"As a beginning writer, I had no idea where to send my work for submission or for contest entries... With guidance from your website, I was able to figure out which contests my poetry, short stories and essays might do well in. I've also used it to sign up to receive wonderful magazine and journal publications of contemporary poetry, short stories and nonfiction that I would never have found without your website.

"Since using your website in the summer this past year (just six short months ago), I won First Prize in the Margaret Reid Traditional Verse Contest, a short story of mine, "Magnolia", was a finalist for the 2006 New Letters Alexander Cappon Award for Fiction, my poem "The Blue Laptop" was long listed for the 2006 Bridport Prize, and now, I'm waiting to hear if my poem, "Tombstones", moves up from the short list of the Poetry at Work Challenge. That almost averages out to one placement or prize a month due to your website!

"...I've got a bunch of other pieces out for consideration. I'll keep you posted if anything else wonderful happens. This really has been a tremendous year for me and I truly couldn't have done it without your website."
Susan Keith, Poetry Contest Insider Customer, California

"...an outstanding site with valuable resources for poets and writers....straightforward information on dozens, perhaps, hundreds of poetry and writing contests that YOU could be winning."
CruelestMonth.com, The Poetry of HarperCollins Publishers

Perigee's 15th Issue Now Available, Call for Submissions!
Perigee's newest issue is hot off the presses! Our 15th installment is packed with all-new content. It features the unusual work of Swedish artist Zlatko Vasic. James Langston discusses Vasic's style and technique in our Departments section, where we also have a brand new, ever-popular, Sue's Column. This is an issue you don't want to miss, with eleven poems from seven poets, three short stories, and four memoirs which are sure to stick with you after you read them. Think you've got what it takes to be included in this important online literary magazine? We are currently accepting submissions for our April issue—which will include the winners of our 2006 Poetry Contest, selected by renowned poet Marvin Bell. We welcome simultaneous submissions and you can submit directly through our website. So hurry over, consume our newest issue free-of-charge, and submit your poetry, fiction, or memoir today: http://www.perigee-art.com



Closing Next Month
Utmost Christian Poetry Contest
Postmark Deadline: February 28

US$4,000 in cash prizes will be awarded to poets of Christian faith. $15 entry fee.

FIRST PRIZE: $1,000
SECOND: $500
THIRD: $150

HONORABLE MENTIONS (10): $100 each
MERIT AWARDS (20): $50 each

Special Prizes:
BEST RHYMING POEM: $200
HONORABLE MENTION RHYMING POEM: $100
MERIT AWARD FOR RHYMING POEM: $50

Bonus Prize:
Six entrants—chosen randomly from all entrants—will receive a contemporary gospel music CD courtesy of Grandview Records. You can listen to music samples at their website.

Bonus Prize:
Four entrants—selected by the judges—will receive a year's subscription to Poetry Contest Insider (each valued at $27.80) courtesy of Winning Writers.

See our website for complete rules and entry form. Utmost Christian Writers Foundation is a registered nonprofit association dedicated to the support and encouragement of Christian poets. In addition to generous support of Christian poets, Utmost pays cash for poetry published on its website and offers numerous articles and other resources of value to Christian poets. Has God given you a gift of poetry?




Writecorner Press - Call for Poetry & Fiction Contests Submissions

Writecorner Press Poetry Prize - Closing Next Month
Postmark Deadline: February 28
First Place $500; Editors' Choices, $100 each.
This new contest seeks the best unpublished poems under 40 lines. Any style, any theme. Send two copies of each poem with author’s name, address, phone and email address on only one copy. The other copy should be anonymous. Fee: $5 first poem, $3 each additional poem, payable to Writecorner Press.

E.M. Koeppel Short Fiction Contest
Postmark Deadline: April 30
First Place $1,100; Editors' Choices, $100 each.
Seeks unpublished stories, 3,000 words maximum. Any style, any theme. $15 fee for one story, $10 each additional story, payable to Writecorner Press. Send one title page with author’s name, address, phone, email address and short bio. Send second title page with title only. Read past winners.

Writecorner Press judges all submissions anonymously. Winning poems and stories will be published on our literary site, www.writecorner.com. After publication, writers retain all rights. No email entries, please.

