Best Resources for Poets and WritersWinning Writers
IN THIS ISSUE

Recent Honors for Our Subscribers

The Best Free Poetry Contests, April-May

Notable Free Prose Contests, April-May

Calls for Submissions

New Literary Resources

New Recommended Books

Advertise in This Newsletter

Critique of Neville Klaric's "The Mirror"

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WINNING WRITERS NEWSLETTER
April 2008


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Welcome to our April newsletter. This is the companion to our online database, The Best Free Poetry Contests. It alerts you to upcoming contests and important contest changes, highlights quality resources for writers, and announces achievements and great poems by our readers.

Lost one of our newsletters? Message garbled in transmission? Not to worry. All our recent newsletters are posted online at http://www.winningwriters.com/news

The Tom Howard/John H. Reid Short Story Contest is now closed. Due to the large number of entries received, the announcement date for the results has been pushed back from July 15 to September 15 to allow more time for judging. We appreciate your patience.

Using a Mac? The Safari browser for Macintosh made some changes that cause our drop-down menus to appear in the wrong place. We are continuing to work on this issue. In the meantime, we recommend using the free Firefox web browser to view our web pages.

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FEATURED SPONSOR'S MESSAGE

Writing It Real in Port Townsend Writers' ConferenceWriting It Real in Port Townsend Writers' Conference
June 26-30, Port Townsend, WA
Whether you are experienced or new to writing, have a special project in mind, need a jumpstart or are switching genres, Writing It Real in Port Townsend Writers' Conference will provide the professional guidance you are looking for in writing and publishing memoir, non-fiction, fiction and poetry.

Port Townsend is an inspirational place to write and a relaxing place to visit. Come join like-minded individuals in a lovely Victorian seaport where daylight lingers till nearly 10pm. Our program of lectures, panels, brown bag lunch presentations, small-group discussions, manuscript workshops and in-class writing exercises will guide you to deeper and more meaningful writing.
Sheila Bender
Since 1999 our faculty's trademark has been enthusiasm, warmth and genuine down-to-earth instruction. Join instructors Sheila Bender, Meg Files, Jack Heffron and Susan Rich for thorough, small group instruction. Check out our conference highlights for a detailed description of the workshops and lectures aimed at providing a hands-on, in-depth learning experience to all who attend.

For fees, registration, scheduling, travel and accommodation information see our conference website or email conference@writingitreal.com.

What Attendees Say

"I wanted to write, be with the writers, learn something, and get inspired and motivated. I got it all! Even sunshine."

"This conference was more than I could hope for. It was well organized yet flexible and accepting of writers at all levels."

"Thank you so much for such a personable and helpful conference!"

"I expected a week of learning and growing, but I couldn't have predicted the directions they would lead. I learned to hear the poet in my heart. The door to publishing was opened and I'm not nearly as afraid to walk through."

"The community of writers, the professional approach to serious craft, the expertise of the facilitators, the variety of the curriculum and the perfect pace—bravo!"

"I wanted the peace and time to start writing again and it was fulfilled."

For information on more writing instruction opportunities, visit Sheila Bender's Writing It Real online magazine for those who write from personal experience. You can learn about Sheila's online class offerings and LifeJournal for Writers software as well at www.writingitreal.com.

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Closing Next Month
War Poetry Contest
Postmark Deadline: May 31
We seek 1-3 original, unpublished poems on the theme of war for our seventh annual contest, up to 500 lines in total. We will again award $5,000, including a top prize of $2,000. Submit online or by mail. The entry fee is $15. Judge: Jendi Reiter. See the complete guidelines and past winners.

Margaret Reid Poetry Contest for Traditional Verse
Postmark Deadline: June 30
Now in its fifth year, this contest seeks poetry in traditional verse forms such as sonnets and free verse. Both published and unpublished poems are welcome. Fourteen cash prizes totaling $5,250 will be awarded, including a top prize of $2,000. 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
Now in its sixth year, this contest seeks poems in any style, theme or genre. Both published and unpublished poems are welcome. Fourteen cash prizes totaling $5,250 will be awarded, including a top prize of $2,000. 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.


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POETRY & FICTION HONORS FOR WINNING WRITERS EDITOR
Jendi Reiter won third prize in the 2008 Utmost Christian Writers Poetry Contest for her poem "Called Out". This contest, with prizes up to $1,000, had a deadline of February 28. She was also one of four Honorable Mention winners in the 2007 Arthur Edelstein Prize for Short Fiction. This $1,000 award, which accepts entries during the month of October, is sponsored by The Writing Site, a website that offers editing services and writing resource links. Her story "Dinosaurs Divorce" will be published on the site later this year. In addition, her story "Bride of Christ" is forthcoming in the literary journal Relief: A Quarterly Christian Expression.

