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Award-Winning Poems: Summer 2007
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Welcome to our Summer 2007 selection of award-winning poems. These quarterly specials are included with your free Winning Writers Newsletter subscription. We'll release our next regular newsletter on June 15.
Our sixth War Poetry Contest is now closed. We look forward to reading the several hundred entries over the summer. The results will be announced here on November 15.
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RECENT HONORS FOR OUR NEWSLETTER SUBSCRIBERS
Congratulations to John B. Lee. His poem "The Green Muse" received the 2007 Winston Collins/Descant Prize for Best Canadian Poem. The prize includes publication in the journal Descant and $1,000. Mr. Lee is the Poet Laureate of Brantford, Ontario. He kindly shares his winning poem below.
Congratulations to Sandra Crystal. Her short memoir "These Shattered Parts" was published in the online journal Common Ties. This powerful essay tells the story of a woman with dissociative identity disorder.
RECENT HONORS FOR POETRY CONTEST INSIDER SUBSCRIBERS
Congratulations to Susan Keith. Her poem "A Festive Holiday Photo" was one of four runners-up in The Second Fish International Poetry Prize, and will be published in the Fish Anthology 2007. See http://www.fishpublishing.com/short-stories-news.php#top for the 2007 Fish International Poetry Prize winners page. Previously Ms. Keith won the 2006 Margaret Reid Poetry Contest for Traditional Verse.
Congratulations to Becky Sakellariou. Three of her poems were accepted for publication in the journals White Pelican Review and Common Ground Review. We critiqued her poem "Crows" in our October 2003 newsletter.
Congratulations to Raquel D. Bailey. Her short-short story "Fred's Port" was a second-place finalist in the 7th Annual Chistell Writing Contest. This free contest for poems, stories and inspirational essays by emerging writers offers a top prize of $200 for prose and $100 for poetry. The deadline is typically February 28. Visit Raquel's website at http://lyricalpassionpoetry.page.tl/Home.htm
FEATURED SPONSOR'S MESSAGE
 Toward The Light: Journal of Reflective Word & Image
Call for Submissions for December 2007 Issue
Must be received by September 1
Not a journal for those with their shutter sealed tight, their film developed and set or every
"i" dotted and filed alphabetically.
A journal for those who see light in unusual ways, those who risk leaning on life a little to crack it open, expose the light—amazing.
Our 2007 contest asked for poetry that sees in the dark; photography that shows us the workings of dark and light through the lens of the camera and of the heart/mind.
Bruce Strand, our first-place poet from Innisfail, Alberta, writes, "I enjoy both photography and writing. Sometimes words capture a moment better than a camera can, because each reader carries around his or her own darkroom."
We are pleased to present this excerpt from his winning poem, "For Christ's sake, would you hurry and take the picture"
. . . When someone says I love
this one or that, there's no escape. It is the photo
that goes in the album, along with the old one.
There is no return or destiny to argue. We all
can fit in the frame (remember there is a zoom)
when someone says I love that one or that,
and go away and say I cannot be the same,
but the camera goes and goes, and all that's
asked is to squeeze together just a bit
and smile. Smile and the light will glint
off your eyes and teeth. Faces tight like apples.
Then walk away. And no one will know the difference.
And maybe someday you'll say that's the day
it started to feel OK. Or I decided to never again.
And quick disbanding with handshakes. And
promises that we wouldn't hold each other to,
but we did after all have the picture. I'll send
you a copy. If it turns out, of course.
Our premiere issue of Toward The Light: Journal of Reflective Word & Image comes out this month. To stimulate, encourage and validate art-making as vital. To see life as art.
Don’t let the word premiere confuse you. We have been successfully supporting emerging and established writers for 5 years; now we've evolved into a journal. We do a small print run with a big heart. Order online or by mail. Take a break and spend some time at our website. Submit.
http://www.towardthelight.net
Closing This Month
Margaret Reid Poetry Contest - $4,500 in Cash Prizes
Postmark Deadline: June 30
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. 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
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.