Read the contest guidelines, then mail your submissions to Writecorner Press Contests, P.O. Box 140310, Gainesville, FL 32614.



24th Annual Cassell Network of Writers Writing Competition
Contest deadline reminder and new eZine announcement
Postmark Deadline: March 15
Held in association with the Florida Freelance Writers Association, categories in the 24th annual CNW/FFWA competition include Fiction (Short Story and Novel Chapter categories), Nonfiction (Previously Published and Unpublished Article or Book Chapter categories), Children's Literature and Poetry. Reasonable entry fees support honoraria to judges and cash prizes. The contest is open to all writers. You do not have to be a member of Florida Freelance Writers Association (FFWA) or a resident of Florida. However, members of CNW/FFWA save up to 50% on entry fees. Complete guidelines, entry form, prior winners lists, contest tip sheets at Writers-Editors.com. New for 2007 and free: Writers-Editors eZine. Sign up this month and get free report on planning for the coming year: "Setting Your 2007 Writing Goals".



13th Annual Robert Frost Poetry Festival and Contests
Contest Postmark Deadline: March 20
The 13th Annual Robert Frost Poetry Festival will be held April 11-15, 2007. The Festival, set in the Heritage House Garden, Robert Frost Cottage, and at other select tropical venues in Key West, again will feature poetry and haiku workshops, poetry and haiku readings, an art and film event, poetry on the water, and international Poetry and Haiku Contests. Featured poets are Dr. Michael Wyndham Thomas from Birmingham, England, Charles Trumbell, Editor of Modern Haiku, Key West author and poet Rosalind Brackenbury, Barry George, Richard Grusin and Cricket Desmarais. For event details, Festival registration, and Contest details, please visit robertfrostpoetryfestival.org, heritagehousemuseum.org or write to The RFPF, 410 Caroline Street, Key West, FL 33040.



Annual Milton Dorfman Poetry Prize
Postmark Deadline: April 30
The Milton Dorfman Poetry Prize is sponsored by Rome Art And Community Center of Rome, New York. FIRST PRIZE $300, SECOND $150, THIRD $100, plus honorable mentions. Entries accepted from all over the US and the world. Judge to be announced. Entries must be original poetry, unpublished at time of submission. Guidelines must be followed or entry will be void. Entries must be typed on 8.5" x 11" paper. Author's name, address, and telephone number must appear on the BACK of each entry. Entry fee of $10 per poem, US funds. Checks or money orders accepted. Entries may also be submitted via email with a credit card payment over the phone—call 315-336-1040 for more info.

Contest open to the general public, excluding RACC employees. Winners will be notified by telephone. Winning entries will be published and read during the annual awards ceremony at RACC. More info can be found at www.romeart.org. Make your entry fees payable to Rome Art & Community Center and mail your entries to: Rome Art And Community Center, c/o Dorfman Poetry Prize, 308 West Bloomfield Street, Rome, NY 13440.



Announcing the 3rd Annual Skysaje Enterprises Poetry Contest
Postmark Deadline: April 30
Haiku to homilies, form to free verse, slam to sonnets. All styles eligible! We also accept previously published work and multiple entries! Songs are welcome. Minimum $100 prize, additional prizes and/or publication depending on the number of entries received. Include a $5 reading fee with each entry. An entry is a set of 1-5 poems. Please put each poem on a separate page. Poems should be a maximum of 50 lines each. Make checks payable to L. Berger and mail your entries to: Skysaje Enterprises, 50 Amesbury Road, Rochester, NY 14623-5314.

Someone will win! Why not you? For additional information, please visit the Skysaje website.



New Chapbook Contest - hotmetalpress
Postmark Deadline: May 31
Hotmetalpress is embarking on an exciting adventure for us as editors and you as writers. We would like to introduce our first Chapbook Prize Competition. The winner will receive $300 and twenty free copies. We envision the chapbook as a palpable work of art in itself. Our printer is FootHills Publishing which is known for its handset press and hand stitched binding. Our illustrator is Florin Mihai whose beautiful work appears in our Winter 2007 issue. Martin Willitts, Jr. will be editor of the chapbook with a final review by Carolina Sineni.