RECENT HONORS FOR OUR NEWSLETTER SUBSCRIBERS
Congratulations to Fred McGavran. He won the 2007 St. Lawrence Book Award for his short story collection The Butterfly Collector, which will be published by Black Lawrence Press. This first-book prize from a press affiliated with the Adirondack Review offers $1,000 and publication for a poetry or short fiction manuscript (both genres compete together). The most recent deadline was August 31. Mr. McGavran also won the 2007 Writer's Digest Popular Fiction Awards in the horror category. His story will be posted on their website this fall. The most recent deadline for this contest, which offers prizes up to $2,500 for romance, mystery/crime fiction, sci-fi/fantasy, thriller/suspense, and horror stories, was November 1.

Congratulations to Zvi A. Sesling. He won first prize in the 2007 Reuben Rose Poetry Competition from Voices Israel for his poem "Fish Eye". The most recent deadline for this $300 prize was October 7.

RECENT HONORS FOR POETRY CONTEST INSIDER SUBSCRIBERS
Congratulations to PS Cottier. She won first prize in the inaugural OdysseyCon Science Fiction & Fantasy Prose Poem/Flash Fiction Contest for her prose-poem "Pod, Cast". OdysseyCon is an annual science fiction convention held in Madison, WI in April. The deadline for this $500 prize was January 31. Ms. Cottier also won third prize in the Inner City Life Literary Competition from the NSW Writers' Centre, and her winning poem was published in Eureka Street, an Australian webzine of politics, culture, and theology. The most recent deadline for this A$100 award was November 23. She writes, "I am a Poetry Contest Insider subscriber, and without the WW website, would probably never have heard of the OddContest, let alone entered."

Congratulations to Dalia van den Boogaard. Her story "Always, Mama" won the $250 second prize in the Familia Books Writing Contest and will be published in their anthology, Things Mother Taught Me. She writes, "Finding out about Winning Writers has enriched my life tremendously. Your information-packed website and newsletter have made me feel like part of the writing community before I even started submitting my poems to contests that you advertise." (Familia Books anticipates that this will be a one-time contest, but they plan to offer other contests on different themes in connection with future anthologies.)


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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 $7.95 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 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

See more testimonials here, plus coverage of Winning Writers in Writer's Digest and The Writer, or start your trial now.

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THE BEST FREE POETRY CONTESTS
Deadlines: April 16-May 31

Here is a summary of upcoming free poetry contests. Click the contest names to be taken directly to their profiles (you may be asked to login on your first click of the day). You may also view the profiles by logging in to The Best Free Poetry Contests here and clicking the Find Free Contests link to search for contests by name.

Forgot your password? Need a password?
Please go to http://www.winningwriters.com/forgot_password.php
We will email your password to you within minutes.

Winning Writers gathers contest information from a wide variety of sources including publishers' press releases, online link directories, Poets & Writers Magazine, and e-newsletters such as TOTAL FundsforWriters, The Practicing Writer, and CRWROPPS. We encourage readers to explore these useful resources, and let us know about worthwhile contests we may have missed.

4/30: Red Mountain Review Poetry Chapbook Contest ++
Recommended free contest for poetry chapbook manuscripts offers $500; ten copies of Red Mountain Review, in which the manuscript will appear; ten copies of a limited-edition stand-alone chapbook; and an all-expenses-paid trip to Birmingham, AL for a joint reading with this year's judge. Manuscripts should be 24 pages maximum. Two entries maximum per person.

5/1: Crucible Poetry and Fiction Competition +
Entries must be received by this date
Neutral free contest offers top prizes of $150 in each genre, plus publication in Crucible, the literary journal of Barton College. All submissions to the journal are considered for the prize. Send 1-5 poems or one story of no more than 8,000 words. One entry per person per genre. No simultaneous submissions.

5/1: David Reid Poetry Translation Prize +
Entries must be received by this date
Neutral free contest offers 750 euros for the best Dutch-to-English translation of a poem posted on the website of Subtext Translations, a Dutch company that provides subtitling and commercial translation services. Twice a year, the title of the chosen poem will be posted on the contest website at midday on March 1 and September 1. Winners published on website. Enter by email only.

5/1: John Ciardi Lifetime Achievement Award in Poetry ++
Recommended free contest offers $1,000 to an Italian-American author who has published not only poetry collections but also cultural criticism, and has promoted poetry through various activities. By nomination only. Nominees must have published at least two books of poetry, excluding chapbooks, and have published poetry criticism or edited poetry-related works.

5/1: KNOCK Green Art & Ecolit Contest +
Neutral free contest offers $100 for poetry, fiction, essays, artwork, drama or cartoons (all genres compete together) that takes on an ecological crisis, past or present, with skill and imagination. Poetry should be 4 poems or 8 single-spaced pages maximum; prose and drama should be 10 pages maximum (double-spaced or standard script format); for art and cartoons, maximum 5 entries per person. Enter by mail or email.

5/15: James Laughlin Award +++
Highly recommended free contest for a poet's second book, under contract to a publisher. The Academy of American Poets will award the winner $5,000 and buy 10,000 copies of the winning book for distribution to its members. Publisher should submit four copies of manuscript or galleys with author's name removed.