TRY POETRY CONTEST INSIDER
If you enjoy using The Best Free Poetry Contests, consider upgrading to Poetry Contest Insider. The Best Free Poetry Contests profiles the 150 or so poetry contests that are free to enter. With your Poetry Contest Insider subscription, you'll get access to all of our 750+ poetry contest profiles, plus over 100 of the best prose contests. Search and sort contests by deadline, prize, fee, recommendation level and more. Access to Poetry Contest Insider is just $6.95 per quarter, with a free 10-day trial at the start. Cancel at any time.
Most contests charge entry fees. You can easily spend hundreds of dollars and many hours entering these contests each year. Don't waste your time or money. Out of hundreds of contests, there might only be two or three dozen that are especially appropriate for your work. We help you find them fast. Interviews and links to award-winning work help you refine your craft. Learn more about Poetry Contest Insider.
Our customers say...
"I had immediate access to a wide array of poetry competitions, with links to work by the judges and previous winners. This service is invaluable, and the customer service has been prompt and helpful every time. It's far more convenient and personal than Poets & Writers magazine.... The immediacy and specificity of online information makes your service so efficient that I can make better use of my time—that is, I can spend more time writing poetry. :-)"
Leisha Wharfield, Oregon
"I love using winningwriters.com. I send poems and manuscripts out to probably 20 contests each month from your listings... I recommend it to all my writer friends and students, too. I don’t see how a writer can live without it. It's like air or water."
Tom Lombardo, Georgia; Editor-in-Chief, MD Writers
"Your website is invaluable: definitely the best around. I have benefited greatly from the database of contests. Thank you and keep up the fantastic work!... Last year I received first prize in both the Dorothy Prizes and the Room of One's Own poetry competition—both of which I learned of through your database."
Vicki Duke, Alberta, Canada
"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, California
See more testimonials here, plus coverage of Winning Writers in Writer's Digest and The Writer.
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SURVIVAL
by Susan Cohen
Winner of the Summer 2006 New Millennium Writings Award for Poetry
Postmark Deadline: June 17 (often extended to July 31)
This attractive magazine sponsors twice-yearly contests offering $1,000 apiece for poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction and short-shorts. Cohen's winning poem chronicles the family heirlooms that did and did not survive a devastating fire, leaving the larger metaphors for the reader to fill in.
DEPARTING, ARRIVING and other poems (PDF)
by Vern Rutsala
Winner of the 2004 Akron Poetry Prize
Postmark Deadline: June 30
This high-profile open poetry manuscript prize from the University of Akron Press offers $1,000 and publication for collections that demonstrate "mastery of language, maturity of feeling, and complexity of thought." This poignant opening poem from Rutsala's prizewinning book How We Spent Our Time captures the unreality and loss of control that we feel in airports, as in hospitals.
THIS BIG FAKE WORLD
by Ada Limon
Winner of the 2005 Pearl Poetry Prize
Postmark Deadline: July 15
This open poetry manuscript award of $1,000 and publication is sponsored by an attractive small press that publishes many first books and is open to political and feminist work. The title poem from Limon's prizewinning collection cuts through the kitsch and debris of everyday life to find the yearning for love that unites us.
We are gathering a growing library of award-winning poems in Poetry Contest Insider, over 50 to date. Enjoy a wide range of today's best work. Sign up for a free trial.
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2002 WAR POETRY CONTEST—SECOND PRIZE
BECAUSE WE ARE MEN
by Charles Atkinson
i. awake
Those war-whooping days we retrieved the paper
dog-eared on the steps in the damp, and spread it
first thing on the counter with coffee. What was it
that riveted us to the carnage ahead of politics
(o bitter amusement), the comics, even the sports?
Page one: our helicopter downed in the desert—
engine failure. The entire crew. We dipped our flags—
a tragedy. The President was heartbroken. Visited
the homes in Vermont, in Kopki, to assure the old
and soon-to-be-old each bodybag was cared for.
A few stood, limp placards at a corner: Honk if
you love peace—dancing for a wave. A few picketed
the post office. No one burned the recruiting station.