Because of the high quality of this chapbook we request a reading fee of $20, payable to "hotmetalpress", which will include a copy (perhaps signed) of the winning chapbook sent to all entrants. To enter please send a manuscript of 25 to 30 pages. Include a cover page with title and table of contents. On another page include your name, address, phone number and email address. Also include titles of journals which have previously printed the included poems and a personalized bio which should express your poetic vision. And, of course, a photo. Manuscripts will not be returned. Mail a clean copy of all materials to: Martin Willitts, Jr., Attn: Chapbook Prize Competition, P.O. Box 4322, Rome, NY 13442. Questions? Please email hotmetalpress@hotmail.com.



The Litchfield Review First Annual Book Contest
Postmark Deadline: June 1
Judges
Editors of The Litchfield Review
Categories
Fiction, Drama, Nonfiction, Short Story Collection, Poetry Collection
Entry Fee
$25.00 each book length manuscript

Submission Guidelines
Open to all writers.
Send one copy of your manuscript to:
The Litchfield Review
7 Bonna Street
Beacon Falls, CT 06403
Manuscripts must be accompanied by a title page with complete contact information. Manuscripts must be accompanied by a business-size self-addressed stamped envelope (SASE) for contest results. Manuscripts will not be returned.

Awards
Winner in each category will receive a $500 Honorarium, publication by The Litchfield Review with a royalty contract, and ten copies of the published book. Winners will be announced in August 2007. The Litchfield Review reserves the right not to choose a winner in a category in case of insufficient submissions; in that event, reading fees in that category will be returned.

For more information and news about our ongoing writing contests, please check our website www.thelitchfieldreview.com or contact Theresa C. Vara-Dannen.


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SELECTED FREE PROSE CONTESTS

These free prose contests with deadlines between January 16 and February 28 are included as a bonus in The Best Free Poetry Contests.

Click the contest names below to go straight to their profiles, or login to The Best Free Poetry Contests here. After you login, please click the Find Free Contests link, then search by Prose Contest Type to find prose contests.

1/16: PEN/Robert Bingham Fellowship for Writers +++
Entries must be received by this date
Highly recommended free contest offers a $35,000 fellowship to complete a second book of literary fiction. Entrants must be US residents (not necessarily citizens) whose first book of literary fiction (novel or short story collection) was published in the US during the previous year. Anyone may submit nomination. Send 3 copies of book.

1/31: American Kennel Club Fiction Writing Contest +++
Recommended free contest offers top prize of $750 for short stories up to 2,000 words that feature dogs of an AKC-registrable breed or a breed listed in the Miscellaneous class. No simultaneous submissions. The AKC is a well-known organization that sets the criteria for purebred show dogs, as well as advocating for animal welfare and providing information for dog owners and breeders.

1/31: Amy Writing Awards ++
Recommended free contest offers $34,000 in prizes, top prize of $10,000, for articles with a Biblical perspective that were published in secular newspapers or magazines in the previous calendar year. "Examples of issues for consideration, but not limited to these, are family life, divorce, value trends, media and entertainment character, pornography, political morality, US national interests, abortion, religion and addiction to drugs and alcohol. The biblical impact on individual character and outlook are also appropriate issues. The need for obedience through biblical truth should be evident."

1/31: Betty Trask Prize +++
Entries must be received by this date
Highly recommended free contest offers awards totaling 25,000 pounds for a published first novel of "a romantic or traditional nature", i.e. not experimental. Author must be a Commonwealth citizen. If published, the work must have been published in the UK in 2006 or be due for publication in 2007. Entrants must be under 35 as of December 31, 2006. Winner must agree to use the prize money for foreign travel.

1/31: Caine Prize for African Writing +++
Entries must be received by this date
Highly recommended free contest offers 10,000 pounds for published short stories by African writers, defined as someone who was born in Africa, or who is a national of an African country, or whose parents are African, and whose work has reflected African sensibilities. Up to 5 shortlisted authors receive a travel stipend. For the 2007 contest, entries must have been published between February 1, 2002 and January 31, 2007. Must be submitted by publisher. Send 6 copies of published story. (They prefer 6 originals but will accept 1 original and 5 photocopies.)

1/31: Danuta Gleed Literary Award +++
Entries must be received by this date
Highly recommended free contest offers C$10,000 for the best first collection of short fiction published by a Canadian author in the preceding calendar year. Send 4 copies to the Writers' Union of Canada.