5/15: Presence Poetry Contest +
Entries must be received by this date
Neutral free contest offers top prize of $100, three runner-up prizes of $75, for unpublished poems on a spiritual theme. One poem per person, maximum 30 lines. Enter by email only. No simultaneous submissions.

5/31: Bordighera Poetry Prize ++
Recommended free contest for manuscripts by Italian-American poets offers $1,000 each to the author and a commissioned translator who will translate the book into Italian. The poet must be a US citizen, but the translator may be an Italian native speaker from any country. The poet may translate his/her own work if bilingually qualified. Initial submission should be a 10-page sample from a manuscript of 48 pages maximum. See website for complete details.

5/31: miniWORDS 2008 +
Entries must be received by this date
Neutral free contest for very short poetry and prose offers prizes of 250 pounds in each of three genres: poetry, flash fiction, and haiku. Entries must be submitted through online form. Winners and runners-up published on website. Contest sponsor Charnwood Arts is an independent community arts and media organization based in the Borough of Charnwood in the East Midlands of Britain.

5/31: Rosine Offen Memorial Award +
Neutral free contest offers $200 for the best poem published in every issue of Free Lunch (usually publishes at least two issues per year). There is no separate application process. Follow general submission guidelines. Magazine does not read submissions June through August.


Login to The Best Free Poetry Contests now to view these and all our profiles of free contests. You can browse contests by deadline date, name, recommendation level and more.

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

All deadlines are postmark deadlines unless otherwise specified.


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SPONSORS' MESSAGES

Colrain Poetry Manuscript Conference
The Colrain Poetry Manuscript Conference
Next conference: May 2-5
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 2008 include editors and publishers Martha Rhodes (Four Way Books), Jeffrey Levine (Tupelo Press), Jeffrey Shotts (Graywolf Press), Peter Conners (BOA), Susan Kan (Perugia Press) and others; workshop leaders include Director of the Concord Poetry Center, Joan Houlihan, Suffolk University Creative Writing Program Director Frederick Marchant, and Director of the Smith Poetry Center, Ellen Dore Watson.

The cost of the May conference is $995 and includes tuition, pre-conference materials, lodging and meals. The May conference takes place in Colrain, a country town in Western Massachusetts, at the unique and magical Round House. Attendance is limited. For an application and complete guidelines, please visit www.colrainpoetry.com. You may also call 978-897-0054, email conferences@colrainpoetry.com or write to Colrain Poetry Manuscript Conference, Concord Poetry Center, 40 Stow Street, Concord, MA 01742-2418.
Attendees say:

"The Colrain Manuscript Conference managed to pack into a weekend what a lot of grad school teachers never had time to do in their classes or individually: offer finishing touches to a manuscript eager to be picked up by a publisher."
Steve Fellner, Brockport, NY

"...It was a goldmine for me especially, removed as I am from the academic world and from a community of serious poets."
LouAnn Muhm, Park Rapids, MN, Teacher, Creative Writing

"...extremely helpful to hear responses to the other manuscripts. I learned as much or more from the critiques of others' manuscripts as I did from the critique of mine."
Mary Crow, Fort Collins, CO, Poet Laureate of Colorado


Last Call!
Brighid's Fire BooksBrighid's Fire Books Fiction Manuscript Contest
Postmark Deadline: April 30
ATTENTION ASPIRING NOVELISTS: Brighid's Fire Books, together with LughnassadhBooks.com, is now accepting entries for our sixth annual fiction manuscript contest. We specialize in launching promising writing careers and we're looking for talented but unpublished novelists that we can present to the reading public. First prize is $1,000 and a publishing contract; second prize is $250; third prize is $125. Entry fee: $25. Winners will be announced on January 1, 2009. For complete contest rules and eligibility requirements, visit our web site at http://www.brighidsfirebooks.com/contest.html

Brighid's Fire Books, the fiction imprint of Wahmpreneur Books, specializes in publishing debut fiction. It takes its name from the Celtic fire goddess Brighid (pronounced breed), who was believed to hold sway over the smithy (work), over healing and the hearth fires (home), and over the bards—filling them with fiery inspiration. Under the circumstances, She seemed the perfect patron and symbol for a home-based business publishing first fiction.



Creekwalker Poetry & Photography Last Call!
2008 Creekwalker Poetry Prize
Postmark Deadline: April 30
"After nine years publishing the poetry of both veteran and novice poets, we established the Creekwalker Poetry Prize in 2007. The poetry of Diana Woodcock, our inaugural winner, captured in tone and thematic quality the kind of work for which we created the Creekwalker Prize. For our 2008 Prize, we anticipate a wider field of poets and look forward to what the contest will bring by way of captivating work with the power to inspire, uplift and challenge our customary ways of processing the elegant complexities of everyday life." —Tom Mark Gilbert, Founder

Submit five poems of 25 lines or less via typed hardcopy (no electronic submissions). All themes welcome. Both published and unpublished poems are eligible. Winner receives a $300 prize. Entry fee: $15, payable to Creekwalker. Place your name and contact information (address, phone, email) at the top of each page. Mail your entry and fee to:
Creekwalker Poetry Prize
5620 Paseo Del Norte #127-240
Carlsbad, CA 92008
Questions? Please visit www.creekwalker.com or email poetry@creekwalker.com.