Where were the remains discovered—in what positions
did they die? It was the details that finally seduced us.
ii. eastbound
Above Chamonix the B-52s would refuel, headed for
desert targets. Farmers rose in the dark. Woodstoves
kindled, tea water singing. Milking time. Hearing
a rumble, they'd look upslope to the sleeping massif;
a good year so far—no slides. Please, God.
Already dawn in the fishing village on Crete.
At the bakery window a boy standing on one foot
choosing, turning the coins over and over.
At the sound he'd squint up—silver winks in a blue
deep as a headache. He'd decide on baclava.
In the sands outside Baghdad the mind stopped—wouldn't
approach the smoldering tanks, their treads flopped off,
big sandbox toys, the stench of hair and nails at a broil;
it wouldn't look inside at the harvest of justice,
the boiled fruits of freedom. But it would, it did.
They lived by a bridge on the Tigris, strategic route.
She woke to the glass caving in; the children rushed
toward her and on past, wearing their shirts of flame.
Dust rose from where the stairway began.
The screaming stopped; where were the children?
Five hundred, baked while they slept in a shelter.
The stretchers carried their charcoal into the light
whether we imagined or not. They kept coming,
piled on flatbeds, carried off through the throngs.
Is this what we wanted to know, why we read on?
iii. on target
More ugly still. Because we are men
we know: when, slate-dark, the Phantoms
lumber to the runway nose-to-tail, lift off
and shudder the earth for twenty miles
the general calls it history in the making
and even though it will shake us awake
years from now on an August night—still,
to imagine we are what makes a desert quake
for hours on end—nothing, besides tumescence
or death's husky whisper, brings a man so alive.
Throbbing east under quiet stars, we're the ones
chosen to separate light and dark, friend and foe
on an amber screen. A line's been drawn and crossed:
who will deliver the promise? For this moment
doubt and the difficult feelings drop away. Go on.
We hum an old song—Brothers, sisters—careful
not to think of those down there who'll evaporate,
astonished, before they imagine what rains
from the cipher we've become in a white noon sky—
pure, potent, far ahead of our incandescent trail.
Copyright 2002 Charles Atkinson
This poem won Second Prize in the first War Poetry Contest sponsored by Winning Writers (2002). See the judge's comments on the winning poems from this contest.
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SPONSORS' MESSAGES
 Lucidity Poetry Journal
Lucidity Poetry Journal, now in its 22nd year of publication, is seeking poems dealing with all the facets of human experience such as life, love, loss, joy, sorrow, hope, disappointment—all those elements faced by people in human relationships and daily events. We want poems that are lucid and clear in diction and deal with everyday issues, avoiding vulgarities and jabberwocky. We also avoid political and religious verse, as well as purely nature poems: such as butterflies, sunsets, birds, etc. We are open to any format: formal or free verse but it is important to read our guidelines before submitting poetry. We do not consider email submissions.
If your work is accepted for publication, you will receive modest payment (from $1 to $15), plus a free copy of that issue. We do charge a small entry/reading fee to pay the publication and postage expenses of our journal. Please email us for submission details or visit our website: lucidityjournal.00books.com (the 00 are zeros). In addition to our twice-yearly journal, we also publish chapbooks for poets at a reasonable cost if you wish to have your poems in a book. Contact us for details and prices.
A new concept has been developed we call a Mini-Chapbook, featuring a 12-page booklet containg 8 of your poems with an attractive cover showing title, your name and illustration. These are great for mailing or giveaways, and are cheaper than a greeting card. Send $1 for a sample of the Mini-Chapbook.
In April 2008 we shall sponsor the 16th annual Lucidity Ozark Poetry Retreat at Eureka Springs, Arkansas. This 3-day event features lectures, critiquing groups, read-arounds and fellowship with poets from across the country. Registration fee for all 3 days is only $35. For details, please contact us: Lucidity Poetry Journal, Ted Badger–Editor, 14781 Memorial Drive, No. 10, Houston, TX 77079-5210, USA, or email tedbadger1@yahoo.com.