1/31: Jack London Writing Contest ++
Recommended free contest for students in grades 9-12 offers prizes of $1,000, $500 and $250 for stories and essays of 2,000 words maximum (entries in both genres compete together). Entries should be submitted by the student's English teacher. Manuscripts may be any style or any subject and must be titled. "For ideas you may want to use one of Jack London's themes which include man against nature ('Love of Life'), man misplaced in different ethnic cultures ('Chun An Chun', 'The Chinago', 'The Mexican', 'On the Makaloa Mat', 'The Heathen', and 'Samuel'), man at sea, in Alaska, in the South Seas, in poverty ('The Apostate', 'South of the Slot', and 'A Piece of Steak'), boxing, on the farm, even in the leper colony."

1/31: Jerry Jazz Musician Fiction Contest +
Entries must be received by this date
Thrice-yearly free neutral contest offers $200 and web publication for short fiction. The Jerry Jazz Musician reader has interests in music, social history, literature, politics, art, film and theater, particularly that of the counter-culture of mid-20th century America. Entries should appeal to a reader with these characteristics. Submit stories of 1,000-5,000 words by email to jm@jerryjazz.com as an MS Word or Adobe Acrobat attachment. Please be sure to include your name, address and phone number with your submission. Please include "Short Fiction Contest Submission" in the subject heading of the email.

1/31: Northwest Perspectives Essay Contest ++
Recommended free contest seeks essays that "address ideas that affect the Northwest" region of the US. Top prize of $750 in the open category, $500 in the student category (college or graduate school), plus smaller prizes and publication in Oregon Quarterly, the University of Oregon magazine. Maximum 2,500 words for the open category, 2,000 words for the student category. One essay per person.

1/31: Undiscovered Authors Competition ++
Entries must be received by this date; formerly December 31
Recommended free contest from self-publishing company BookForce UK awards prizes up to 10,000 pounds for unpublished fiction, creative nonfiction, and academic works. Winners from 16 regions of the UK and Ireland receive cash prizes up to 1,000 pounds, and compete for the national grand prize. Send sample chapter of up to 25 pages/10,000 words, plus synopsis. Finalists will be asked to submit a complete manuscript. Send entries by email as MS Word attachments.

1/31: Virginia Commonwealth University First Novelist Award ++
Recommended free contest offers $1,000 for a first novel published during the previous calendar year. Author, agent and editor also receive an all-expenses-paid trip to Richmond, VA to participate in the Virginia Commonwealth University First Novelist Forum. Send 3 copies of published book.

1/31: Walter Rumsey Marvin Grant ++
Recommended free contest offers a $1,000 grant to an Ohio writer aged 30 and under with no published books. Submit 1-6 prose pieces (fiction or creative nonfiction), each of which should be 10-60 double-spaced pages in 12-point font. Applicants must have been born in Ohio or lived there for at least 5 years. See website for details and entry form.

2/15: Nelson Algren Awards +++
Highly recommended free contest offers top prize of $5,000, three prizes of $1,500, plus publication in the Chicago Tribune newspaper, for short fiction of 2,500-10,000 words. Maximum 2 entries per person.

2/15: Samuel Goldberg & Sons Foundation Prize ++
Entries must be received by this date; formerly December 15
Recommended free contest offers $2,500 and a weeklong residency at Ledig House International Writers Colony in upstate New York for a published first or second novel or collection of short stories by a US author that explores the American-Jewish experience. Submit 6 copies of a book published in the previous calendar year, plus application materials from website. Must be received by 4pm Eastern time on the deadline date.

2/15: Vincent Astor Memorial Leadership Essay Contest ++
Recommended free contest from the US Naval Institute is open to US Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard officers, regular and reserve, in pay grades O-1, O-2, and O-3, and officer trainees within one year of receiving their commissions. Top prize $1,500 for essays on any subject relating to leadership in the sea services. Maximum 3,500 words. One entry per person; no simultaneous submissions. Email entries preferred.

2/15: Wild Blue Yonder Short Fiction Contest ++
Recommended free bimonthly contest for stories on selected themes includes $250, publication in Frontier Airlines' in-flight magazine, and free online or in-person writing workshop from Lighthouse Writers, a Denver-based literary group. Stories should be 2,500 words maximum. See website for other thematic restrictions. Enter by mail or email. Theme for the February contest is "Go".


