.

Contest Backgrounds. We link to the work of contest judges and recent winners. See for yourself if a contest has been choosing work that appeals to you.

Constantly Updated. Deadlines, addresses and rules change frequently. Printed annual directories are weeks or months out of date the moment they hit the stores. Many websites aren't much better. We update Poetry Contest Insider nearly every day to get you the most accurate information possible.

Poetry Contest Insider makes it easy for you to make quick, informed decisions about which contests to enter.

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Read more testimonials from our subscribers

Free trial. Try Poetry Contest Insider free for 10 days. Access all our 650+ contest profiles. If you like it, you'll pay just $5.95 for three months of access. If not, cancel and owe nothing.

We continue to work hard on our new website. You'll receive an email announcement when it's ready. In the meantime, we'd like to share some of the new resources we've found.

4AM Poetry Review
http://fourampoetryreview.i8.com/
Eclectic, zesty new journal lists Theodore Roethke, Anne Sexton and Robert Hass among its influences. Published annually in August, reads submissions year-round (submit online or by mail). Read sample work on site before sending.


AA Independent Press Guide
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/dee.rimbaud/aaipg.html
Free online compilation of contact information for thousands of magazines and publishers in the US, UK, Canada and Australia. Resources in each category are arranged alphabetically (not searchable) and include website and email links where available. If you find this site helpful, you're encouraged to make a donation to keep it running.


Carol Hurst's Children's Literature Site
http://users.crocker.com/~rebotis/index.html
Recommended books on subjects from Appalachia to Work and Occupations, with suggested lesson plans and classroom activities. Site includes book reviews, advice on creating teaching materials and more.


Editorial Freelancers Association
http://www.the-efa.org/index.html
National nonprofit professional association of self-employed workers in the publishing and communications industries. The EFA works to improve conditions for freelancers and match them up with clients. Employers can post jobs for free.


Elite Skills: "Writing Scams" Page
http://www.eliteskills.com/writing_scams/index.php
Publication scams: how they work, how to spot them, and how you can fight them. Courtesy of the Elite Skills online poetry forum. While we're at it, here are two new contests to avoid: the Poetry Institute of Australia and the Poetry Institute of Canada. These unselective contests will bring you no joy.


Fairrosa Cyber Library of Children's Literature
http://www.fairrosa.info/
Online library of children's literature contains the full-length text of dozens of classics. Reference Shelf feature includes links to background material on many authors of children's books.


John Amen: "Walking Unsure of Myself: Election Day, 2004"
http://www.albany.edu/offcourse/fall04/j_amen.html
Hallucinatory meditation on the political culture of wartime America, by John Amen, editor of the bimonthly journal The Pedestal Magazine.


Just Markets
http://www.justmarkets.com/
Up-to-date listings of paying freelance and telecommuting jobs for writers. Try their free biweekly newsletter, or get daily updates for $9.95/month.


MosaicMusings
http://mosaicmusings.net/
Online forums to post your poetry and prose, as well as several contests per year for the best work on the site.


The New Pantagruel
http://www.newpantagruel.com/
Brilliant quarterly ezine offers a unique perspective on culture, politics and faith. Channeling the spirit of Christopher Lasch, TNP crosses political boundaries in defense of communitarian values. In addition to essays and reviews, TNP publishes lyrical and thought-provoking poetry.


New York Foundation for the Arts Database
http://www.nyfa.org/nyfa_source.asp?id=47&fid=1
Large directory of opportunities for visual artists, performers and writers. Search by genre, geographic eligibility, type of funding and more.


Poetry Debates, Manifestos and Criticism
http://www.poets.org/almanac/index.cfm?45442B73315D5A78562D305909046743332E7D295637290A0165464B5B685
Techniques for teaching and performing poetry, analysis of important poetic movements, and writers discussing their own work. One of many stimulating compilations from the Academy of American Poets' National Poetry Almanac.


"Poor Poetry, Rich Deceit"
http://www.kwenu.com/publications/ejinkeonye/419_poetry.htm
Nigerian journalist Ugochukwu Ejinkeonye denounces American poetry scams. An eye-opener.