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The Colrain Poetry Manuscript Conference
Next conference: August 24-27
The Colrain Poetry Manuscript Conference provides the faculty, connections, and method necessary to set poets with a completed manuscript or manuscript-in-process on a path towards publication. Includes workshops, consultations with press editors, evening poetry readings, editorial panel Q&A, group critique of selected poems, and an after-conference strategy session.
Faculty for 2007 include editors and publishers Martha Rhodes (Four Way Books), Jeffrey Levine (Tupelo Press), Jeffrey Shotts (Graywolf Press), Michael Simms (Autumn House Press), Chase Twichell (Ausable Press) and others; workshop leaders include Director of the Concord Poetry Center, Joan Houlihan, Suffolk University Creative Writing Program Director Frederick Marchant, Director of the Smith Poetry Center, Ellen Dore Watson, and Chair of the Writing and Publishing Department at Emerson College in Boston, Daniel Tobin.
The cost of the August conference is $895, and includes tuition, pre-conference materials, lodging and meals. The August conference takes place in Colrain, a country town in Western Massachusetts, at the unique and magical Round House. For an application and complete guidelines, please visit concordpoetry.org/Colrain. You may also call 978-897-0054, email cpc@concordpoetry.org or write to Colrain Poetry Manuscript Conference, Concord Poetry Center, 40 Stow Street, Concord, MA 01742-2418.
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Ron N. Cervero's Cranial Speedway is Now On Sale at Amazon.com
Ron Cervero's Barbaric Yawp
In a long tradition of "outside" poets, from Whitman's "barbaric yawp" through Bukowski, comes Ron Cervero, who has crafted a volume of short rough poems which primarily are written as responses to daily occurrences, or, more often, outrages. The outrage is keenly felt, and Mr. Cervero's responses are often bitter and sardonic.
"Cervero claims not to have read Bukowski before writing this volume and while comparisons, especially eternally being at odds with the Establishment, are evident, these poems are as fragmentary and episodic as, say, videotaping a hanging surreptitiously with a cell phone. Still, they add to define the personality of the poet, whose tattooed legs and torso are displayed on the cover and whose unique view becomes more clear with each poem." —Professor David Mix, Northeast Review
King
by Ron Cervero
Cannibals gather
For the feast of knowledge
Devouring themselves
In games of fire & instinct.
In desperation,
Lost kings search for the King
Anointed in love.
Shepard's forked tongues
Breed wounded warriors.
Share me not in the
Bounty of bitter roots,
And darkened dreams.
Cleanse me in Lion's blood.
SET ME FREE...
Copyright 2006 Ron Cervero
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 The WRIToracle Spring 2007 Issue (literary, arts, current events publication)
TheWRIT.org's quarterly publication, "The WRIToracle", awaits your readership. This Spring season you can read an interview with Pulitzer-prize winning poet Charles Simic, browse through 60 pieces of art and literature, plus a dozen articles on books, authors, artists, current events, and an essay on how to become a more powerful writer. Check out the Spring issue.
OUR MISSION
The purpose of TheWRIT.org is two-fold:
(1) to create an international community of writers and artists and those in the business of literature and art; and
(2) to become the best online resource available, for the aforementioned community, in order to help each individual in it evolve, mature, network, and achieve his or her creative, artistic, and business goals.
The online international community envisioned would increase opportunities for cultural and artistic expression for people of all backgrounds; foster documentation, dissemination, and transmission of both new and traditional creative art forms; broaden audience involvement and access; and improve the livelihoods of artists and their opportunity to contribute to civic life. TheWRIT.org would not only act as a resource for writers, artists, and those in the business of literature and art from all over the world, but also as a site where lovers of literature and art can come to indulge in their passions. This mission is an ongoing project.
To register and/or submit your work for publication consideration, go to:
http://www.thewrit.org/home/writer/index.php
To subscribe to our Monthly Newsletter, go to:
http://www.thewrit.org/home/index.php?pn=subscribe
SOME OF OUR OFFERS
Free exposure to the world
Roughly 10,000 hits a day coming from about 100 different countries. One does not have to register to read work posted on the Workshop or the publication The WRIToracle.