Please enjoy "Just for Once" by Diana Woodcock, from her 2007 winning entry:
Just for Once
by Diana Woodcock

Just for once
try being as fluid
as ice melting.
Cease bucking change.

Try believing
you have all you need
and your soul is immense.
Try simply seeing things

as they are,
watching without judging—
without fearing—
the cobra.

Try keeping as still
as the egret who stands
in perfect quiescence
among sacred lotus flowers,

and consider how the Atlas moth,
though its majestic wings stretch out
one foot in length, emerges to live
just one day.

Originally published in White Heron, 2003

Writers' Group of the Triad
Last Call!

The Sixth Biennial Greensboro Awards for Poetry & Short Fiction
Postmark Deadline: April 30
Poetry - $500 Prize: Submit a group of five poems. 100 lines maximum per poem. No children's verse or light verse. Final Judge: Kathryn Stripling Byer, North Carolina State Poet Laureate

Short Fiction - $500 Prize: Any theme or genre (except children's). 4,000 words maximum. Final Judge: Shannon Ravenel, Co-founder of Algonquin Books (see interview)
Entry Fee: $20 for one entry; $20 entry fee each additional submission. Entry fees for submissions sent from outside the US must be in US funds—US money order, US bank draft or cashier's check. Make payable to Writers' Group of the Triad.

The results will be announced on October 1. These awards are sponsored by The George and Muriel Hoff Philanthropic Fund of the Jewish Foundation. For the complete guidelines, please visit www.triadwriters.org.



Perigee 2008 Fiction ContestLast Call!
Perigee 2008 Fiction Contest
Postmark Deadline: April 30
Perigee's 2008 Fiction Contest is closing soon. Fiction editor and novelist Duff Brenna—and this year's guest judge, renowned author Thomas E. Kennedy—await your best short stories under 5,000 words. This is a great opportunity to get your work showcased and promoted by one of the most influential online, non-profit publications. But hurry: the 2008 Fiction Contest closes on April 30th. Perigee is giving $600 to the winners, and the best stories will be published this summer in the 21st issue. Perigee will also nominate the first-place story for the Pushcart prize. As if this wasn't enough, you can subscribe and read the brand-new, fifth anniversary issue completely free-of-charge. Then be sure to submit your best and most thoughtful writing to a publication which has received five Pushcart nominations in just the past two months! You can read contest guidelines and submit directly through our award-winning web site: http://www.perigee-art.com

Please enjoy this excerpt from "Between Takes" by Sandi Sonnenfeld, published in Perigee 19...
Georgia Hale isn't at all like me. But when one attends the same college, lives in the same dorm, and shares only the responsibility of getting papers in on time, it's hard to see the difference. It is only here on her farm in Vermont that it is apparent.

Georgia believes in three things: family, God, and horses. But I think that if she had to choose between God and horses, God would have a long switchy tail. People say that one takes on the resemblance of those one loves most. Georgia Hale is horsey, then, with large strong teeth, and a ginger-colored mane of hair that falls straight down her muscled back. She is five-ten in her stocking feet and well-developed, but without a trace of softness.

"I'm of good stock," she says proudly.

When Georgia was twelve, her father Frank and her brother Case cut a hole in the ceiling over the tool room, built a wooden ladder, and made her a bedroom loft. The walls of the loft are sharply angled, so she and I can only dress in the center of the room or else we'll bump our heads. Georgia has pasted magazine cutouts of horses all around the room, and when she lies down on her bed she can see the stables from the room's only window.

Her side of the room is cluttered with riding pants, work blouses, stuffed Dakin animals, dirty underwear, and Dick Francis paperbacks. For college graduation, her mother bought her a new riding crop. It hangs on a wooden chair.

On my side, there is an old mattress, a blue handmade quilt, an open suitcase, and a copy of Madame Bovary, which was the only gift you ever bought me. There is also my journal, a convoluted mixture of notes, short narratives, and these letters to you that I dare not send. A sort of survey of my life. Something as an historian I know you will approve of...

Click to read the full story in the current issue of Perigee.



Skysaje Enterprises
Last Call!

Announcing the Fourth Annual Skysaje Enterprises Poetry Contest
Entries must be received by April 30
This year we've increased the top prize to $250 and we're offering two $25 Honorable Mentions. Please format your submissions using 12-point type. We prefer the Times New Roman, Courier and Arial typefaces. Entry fee: $15. Submit up to 5 poems per entry. All styles accepted! Both published and unpublished work welcome, and your poems may be of any length. Enter as often as you like.