Login to The Best Free Poetry Contests now to view these and all our profiles of free contests.

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

All deadlines are postmark deadlines unless otherwise specified.


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CALLS FOR SUBMISSIONS

Angel Face
Rolling Deadline
Poetry journal Angel Face seeks non-rhyming poetry arranged according to the rosary prayer pattern. This means each poem represents in some way a rosary mystery, usually by touching on an underlying theme. Open to writers of all faiths. Editor Mary Agnes Dalrymple says, "Most of the poetry selected for Angel Face was not written with the rosary in mind. I tend to accept secular or secular/spiritual poetry that comes from the life of the poet, rather than overtly 'religious' or biblical poetry. But I do also consider works written from the biblical source material of the rosary mysteries. The goal with each issue of Angel Face is to bring the rosary mysteries 'into life.'" Past contributors include Paul Hostovsky, Andrena Zawinski and Eve Rifkah.

Austin Woman's Film, Music & Literary Festival
Postmark Deadline: February 17 (late deadline March 17)
Running for its 7th year, the 2007 Austin Woman's Film, Music & Literary Festival formally under the name of Blowin' Up A Spot! Film Festival: A Woman's Perspective is having an open call for female spoken-word artists, screenwriters, playwrights, musicians, filmmakers, actors and workshop presenters to submit their work and perform. The festival is wholly focused on the contributions of all women with a special emphasis on showcasing women of Latin, African, African American, Asian & Native descent. This event will take place April 26-29, 2007 in Austin, Texas. This is a non-profit event supported by the City of Austin and the Texas Commission of the Arts. Poets, spoken-word artists, screenwriters and musicians all welcome. $20 entry fee. See website for rules and entry form.

flashquake Micro-Flash Contest
Entries must be received by January 31
Online journal flashquake offers prizes up to $75 for micro-flash fiction (maximum 100 words), "Fibs" (6-line poems where the syllable count follows the Fibonacci sequence 1,1,2,3,5,8), and micro-photos taken with cell phone or PDA cameras. Entry is free.

Ginosko
Rolling Deadline
Ginosko, a semiannual literary e-zine, is currently accepting submissions of poetry, fiction, essays and artwork for its fourth issue. Simultaneous submissions and reprints accepted. Length is flexible. Send entries by mail to Robert Paul Cesaretti, Editor, P.O. Box 246, Fairfax CA 94978, or by email (MS Word attachment) to GinoskoEditor@aol.com. The journal's name means "To perceive, understand, realize, come to know; knowledge that has an inception, a progress, and an attainment. The recognition of truth by experience."

Harpur Palate: "Food, Hunger and Appetite" Issue
Postmark Deadline: March 15
Harpur Palate, the literary journal of Binghamton University, seeks poetry, fiction and essays for its January 2008 issue on Food, Hunger and Appetite. Preferred length for poetry is 3-5 poems, maximum 10 single-spaced pages; fiction and essays should be 8,000 words maximum. One submission per person; send each genre separately. Manuscripts without SASEs will be discarded unread.



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NEW LITERARY RESOURCE

Entelechy: Mind & Culture
Online literary journal publishes poetry, fiction and essays that engage psychological, philosophical, spiritual, scientific, political, mathematical, semiotic, memetic, postmodern, evolutionary, and revolutionary ideas with beauty and creativity.


See our complete directory of resources at http://www.winningwriters.com/resources/ur_web.php. This is also the gateway to our recommended books, magazines, service providers, advice for writers (with manuscript tips) and poetry critiques.


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NEW RECOMMENDED BOOKS

The Case Against Happiness
By Jean-Paul Pecqueur. The genially bewildered characters in this unique first collection of poetry try and fail to fit themselves into the American dream of personal satisfaction, but only because they are genuinely groping for a more substantial mode of existence that always remains just beyond the margins of thought and language. Pecqueur's wild associative leaps mirror his inability to find the coherent, contented self that the Enlightenment promised. This book won the 2005 Kinereth Gensler Award from Alice James Books.