Professor Roy's Amazingly Bad Poetry Journal
http://www.livejournal.com/~reallybadpoetry/
Satirist "Professor Roy" searches Poetry.com for the worst possible poems, and explains just why they're so bad. Visit his User Info page for warnings about poetry scams.


storySouth's Million Writers Award: Top Online Stories of 2004
http://www.storysouth.com/millionwriters/2004notablestories.html
Discover the best of the fiction webzines on this list compiled by storySouth, an online journal whose mission is "to showcase the best fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry that writers from the new south have to offer."


US Legal Forms
http://www.uslegalforms.com/
Clearinghouse for over 36,000 legal forms that are free or available for purchase online. Includes state-specific forms. Writers will appreciate the templates for contracts, rights assignments and intellectual property filings.


Veterans History Project
http://www.loc.gov/folklife/vets/
Library of Congress site collects personal reminiscences from veterans of recent wars. Search archives by time period or branch of service, or find out how you can add your own memories to the historical record.


Wired for Books
http://wiredforbooks.org/
Inventive site offers audio files of classic and contemporary literature being read aloud, plus author interviews and excerpts from the Ohio University Spring Literary Festival. Sponsored by Ohio University.


More Sponsors' Messages

2005 War Poetry Contest
Postmark Deadline: May 31
We seek original, unpublished poems on the theme of war. Submit 1-3 poems, up to 500 lines in total. $3,000 in prizes will be awarded, including a top prize of $1,500. The entry fee is $12. This fee includes free online access to the Poetry Contest Insider database for three months, a $5.95 value. Submit online or by mail. For complete guidelines please see:
http://www.winningwriters.com/annualcontest.htm


Margaret Reid Poetry Contest for Traditional Verse
Postmark Deadline: June 30
The Margaret Reid Poetry Contest seeks poetry in traditional verse forms, such as sonnets and haiku. $2,000 in prizes will be awarded, including a top prize of $1,000. The winning entries will be published. The entry fee is $5 for every 25 lines. Submit online or by mail. Winning Writers is assisting with entry handling for this contest. Guidelines:
http://www.winningwriters.com/margaret.htm


Tom Howard/John H. Reid Poetry Contest
Postmark Deadline: September 30
Open to poems in any style, theme or genre. $2,000 in prizes will be awarded, including a top prize of $1,000. The winning entries will be published. Early submission is encouraged. The entry fee is $5 for every 25 lines. Submit online or by mail. Winning Writers is assisting with entry handling for this contest. Guidelines:
http://www.winningwriters.com/tompoetry.htm


Get Freelance Projects with Elance
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Publish Your Book From Your Computer for as Little as $1.00 Each
InstantPublisher.com will take your manuscript over the Internet from any Microsoft Windows-based program. Publish a book in trade quality from 25 to 5,000 copies in about 7-10 working days. Ideal when you want to publish books to give as gifts, sell at events and readings, or sell from your website. Specify the kind of book you want to print and get an instant price quote. Customers say, "the published book is exactly what I had envisioned. And the cost was so reasonable, I'd recommend InstantPublisher.com to anyone." "I experimented with several different short-run and POD printers during my 90-day adventure from self-published to major book deal, and I have to say that the quality of your books was BY FAR the best. When sending press kits to the media, and anyone we wanted to impress, we'd always send your books, which we affectionately referred to as 'The GOOD books."'
http://www.instantpublisher.com/default.asp?afcc=1393


IMAGINE YOUR STORY IN A BESTSELLING BOOK!
Do you have a personal story that belongs in today's bestselling anthologies, like Chicken Soup for the Soul, A Cup of Comfort, and Chocolate for Women? You could get PAID for it and get published! Julia Rosien, a publishing veteran and editor at ePregnancy Magazine, will mentor you and show you how to turn your memories into essays that warm the heart...and sell.
http://www.absoluteclasses.com/Rosien/soulstories.htm