Free constructive feedback provided by TheWRIT staff and/or other registered users
TheWRIT has over 1,000 registered users and a staff in all corners of the web globe.
Possibility to build your resume and gain valuable experience
TheWRIT offers internship and volunteer opportunities in editing, staff / feature / column writing, management, marketing, graphic design, computer programming, and fundraising.
A literary arts community that is almost 4 years old
Surf through the archives or go back in time in the Workshop and you will find some oldies (but goodies) and some newbies. We have thousands of creative writing pieces stored in our Workshop.
Plus a free profile, free email account, and much more. Visit TheWRIT now.
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Closing This Month
2007 Autumn House Poetry Prize: $2,500 and Book Publication
Postmark Deadline: June 30
The winner will receive book publication, a $1,000 advance against royalties and a $1,500 travel grant to participate in the 2008 Autumn House Master Poets Series in Pittsburgh. The contest is open to all full-length collections of poetry 50-80 pages in length. If poems have been previously published, then acknowledgement must be given to other publishers, and the poet must control rights to all previously published material.
All finalists will be considered for publication. The final judge is Mark Doty. Please enclose a $25 handling fee (check or money order), payable to Autumn House Press. Send your manuscript and fee to Autumn House Press, Attn: Poetry Prize, P.O. Box 60100, Pittsburgh, PA 15211. If you wish us to confirm receipt of your manuscript, please include a stamped, self-addressed postcard. Manuscripts will not be returned.
The winner of the 2006 Autumn House Prize is No Sweeter Fat by Nancy Pagh of Bellingham, Washington. Chosen by Tim Seibles, No Sweeter Fat was published in January 2007 and is widely available in bookstores and online. Mr. Seibles writes, "These poems take an elaborate look at the persistent complication of desire through the lens of obesity and body consciousness. At times the language is poignantly raw, at other moments tender, understated, then humorous to get at the diffuse agonies that might, otherwise, be lost to silence." Read an excerpt from the book.
Autumn House has published full-length poetry collections by Gerald Stern, Ruth L. Schwartz, Ed Ochester, Julie Suk and many other outstanding poets. For more information, please see www.autumnhouse.org.
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Closing This Month
Writing It Real Personal Essay Writing Contest
Postmark Deadline: June 30 (online submissions also accepted)
Sheila Bender's Writing It Real is running a spring personal essay contest:
We are seeking creative non-fiction essays based on personal experience. Essays must be previously unpublished and can be up to ten pages in length, double-spaced.
Prizes:
1st prize: $150 dollars plus 1 license for LifeJournal for Writers software or a copy of Sheila Bender's book Writing and Publishing Personal Essays.
2nd prize: $75 dollars plus 1 license for LifeJournal for Writers software or a copy of Sheila Bender's book Writing and Publishing Personal Essays.
3rd prize: $50 dollars plus 1 license for LifeJournal for Writers software or a copy of Sheila Bender's book Writing and Publishing Personal Essays.
10 Honorable Mentions will receive a detailed written response from Sheila Bender.
The top 3 essays will be published in Writing It Real (with permission of the author).
$15 Reading Fee: Each entry must contain a check for US$15. Checks should be made payable to "Writing It Real". The reading fee entitles the entrant to a six-month subscription to Writing It Real magazine, starting when payment is received. You will receive login details via email. Current Writing It Real subscribers will receive a six-month subscription extension. The magazine subscription includes links each week to a fresh, in-depth article on writing from personal experience plus access to four and a half years of article archives.
The contest website has submission upload forms. Submission Package (for paper submissions): The submitted essay should be accompanied by a cover sheet that contains the author's name, title of the essay, phone number, address and email. Submissions will not be returned. No SASE required.
More than one essay may be submitted with additional $15 reading fees, which entitle the entrant to six more subscription months per entry.
International (as well as US) entrants may pay their reading fee electronically through PayPal or Ikobo. Send payments to sbender(at)writingitreal.com [replace (at) with @]. On the cover sheet, please refer to the date the electronic payment was made and the electronic service used.