Make your entry fee payable to L. Berger and mail to:
Skysaje Enterprises
50 Amesbury Road
Rochester, NY 14623-5314



Templar Poetry Pamphlet & Collection Competition: 2008 Last Call!
Templar Poetry Pamphlet & Collection Competition: 2008
Postmark/Email Submission Deadline: April 30
This is an Open Poetry competition offering contemporary poets the opportunity to have their work published in both short pamphlet and collection formats. A selection of the best individual poems will also be published alongside the winning pamphlets. The Awards event will open the 2008 Derwent Poetry Festival in Derbyshire (held in late October) and will offer readings to the pamphlet and anthology poets.

Poets writing in English are invited to submit short collections of poetry ranging from 18 to 24 pages of A4 (letter size paper) containing up to 40 typewritten lines per page. The poems submitted may have been published previously, but not as a pamphlet or as part of a full collection.

Three overall winners will be chosen by the Judge, Jane Weir, and these submissions will be published as individual perfect-bound pamphlets. The three winning poets will have an option to record a selection of poems from their work as part of an audio CD which will be published after the Derwent Poetry Festival 2008.

The three winners will also be invited to submit an additional more extensive manuscript for later publication as a full collection. This additional submission must be made within six weeks of the results being formally announced at the Derwent Poetry Festival. Subject to the judgment of the Templar Poetry editorial team, these writers will be offered the opportunity to publish their submissions as a full collection. Up to three collections may be published from these submissions.

Forty to fifty of the best individual poems selected from all submissions will be published in the competition anthology simultaneously with the winning pamphlets.

Three overall competition winners will each receive a £500 cash prize, royalties on sales of their pamphlet and fifty complimentary copies of their pamphlet. Poets whose work is published in the competition anthology will receive ten complimentary copies.

In addition ALL writers submitting work receive a complimentary copy of the anthology (value £8) in late October. The three winners and all anthology poets are invited to read at the Derwent Poetry Festival 2008 and will also have complimentary access to all Festival events. Competition results will be posted on the Templar Poetry website in late August or early September along with details of the Derwent Poetry Festival Programme.

About the judge: Jane Weir has published two collections of poetry—The Way I Dressed During the Revolution (2005) and Before Playing Romeo (2007). Her first collection was shortlisted for the Glen Dimplex New Writers Award 2006 and her poems have been published in Faber and Picador Anthologies, The Forward Book of Poetry and magazines. She is currently completing a collection on the 20th Century handblock print textile designers Barron and Larcher. Read from her poems.

Reading Fee: £18 per manuscript may be paid by PayPal (you don't have to have an existing PayPal account, just a credit card) or enclosed with your mailed submission. Contestants outside the United Kingdom should use PayPal or send their fee in British currency (not as a check or money order). Those who pay via PayPal may email their submission as an attached Microsoft Word file to info@templarpoetry.co.uk. Please include a completed entry form with your electronic submission—copy and paste it into the beginning of your Microsoft Word file.

Send postal entries with a completed entry form via airmail to Templar Poetry Pamphlet & Collection Competition 2008, P.O. Box 7082, Bakewell, Derbyshire, DE45 9AF, United Kingdom. If you reside in the United Kingdom, we prefer you send your entries by post, rather than electronically.

For complete guidelines, please go to www.templarpoetry.co.uk or request them by email from info@templarpoetry.co.uk.



Dancing Poetry FestivalClosing Next Month
Artists Embassy International Poetry Contest - 43 Cash Awards
To further understanding and goodwill through the universal language of the arts

Postmark Deadline: May 15
43 Poetry Contest winners will be honored at the 15th Annual Dancing Poetry Festival on September 27, 2008. The authors will be invited to read at our prestigious podium in the elegant California Palace of the Legion of Honor Art Museum in San Francisco. Over $1,000 will be awarded, and all winners receive free entry into our festival plus a printed award certificate. The top three poems chosen as Grand Prizes will be choreographed, costumed and videotaped live in an on-stage performance at the Festival.

Recent topics of winning poems have touched on the travels of Matisse, a Picasso painting, falling leaves, love, Iraq, China, history, dance, current events, reverie, socially significant situations and even some humor sprinkled here and there. Please don't feel constrained to write a poem about dancing.

Dancing Poetry Contest The entry fee is $5 per poem or $10 for 3 poems. Each poem may be up to 40 lines long. Send two copies of each poem. One copy should be anonymous (just title and poem), the other should have your name, address, phone, email address and where you heard about this contest (e.g. Winning Writers Newsletter).

When the judges evaluate entries, they look for innovative perspectives on ordinary or unusual subjects as well as excellence of craft. Your entry should be suitable for a general audience since our following is comprised of people of all ages and ethnicities. English translations must be included with non-English poems.