WriteSuccess Newsletter
Sign up now for WriteSuccess's free biweekly newsletter for freelance writers. Editor Mary Anne Hahn has a knack for finding the most interesting literary sites and markets. It's easy to feel lonely as a freelancer. Mary Anne's inspiring attitude and success notes from readers create a sense of community.
http://www.listpartners.com/cgi-local/subscribe?4338


Your Poems and Pictures on Apparel, Cards, Gifts and More
CafePress.com makes it easy to put your words and images on shirts, greeting cards, postcards, mugs, magnets and posters. Order them for yourself or for gifts, or sell them online at a profit. CafePress makes each item to order, so you don't have to commit to a large batch all at once. It's quick and easy to set up your store, and there's no set-up charge. We've been getting a kick out of our Judge Jendi mugs. Get started here:
http://www.cafepress.com/cp/info/storeref.aspx?refby=winwrit


Poet's Market - 2005 Edition On Sale
We recommend Poet's Market: 1,800 Places to Publish Your Poetry ($16.49 at Amazon). Published each August by Writer's Digest, this is the best annual directory of journals, magazines, book publishers, chapbook publishers, websites, grants, conferences, workshops and contests. Helps you find publishers who are looking for your kind of work. Also recommended: Writer's Market for works of prose ("the most valuable of tools for the writer new to the marketplace," says Stephen King in On Writing).


Write Ways to Win Writing Contests
John H. Reid, a widely published Australian novelist and award-winning poet (under the name Tom Howard), has written a witty and practical guide to finding the best contests for your work. Topics include identifying the judges' tastes, "popular" versus "literary" styles of writing, preparing a professional-looking manuscript and avoiding scam contests. Though his examples are drawn from fiction, poets will also find this guide indispensable. Order it now for $14.99 from Amazon.


Office Depot - March Coupon
Save on all your writing supplies at Office Depot. Free delivery in select areas when you order $50 or more. This coupon expires on March 31.
Save $30 off Purchases of $150 or More!


Take 25% Off at VistaPrint
We use and recommend VistaPrint for quick printing. Design your own holiday cards, postcards, greeting cards, business cards, flyers, stationery and promotional materials. Use VistaPrint's templates or upload your own artwork. It's easy to create professional-looking work at reasonable prices. Rush delivery is available. First-time customers enjoy a 25% discount. Please use this link:
http://www.vistaprint.com/frf?frf=873884053138


Public Service Announcement

ProLiteracy Worldwide Tackles Illiteracy in Colombia

ProLiteracy Worldwide empowers local communities to grow and learn. In Colombia, where civil war has raged for years, ProLiteracy's presence dates back to 1966. ProLiteracy's partner in the Medellin area has worked for 40 years in urban and rural sites serving the poorest and most underserved people, helping children and adults to learn how to read, write and communicate more effectively. One of their newer initiatives is a literacy project working with communities displaced by civil war. About 900 women, men and children participate in this program. In the Antioquia region, illiteracy rates have been reduced by 34% through ProLiteracy-supported programming.

While ProLiteracy monitors progress and programming through conferences, visits and correspondence, community groups that have longstanding relationships with ProLiteracy handle day-to-day supervision at the local level. Women run most of the programs; women and children benefit most from the programs.

An important initiative today is to provide manuals on good nutrition to mothers in Colombia. These help them both learn to read and to prepare healthy meals for their families. Please consider supporting this project. Nothing goes so far as the gift of literacy.