More of Me Disappears
By John Amen. Visionary, intense poetry collection by the editor of The Pedestal Magazine displays his gift for uncanny yet remarkably apt similes: "the sun is fading like a child abducted by a stranger," he writes, or "summer arrives like a parole hearing." Without being political in a predictably literal way, this book is overshadowed by intimations of war and ecological disaster, and burns with a passion to expose the illogical and cramped imaginings of the ruling powers.


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Tom Howard/John H. Reid Short Story Contest
Postmark Deadline: March 31, 2007
Now in its 15th year. Prizes of $1,200, $800 and $400 will be awarded, plus four High Distinction awards of $200 each. Submit any type of short story, essay or other work of prose, up to 5,000 words. You may submit work that has been published or won prizes elsewhere, as long as you own the online publication rights. $12 entry fee. Submit online or by mail. Early submission encouraged. This contest is sponsored by Tom Howard Books and assisted by Winning Writers. Judges: John H. Reid and Dee C. Konrad. See the complete guidelines and past winners.


Wergle Flomp Humor Poetry Contest - No Fee
Online Submission Deadline: April 1, 2007
Winning Writers invites you to enter our sixth annual Wergle Flomp Humor Poetry Contest. The prize pool has doubled to $3,336.40 in cash, with a top prize of $1,359. There is no fee to enter. Submit online. Judge: Jendi Reiter. See the complete guidelines and past winners.


War Poetry Contest
Postmark Deadline: May 31, 2007
Sponsored by Winning Writers. We seek 1-3 original, unpublished poems for our sixth annual contest on the theme of war, up to 500 lines in total. We will award $5,000, up from $3,000 in the previous contest. The top prize is $2,000. Your entry fee of $15 includes three months of online access to Poetry Contest Insider, a $6.95 value. Submit online or by mail. Judge: Jendi Reiter. See the complete guidelines and past winners.


Margaret Reid Poetry Contest for Traditional Verse
Postmark Deadline: June 30, 2007
Now in its fourth year, this contest seeks poetry in traditional verse forms such as sonnets and haiku. Both published and unpublished poems are welcome. 50 cash prizes totaling $4,500 will be awarded, including a top prize of $1,000. The entry fee is $6 for every 25 lines you submit. Submit online or by mail. Early submission encouraged. This contest is sponsored by Tom Howard Books and assisted by Winning Writers. Judges: John H. Reid and Dee C. Konrad. See the complete guidelines and past winners.


Tom Howard/John H. Reid Poetry Contest
Postmark Deadline: September 30, 2007
Now in its fifth year, this contest seeks poems in any style, theme or genre. Both published and unpublished poems are welcome. 30 cash prizes totaling $3,500 will be awarded, including a top prize of $1,000. The entry fee is $6 for every 25 lines you submit. Submit online or by mail. Early submission encouraged. This contest is sponsored by Tom Howard Books and assisted by Winning Writers. Judges: John H. Reid and Dee C. Konrad. See the complete guidelines and past winners. Winners from the 2006 contest will be announced this coming February 15.


LEARN TO WRITE FOR MAGAZINES!
Want to freelance for magazines but don't know how? Need a little motivation to get started? Learn how to develop ideas, research markets, write your query letter, and make your pitch to editors! In only eight lessons, veteran freelancer Linda Formichelli will show you the ropes. She's written for more than 120 publications, including USA Weekend, Family Circle, Men's Fitness, and Woman's Day. Let Linda show you how you can, too!
http://www.absoluteclasses.com/Formicelli/writing_for_magazines.htm


2007 Poet's Market
The 2007 edition of Poet's Market is on sale now at Amazon. Published each August by Writer's Digest, this is the best annual guide to 1,800 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 updated are Novel & Short Story Writer's Market and Writer's Market for works of prose. Writer's Market is "the most valuable of tools for the writer new to the marketplace," says Stephen King in On Writing.


Office Depot - January Coupon
Save on paper, toner, binders and all your writing supplies at Office Depot. Free delivery in select areas when you order $50 or more. Coupon:
Save $30 off any $150 purchase from Office Depot in January!