Our judges consist of poets, dancers, musicians and visual artists of various media, all members of Artists Embassy International. Judging is done with the anonymous copies of the poems. Artists Embassy International is a non-profit, volunteer, arts and education organization whose goal is to further intercultural understanding through the arts.

Dancing Poetry ContestThree poets, the Grand Prize winners, will be rewarded with seeing their poems danced by Natica Angilly's Poetic Dance Theater Company, a well-known dance troupe that has performed around the world and throughout America. This company is dedicated exclusively to creating new avenues by combining poetry, dance and music together for presentation and the expansion of poetry with dance in the life of our culture.

To enter the contest, please visit our website at www.dancingpoetry.com or submit to our Dancing Poetry Chair, Judy Cheung, 704 Brigham Avenue, Santa Rosa, CA 95404. Questions? Please email Ms. Cheung at jhcheung@comcast.net.



Geist: The Short Long-Distance Writing ContestThe Short Long-Distance Writing Contest
Postmark/Electronic Submission Deadline: June 1
500 words. 2 time zones. Set in Canada.
First prize $250 • Second prize $150 • Third prize $100

Details: Send us a short story in which the action takes place in at least two time zones within Canada. 500 words maximum, fiction or non-fiction. Winners will be published in Geist magazine and at geist.com.

Geist is a quarterly magazine of ideas and culture, founded in 1990 and published in Vancouver, BC, with subscribers across Canada, south of the border and abroad. Winner of numerous National and Western Magazine awards, Geist offers the best in stories, dispatches, photography, comix, poetry, puzzles, weird cartography, little-known facts and offbeat literary contests. Can a magazine be smart, funny and Canadian? Yes—if it's Geist.

Entry Fee: $20 CAD for the first entry (includes a one-year subscription to Geist), $5 CAD for each additional entry. Anyone—no matter where you live!—is eligible to enter. Pay your fee via PayPal, which will handle any necessary currency conversion. (You don't have to have a PayPal account, just a credit card.)

For the complete contest guidelines, please visit www.geist.com/distance or call 888-434-7834 (888-GEIST-EH).

Enjoy this excerpt from "Balkan Farewell" by David Albahari, published on Geist...
In Zagreb, Croatia, I leave my friend's apartment and flag down a cab right in front of it. I have to catch a train, which will take me to Ljubljana, Slovenia. Only when I settle down in the back seat of the cab do I notice that on the dashboard there are several stickers with the letter U, the sign of Ustashe. During the Second World War, Ustashe was the ruling party in the Independent State of Croatia. They also had their own army and ran a number of concentration camps where many Serbs, gypsies and Jews were slaughtered. In the 1990s, during the breakup of Yugoslavia, their supporters reappeared and the old stories of their horrible crimes began circulating again. I look at the signs and try to disappear. It doesn't work. Instead, I try to make myself as small as possible, but the driver's eyes find me in his rear-view mirror. "Is everything ok?" he wants to know. "Are you comfortable back there?"...

Click to read the full story.



Southern Poetry ReviewGuy Owen Prize Contest
Postmark Deadline: June 15
$1,000 and publication in Southern Poetry Review will be awarded to the poem selected by a distinguished poet. Send 3-5 previously unpublished poems (10 pages maximum). Include a self-addressed, stamped envelope (SASE) for reply only, and a check for $15 payable to Southern Poetry Review. We consider poems published online or posted there as previously published. Include all contact information on cover sheet only; do not include name or contact information on poems. Please indicate simultaneous submissions. All entries will be considered for publication. We cannot accept email submissions, nor can we accept them on disk. Manuscripts will not be returned. The entry fee includes a one-year subscription to the journal. Please mail your entry and fee to:

Southern Poetry Review
Guy Owen Prize
Department of Languages, Literature and Philosophy
Armstrong Atlantic State University
11935 Abercorn Street
Savannah, GA 31419-1997
Previous Winners
2007: Marianna Busching, "Ode to the Innards", selected by Linda Pastan
2006: R. T. Smith, "Plantation of the Mad", selected by Dave Smith
2005: Enid Shomer, "'Gowned Waiting'", selected by Fred Chappell
2004: Alison Jarvis, "Listen", selected by David Kirby
2003: Andrew Grace, "For Tityrus", selected by Ellen Bryant Voigt
2002: Debra A. Daniel, "Hymn of Invitation", selected by Peter Meinke

Click for the complete contest guidelines, and to read the 2002-2006 winning entries.


Autumn House
2008 Autumn House Poetry Prize and Autumn House Fiction Prize
Postmark Deadline: June 30
The winners will receive book publication, a $1,000 advance against royalties, and a $1,500 travel grant to participate in the 2009 Autumn House Master Authors Series in Pittsburgh. All finalists will be considered for publication. Final judge for the Poetry Prize is Naomi Shihab Nye. Final judge for the Fiction Prize is Sharon Dilworth (see interview).