Learn more about ProLiteracy

Contribute to ProLiteracy's Colombia project


Advertise to 14,000 Poets and Writers
Promote your contests, websites, events and publications in this newsletter. Reach over 14,000 poets and writers. Ads may contain up to 100 words and a headline. Reserve today, March 15, to lock in our old rate of $25/ad. Rates rise to $35/ad on March 16. (Our circulation has grown over 65% in the past year.) Place your reservation at:
http://store.yahoo.com/winningwriters/wiwrnead.html

Praise from Advertisers

"I want to thank all of you at Winning Writers again for providing such a wonderfully beneficial service for poets and writers.... The staff at Perigee is impressed with how many of our readers and contributors learned about our online publication through Winning Writers."
Ben Arnold, Co-Editor, Perigee

"The first ad I placed was for your October 15th [2003] issue and my web stats show clearly that it was a success.... You obviously have sincere and dedicated poets on your list."
Constance Campbell, Editor, Wild Plum

This month, the Critique Corner looks at more runners-up from the 2004 Wergle Flomp Poetry Contest, in our continuing quest to find poetry so bad it's good. Only two weeks left to enter the 2005 contest, deadline April 1. We're offering a top award of $1,190, plus seven other cash prizes.

If you would like a chance to be critiqued, please email your poem to me at critique@winningwriters.com. Send the poem in the body of your email message (no attachments) and put "poetry critique" in the subject line. One submission per poet per month. Thanks!

Internecine with Spam
by Anthony McMillan

I acquiescence to Spam, nothing left...
But that one can, acidulous; sitting alone
On the shelf, obeisance to the Cag-mag,
This has gotten out of hand; I am broken
-------The can must be opened-------

I feel a little nostalgie de la boue, as the top of
The can is removed, for it reminds of darkly days
When hunger had its ways and smashed pork in a can
Seemed almost toothsome and grand.

Now I am throe and threnody, loathing my penury
As I spoon the scoria out into a bowl.
It squishes on the spoon, its sibilants, some
Domestic swine like tune; that I cannot understand
But imagine its saying, "Damn, I'm dead/cut up
And crushed in this can". Now I rue the day
I mixed my "babe like," friend in
-----------Mayonaise-----------

Effluvium, on bread and I feel such dread
But I slaver nonetheless, I do hope you understand;
It's truly out of my hand, there was only this one
Can of Spam, acidulous; sitting alone.

So shut up and leave me alone
I'm hungry.


Copyright 2005 by Anthony McMillan


Critique by Jendi Reiter

Anthony McMillan's "Internecine with Spam" is a fine example of the "ode to junk food" genre, to which some of our best Wergle entries belong. As I observed in last month's critique, humor thrives on contrast and incongruity. The cheap mass-produced foodstuffs of modern life defy all efforts to romanticize them in verse. Junk food, flattering our basest tastes, represents the opposite of art's mission to dignify our animal life with meaning. The more elaborate the language, the more sharply the mismatch is felt.

Paying effusive homage to a subject clearly unworthy of the honor is a classic form of mockery. The satire cuts in both directions, however, since lavishing poetic care on a product like Spam also exposes poetry's potential for clueless self-absorption and fussy remoteness from everyday life.

McMillan's poem derives added humor from its occasional misuse of erudite words, giving the impression that the speaker is trying hard to sound "literary" but has more enthusiasm than talent. For instance, the title employs "Internecine" (an adjective to describe internal strife or warfare within a group) instead of the more sensible noun "Interlude". Perhaps "Internecine" is a reference to a lost kinship between man and pig: " Now I rue the day/I mixed my 'babe like,' friend in/Mayonaise".

Similarly, the narrator expresses his inner conflict colorfully, yet ungrammatically, with the words, "Now I am throe and threnody". A throe is like a pang (throes of death), while a threnody is a poetic lament. He might feel throes, or sing a threnody, but his chosen phrasing suggests that the narrator is tossing around lofty words of sorrow without quite knowing what they mean....

critique continues

Poems by Anthony McMillan, Maria St. Clair and Mark Stevick, their critiques and links to our favorite books of humorous verse appear in full at:
http://www.winningwriters.com/critiques/2005/0503-wergle3.htm


We are pleased to announce that Jendi Reiter's poem, "Donald Trump's Pre-Nup Advice to Britney Spears," has been accepted for publication in MARGIE. Read Ms. Reiter's award-winning poetry at:
http://www.jendireiter.com


Coming in the April 15 Winning Writers Newsletter
Best Free Poetry Contests for April 16-May 31