Paper submissions should be mailed to:
Writing It Real Contest
394 Colman Drive
Port Townsend, WA 98368
All entries will be judged by Sheila Bender. A list of winners will be emailed to all contestants by August 1.
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Closing Next Month
 The Virginia Brendemuehl Prize
Postmark Deadline: July 31
$1,000 plus publication will be awarded. Send 1-3 unpublished poems, a self-addressed stamped envelope (SASE) and $10.00 entry fee to Rock & Sling, Attn: Virginia Brendemuehl Prize, P.O. Box 30865, Spokane, WA 99223. Please make your fee payable to Rock & Sling. The contest results will be announced by early September. Finalists will also be published. No simultaneous submissions, please.
Rock & Sling seeks poems that nudge up against Judeo-Christian faith in surprising and memorable ways, grappling with faith’s tensions as well as its joys. Please visit www.rockandsling.org for guidelines, excerpts, editor bios and more.
Rock & Sling congratulates Dorothy North on "Pilgrims", the 2006 winner of the Virginia Brendemuehl Prize. The judge was Robert Cording.
Pilgrims
by Dorothy North
Is he baptized? Is what I pick out of the shards
of words the Haitian voodoo street queen sprays
at us. August light rains down on the outdoor
table where we have come for lunch, my friend
and I, to sit and feast on her grandson before
she gives him back to his parents. But this
woman with her own vision has crossed
the street, drawn by the baby, rosaries
of sweet fat at his wrists. Sharks circle
her ankles at the hem of her slashed
black skirt. She is the color of bruised
fruit that didn’t sell, her head a tower of rags.
We are alarmed: does she mean to snatch him
and set him up on an altar ringed with candles
where she lives under the bridge abutment?
I’m just the grandmother, my friend says, as if that
could get her off the hook. God bless you, I say, meaning:
Please go away. But she stays for now, a pilgrim
among her own kind: three women bent
toward the light that funnels down on the gold hair
pulsing where the crown hasn’t closed.
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 Deadlines Extended
Cedar Hill Press: Poetry & Short Fiction Contests
Revised Postmark Deadline for Poetry Contest: August 1
Revised Postmark Deadline for Short Fiction Contest: September 1
Cash prizes will be awarded to those placing in the top four. The top 10 entries (in each contest) will be published on our site along with the author's bio. Prizewinning works will also be turned into a podcast. For further details and the guidelines, please visit www.CedarHillPress.com.
Cedar Hill Press was created to provide a forum to discover and develop emerging artists. We look for people who are continuously seeking to change the course of their genre, and want to be viewed as an artist of the 21st Century. Cedar Hill Press encourages the use of new mediums, theories and ideas.
Insights from Jeremy Sayers, judge of the most recent Cedar Hill short fiction contest ...
Some of the most important elements of a good story, I think, are a strong sense of voice, and a consistent through-line. In other words, the way the story is told, that it is told by a storyteller we enjoy listening to, and that the story completes itself. In most cases, though, a sign of a good storytelling "voice" is that we don’t really notice it. It's kind of an ambiance in the world of the story. And, of course, when voice is well done, it is consistent throughout the story. When a writer drops the "voice" of a particular story, it's glaringly noticeable. The same holds true for the through-line. In a well written piece of fiction, no detail, no turn of phrase, no line of dialogue, is extraneous. But, at the same time, all of the elements of a good story should seem natural, not forced...
A few examples of writers who I think are good writing teachers through their work, besides Elaine Palentia, and Frank O'Connor, are Flannery O'Connor (no relation to Frank); the collection A Good Man Is Hard to Find is breathtaking. James Joyce's Dubliners everyone should read ("The Dead" is one of my favorite stories). Katherine Mansfield's The Garden Party and Other Stories is another collection no one should miss out on...
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OpenMikeCafe.com and TJMFPublishing.com—A new online community
Announcing two fun contests, with additional monthly online contests for members
Here's Your Chance! Now you too can be a politician—or at least poke fun at them and the political process. In our newest contest, My Fellow Americans, we’re looking for a few good poets. Entry is free—see the complete guidelines. Lots of winners in this one. Top prize is $100 plus three copies of the book produced from the best entries. We want a zany, fun look at American Politics, just in time for the next elections. Enter via email by September 30.