All full-length collections of poetry 50-80 pages are eligible. Fiction submissions should be approximately 200-300 pages. All fiction sub-genres (short stories, short-shorts, novellas, or any combination of sub-genres) are eligible. Include a stamped, self-addressed envelope (SASE) for contest results. Autumn House Press assumes no responsibility for lost or damaged manuscripts. All entries must be clearly marked "Poetry Prize" or "Fiction Prize" on the outside envelope. $25 entry fee (check or money order) must be enclosed. Send manuscript and fee to:
Autumn House Press
P.O. Box 60100
Pittsburgh, PA 15211

Click for the complete guidelines. Please note: Manuscripts will not be returned.


The Litchfield Review
The Litchfield Review Writing Contest
Postmark Deadline: June 30
We seek poetry, fiction and creative nonfiction for our semi-annual magazine competition. Prose entries should be 3,000 words or less. Poetry entries may be of any length.

To be considered for both publication and a cash prize, please enclose $10 with each essay, short story, or set of 1-3 poems. Enclose $15 and you may submit an unlimited number of entries. Mail your manuscripts to:

     The Litchfield Review
     7 Bonna Street
     Beacon Falls, CT 06403

For more information and news about our ongoing writing contests, please check our website, www.thelitchfieldreview.com, or email Theresa C. Vara at tvdannen@sbcglobal.net.

The Litchfield Review proudly congratulates Amy Nawrocki as the First Prize winner of The Litchfield Review Spring 2008 Writing Contest. Her poem "Annotating the Text" appears in the latest issue.



Lunch Hour StoriesNow Open
Lunch Hour Stories 2008 Short Story Contest
Postmark Deadline: June 30
Lunch Hour Stories welcomes your unpublished short fiction for our 2008 contest. Stories should be literary in nature, 4,000-8,000 words in length, and formatted in common manuscript style.

Prizes: First Place: $150 and publication; Second Place: $100 and possible publication, Third Place: $50 and possible publication. Up to twelve (12) additional stories may be selected for publication. Each selected author will receive $50 and publication.

Genre Writers: Suspense, mystery, fantasy and sci-fi will be considered as long as the story only mildly leans toward the genre and can still appeal to a general audience. Nonfiction, children's, religious, romance and erotica will not be considered.

Send one printed copy along with a $10 reading fee per story (limit 3), contact information, a short synopsis, a short author bio, and a letter-sized SASE for list of winners to: Lunch Hour Stories, 2008 Short Story Contest, 22833 Bothell-Everett Hwy, Ste 110 - PMB 1117, Bothell, WA 98021, USA.

Reading fees may also be paid online at www.lunchhourstories.com/shop. We accept simultaneous submissions, but reading fees are non-refundable. Electronic submissions are accepted only if the author resides outside the United States. Send story as a WORD file attachment to: editor@lunchhourbooks.com. Winners will be notified by September 30. Winning stories are eligible for publication during the 2009 calendar year. NEW WRITERS are encouraged to enter!

Click for the complete guidelines at www.lunchhourstories.com. Thank you!



Rome Art and Community Center Annual Milton Dorfman Poetry Prize
Postmark Deadline: August 1
The Milton Dorfman Poetry Prize is sponsored by Rome Art & 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 & Community Center, c/o Dorfman Poetry Prize, 308 West Bloomfield Street, Rome, NY 13440.



Robert Frost Foundation12th Annual Robert Frost Foundation Annual Poetry Award
Postmark/Email Submission Deadline: September 15
The Robert Frost Foundation welcomes poems in the spirit of Robert Frost for its 12th Annual Award. The winner will receive $1,000 and an invitation to present the winning poem at the Frost Festival located at the Lawrence Public Library in Lawrence, Massachusetts, on Saturday, October 25.

Please submit two copies of each poem, one copy with contact information and one copy free of all identifying information. Mailing address: Robert Frost Foundation, Lawrence Library - 3rd Floor, 51 Lawrence Street, Lawrence, MA 01841. Email submissions are also accepted at frostfoundation@comcast.net. Reading fees are $10 per poem (send fees via regular mail, please). Read about last year's honorees and the contest guidelines at www.frostfoundation.org. Please enjoy "Penumbra" by Robbie Gamble, a poem from the Frost Foundation's 2005 online anthology:
Penumbra
by Robbie Gamble

The moon slid into place as advertised
Across the sun, one summer afternoon.
I stepped outside to feel what charged the air,
Drawn to the change, the modulating light
That caused the birds to settle for the night.
I gazed up, the corona hanging there
Was streaming shadows, beams of light and gloom
That barred the earth, and held me hypnotized.

He once encouraged us to walk in light,
For those who walk in darkness mostly stumble.
But I feel pinned at this penumbral edge
Where light and dark both awe and draw a wedge
Between heart's home and craved constructs that crumble.
Slide on, eclipse—expose my appetites!



Open CityNow Open
2008 RRofihe Trophy
Postmark Deadline: September 15
For an unpublished short story (up to 5,000 words). Winner receives trophy, $500 cash and publication in Open City. Judged by Rick Rofihe, assisted by Carolyn Wilsey.