Alibris Coupons - Save on Textbooks
Save on college textbooks, style guides, handbooks and more. Over 60 million used, new and out-of-print books on sale. Free shipping when you order $49 or more of eligible titles. Use these coupon codes by January 31:
TEXTBOOKS3 (save $3 off $30+)
TEXTBOOKS8 (save $8 off $80+)
TEXTBOOKS10 (save $10 off $100+)
Search over 60 million new and used books at Alibris!

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FEATURED POEMS FROM OUR SUBSCRIBERS

The Arboretum and Tucson
by Joy Gaines-Friedler


The Arboretum

8/27/90: "I feel ashamed that I feel so sorry for myself—I am actually afraid that I will have to live like this for years & that would be hell—but what can I do to make myself happy? I guess I'll have to work at it."
             From the journal of James Kerr
             (who died from AIDS—9/9/90)

That day at the Arb—pink blanket, a bottle
of Coke, your cigarettes, we climbed the grassy hill,
vista of Hemlock and Maple, turquoise sky.

I sat crossed legged on the edge of shade
while you laid back on your elbows in the sun
smoking a joint, your eyes locked in smiles.

We flew through that day; admired the Frisbee-catching
dogs and the reverent quiet. We didn't know
the language of AZT or Elivil, we weren't yet talking

in vowels, still able to hold to consonants.
Later you would conjure-up that day, hang on it
like a piece of sodden wood, not yet ready to go down.


Tucson

8/6/89: "Right now I just want to stay healthy and alive."
9/29/89: "They should have deals at the hospital—every 4th transfusion FREE!"
             From the journal of James Kerr
             (who died from AIDS—9/9/90)

In Tucson the cacti and I sat
vigil while you slept.

I watched them turn gold
in the waning sun;

admired their strong arms,
and wondered which pull

was more powerful:
the sun or gravity.

The moon arrived before the sky refused
to give up its blue—your favorite color.

I waited for you
to return from this disease

that kept interfering with the sunset
and stole your energy.

How long did I sleep? you asked.
It doesn't matter, I said.

Inside we opened a can of soup.


Copyright 2006 by Joy Gaines-Friedler

These poems are taken from a series that won first prize in The Litchfield Review's summer 2006 contest.


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Confession: Son to Mother
by Lynn Shaffer

In 1898, Secondo Pia became the first to photograph the shroud of Turin and, thus, the first to reveal the cloth image as an apparent negative, rather than positive, imprint, which suggested the shroud could not be a painting, as some had claimed.

It is a picture of a man imprinted on cloth.
Beyond that, I cannot say.
Why does that disappoint you?
You know as well as I
the nature of proof. You did not need
to see in order to believe
what was unmaking my father
as he lay beneath the ground in his good suit.
You watched his portrait
as if it were the man himself.
For years you stared and urged,
but his gaze would not follow you
around the room. Though you stayed
inside for months, his absence opened
like a field and you ran through it.
The mountains rose up: We exist. Here we are.
The peonies, with their gaudy heads, taunted:
We breathe and live.
What you needed to know,
you could not.
A huge opening, the sky remained
blue and silent.

Much the same for me.
A photograph that will not speak.
An imprint of Christ
immortalized by light
as he moved between worlds?
I cannot know.

I am a liar, a saint,
a tool of God?
How can I be all three?
As a child, I asked you But who made God?
It is a sin to ask such questions,
you told me, but what good is belief
that springs from desperation
or ignorance? The people go to see,
the crowd winding round
more steady than their faith.

What of those who claimed
needing proof was sacrilege
and now run to witness it?
How can they be certain
it is the son of God?

Surely you can understand.
Think of how you've fed on Papa's image,
flat and framed, the one you led us to
each night. Look at the photos
of you and Papa, hanging side-by-side.
You turn toward him as if to a liege.
And those years he looked out over us—
when did he ever tower over us
the way you situated his picture then?
What does that picture tell of the man,
that he came from Albi—the smallest details—
his hatred of olives, fascination with spiders
looming their miracles in the corners of our rooms?
What truth displayed in the two people
staring in my study? Even the earrings
you wear there—a gift of jade,
bird earrings from Papa, given in youth—hover
below your ear lobes and cannot break free.


Copyright 2006 by Lynn Shaffer

This poem is reprinted from Ms. Shaffer's forthcoming book Persistence of Vision, which won the 2006 Morehead State University/Jesse Stuart Foundation New Writers Award in poetry.

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