Does your poetry come alive when spoken aloud? TJMF Publishing announces The Calling Card Prize for Audio Poetry. Submit short audio recordings via email by September 3. One prize of $250 and three prizes of $50 will be awarded. Winners will receive online publication of their audio recording and promotional links to their work. Reading fee: $6 per entry. See the complete guidelines.
The Open Mike Café proudly announces staff editor Patty Zion’s selection for May’s Poem of the Month: "First Light" by Marion A. Poirier. Patty writes, "'First Light' relates the friendship and romance of a woman and a blind man, using a minimum of words and maximum of emotion" (see the full review). Marion Poirier's poem was one of 100 submitted in May and one of seven to receive special recognition as Patty's pick of the week. Patty's choices receive detailed reviews and special notice on the website.
First Light
by Marion A. Poirier
Take my hand Edward;
walk with me.
I will be your eyes.
I'll drift on black clouds,
through white corridors with you.
We'll sleep on wooden benches
like twin moons, and
my face will be the first
you see at dawn.
I ask for nothing more.
Patty offers an article series on writing poetry, including writing exercises that will fire your poems with inspiration and new techniques. Submit poems for our monthly contests and compete for poem of the month by joining us at www.tjmfpublishing.com or www.openmikecafe.com.
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The Green Muse
by John B. Lee
The Charolais cows were licking the sky
from the field of France
for want of salt
in God's left ear
where he pressed heaven
with his bountiful blue mind
and whenever I saw them I said
"come to me, my lovelies"
and they turned their big white faces
to the fence, came heifering over
to watch my movement
while one true moth
fluttered up and out of my hand
hovering above my open palm
like the amazed eyelash of child
with faith in miracles
before lost chivalry first fell to flowers
and I believe as well
in the purposeful perfection
of prayer
as I believe in the coming again
of tomorrow's dew-blessed dawn
and only the next day
in Paris
I walked under
the window
that sheltered the small room
where the French poet Verlaine
passed into paradise
those many years ago
like the last wormwood hallucination
of a painting vanishing in rain
what it is
that blinks to black
this dark acid splash of dying
the night of the night
when evening isn't there
the hollow O of a waterless well
the dry-tongued words that taste of stone
and the same day
I saw the oldest tree in Paris
the false acacia
leaning into pillars
and chinked by cement
but still living
still lingering
where the very road
once carried commerce
through Leon and on to ancient Rome
and also I saw the statue of Napoleon
coppering up on the obelisk
built from ten thousand captured cannon
melted down to make that slender plinth
and also
the spire of Egypt
graying into empire
since before became before
when time was first inventing itself
in the books and stories
of the self-considering
mind of man
and which of these greens
will I choose
the poisonous green
of Verlaine's absinthe
the penny-green of the crown
of the Corsican runt
that laurelled his corporal skull with a copper thought
or the leaf-green life
of the oldest tree
that stood dropping its shade
in the square
by the church
or the pasturing
ruminant green
of the daily hunger of cows
I am writing
of cud, as if of this bolus
of the third result
the supper of supper
I cannot dream
without eating
the dreaming of green.
Copyright 2007 by John B. Lee
This poem won the 2007 Winston Collins/Descant Prize for Best Canadian Poem and is reprinted by permission of the journal Descant.
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PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT
Honduran doctor recognized for work in human rights, domestic violence, and with torture victims
Dr. Juan Almendares, director of COHAPAZ, ProLiteracy Worldwide’s partner program in Honduras, has won InterAction’s 2007 Humanitarian Award for his work in human rights and environmental issues. The award, which recognizes leaders who have made significant contributions in their home countries, was presented on April 18 at InterAction’s conference in Washington, DC.
Almendares started COHAPAZ, the Honduran Committee for Peace Action, in 1986. It now serves women in 20 communities in the poorest areas of Tegucigalpa and Comayaguel with initiatives such as basic literacy, home organic gardens, nutrition and natural medicine, and vocational skills training. Almendares also works with victims of torture and organized violence through his Center for Prevention, Treatment, and Rehabilitation of Torture Victims. He coordinates Tierra Madre (Friends of the Earth Honduras), which raises awareness about destructive practices of multinational companies, including displacement of individuals, and environmental pollution.
“A violent beginning in life led Dr. Almendares to become a builder of peace and solidarity,” says Dr. Lynn Curtis, ProLiteracy Worldwide’s vice president of international programs. “His work in environmental justice and human rights has brought those values to Honduran communities in urgent need. ProLiteracy is pleased to partner with Dr. Almendares in his efforts to create a more just and humane world through literacy and community development, and we were honored to nominate Dr. Almendares for this prestigious award.”
As a first grader in Honduras, Almendares was required to visit a prison to witness an execution. A few years later, during a land dispute, Almendares saw people being killed and dismembered with machetes; among them was his father. Every day he watched the effects that severe poverty, alcoholism, and prostitution had on the people around him.
As an adult, Almendares became a doctor and began working on human rights, domestic violence, and environmental issues. He organized volunteer health campaigns, built free clinics, worked with victims of torture, and engaged in peace activism. His activities made him a military target. Shots were fired into his house, his family received bomb threats, and eventually he was tortured by the military. Almendares was able to establish COHAPAZ only after the political situation in Honduras changed.
About InterAction
InterAction is the largest alliance of US-based international development and humanitarian nongovernmental organizations. With more than 160 members operating in every developing country, InterAction works to overcome poverty, exclusion, and suffering by advancing social justice and basic dignity for all. For more information about InterAction and the Humanitarian Award, visit www.interaction.org.
 ProLiteracy is the oldest and largest nongovernmental literacy organization in the world. It sponsors educational programs that help adults and their families acquire the literacy practices and skills they need to function more effectively in their daily lives.
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2004 WERGLE FLOMP HUMOR POETRY CONTEST—HONORABLE MENTION
TO A MOOSE
On hooking her up to a plough
by Lindsay MacPherson
Not so wee, sleekit, cow'rin tim'rous moosie
O, what a panic's in thy hoofsie
Thou need na be taken awa twas harsh
More dangerous than herding highland cattle
I rin an' chased thee from the marsh
Wi gonna need a really big pattle
I'm truly sorry thou canna be loose
I had to enslave thee brown moose
And just as thou are big and strong
I didn't mean to thee startle
Thou do not have a sharp prong
I am but a mortal
I doubt na, this could take awhile
What then? Poor moosie, I'll climb a stile
And the harness I'll attach and tie
Don't budge is my request
I'll get a blessing if I don't die
Because I know thou are piss't
That wee bit strap now in ruin
And the droppings a strewin!
If it's nae Scottish it's crap
O' foggy morn
I set up a moose trap
My muscles are now torn
Thou saw the fields laid bare an' waste
But I was comin' fast
And the trap thou tried to rin past
Thou once stood five feet tall
Still crash! Hooked up to something at last
I didn't mean to hurt thou at all
All I wanted was a pull for the plough
At the cost of a solitary moose cow
Now thou's turn'd out, it was too much trouble
The moose cannot pull
Me from my own rubble
Of being a brutal and selfish bull
But moosie, I have nothing to gain
Standing here as your enemy in vain
The best laid schemes O' Bullwinkle's wink
It's time to let loose
The scotch, ales, and moosehead I drink
As I free the she moose
Still thou art blest, compar'd wi 'me
Nature, I dare not toucheth thee
But och I will not be kicked in the pants
I will stay clear
Thou art free to enjoy the acquatic plants
I will miss you my Dear.
Copyright 2004 Lindsay MacPherson
Sent as a joke to Pen Pushers Publications, this poem won an Honorable Mention in the 2004 Wergle Flomp Humor Poetry Contest sponsored by Winning Writers. See the judge's comments on winning poems from this contest.
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COMING IN OUR JUNE 15 NEWSLETTER
Best Free Poetry Contests for June 16-July 31
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