Guidelines:
  • Stories should be typed, double-spaced, on 8 1/2" x 11" paper with the author’s name and contact information on the first page and name and story title on the upper right corner of the remaining pages
  • Limit one submission per author
  • Author must not have been previously published in Open City
  • Mail submissions to RRofihe, 270 Lafayette Street, Suite 1412, New York, NY 10012
  • Enclose a self-addressed stamped business envelope (SASE) to receive names of winner and honorable mentions
  • All manuscripts are non-returnable and will be recycled
  • Reading fee is $10. Check or money order payable to RRofihe
  • See the complete guidelines at http://www.opencity.org/rrofihe.html
Rick Rofihe is the author of Father Must, a collection of short stories published by Farrar, Straus & Giroux. His fiction has appeared in The New Yorker, Grand Street, Open City, Swink, Unsaid, and on epiphanyzine.com. His nonfiction has appeared in The New York Times, The Village Voice, Spy, and The East Hampton Star, and on mrbellersneighborhood.com. A recipient of the Whiting Writers' Award, he has taught writing at Columbia University and the Writer's Voice of the West Side Y. He currently teaches privately and at Gotham Writers' Workshop in New York. He is the editor of the new online literary journal, anderbo.com.



Anderbo Now Open
2008 Anderbo Poetry Prize
Postmark Deadline: November 1
For up to six unpublished poems. Winner receives $500 cash and publication on anderbo.com. Judged by Kim Waller.

Guidelines:
  • Poems should be typed on 8 1/2" x 11" paper with the poet's name and contact information on the upper right corner of each poem
  • Poet must not have been previously published on anderbo.com
  • Mail submissions to 270 Lafayette Street, Suite 1412, New York, NY 10012
  • Enclose a self-addressed stamped business envelope (SASE) to receive names of winner and honorable mentions
  • All entries are non-returnable and will be recycled
  • Reading fee is $10. Check or money order payable to RRofihe
  • See the complete guidelines at http://www.anderbo.com/anderbo1/anderprize2008.html
Kim Waller's first published poems appeared in anthologies edited by Chad Walsh and John Ciardi. Her poetry has subsequently appeared in The Hudson Review, The Minnesota Review, New World Writing #10, Best Poems of 1975, The Penny Paper, Visiting Frost, and the Cider Mill Press, among others. Her privately-printed collection of poems is titled Winter Parsley. She is now a freelance magazine writer specializing in architecture and interior design. Her articles have appeared in such magazines as Coastal Living, House Beautiful, Connecticut, Real Simple, Travel & Leisure, The New York Times, Decorating, and Home. She is the author of two books on tea and three decorating books, and her personal essays have been in magazines and two anthologies: Thoughts of Home and The Quiet Center. She and her husband, a documentary filmmaker, live in New York City and have two sons.


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SELECTED FREE PROSE CONTESTS

These free prose contests with deadlines between April 16 and May 31 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.

4/18: WomenEtcetera! Writing Contest +
Entries must be received by this date
Neutral free contest offers grand prize of $500, top prizes of $200 in each genre, for short-short stories and essays (500 words maximum) by women over 40. Free site membership required to enter. Sign up to access official entry form, then submit your entry by email.

4/20: StoryMash Writing Contest +
Entries must be received by this date
Neutral free bimonthly contest offers prizes up to $300 for the best continuation of an existing chapter posted to StoryMash, a collaborative fiction website. Prizes awarded by reader vote. Free registration required to enter. Enter online only. Chapter length should be no more than 10,000 bytes (about 2,000 words).

4/25: Fountainhead Essay Contest for High School Students +++
Highly recommended free contest for high school students (11th and 12th grade) offers $10,000 top prize, other large prizes, for essays on Ayn Rand's novel The Fountainhead. Essays should be based on one of the three questions on the website, and be 800-1,600 words long. Enter by mail or online. Contest is looking for entries that are sympathetic to Rand's rationalist, libertarian philosophy. See website for other student contests.

4/25: Nereus Writers' Trust Non-Fiction Prize ++
Entries must be received by this date
Recommended free contest offers C$15,000 for non-fiction books published in Canada during the calendar year by Canadian citizens or landed immigrants. Deadline varies depending on when your book was published: books published between January 1 and April 24 must be received by April 25; those published between April 25 and June 26 must be received by June 27; and those published between June 27 and September 30 must be received by August 8. Publishers should submit 5 copies of the book (or 3 bound galleys, to be followed by at least 2 copies of the book), press kit, entry form, and list of titles published by that publisher, to establish eligibility. See website for detailed requirements.

4/25: Rogers Writers' Trust Fiction Prize ++
Entries must be received by this date
Recommended free contest offers C$15,000 for novels or short story collections published in Canada during the calendar year by Canadian citizens or landed immigrants. Deadline varies depending on when your book was published: books published between January 1 and April 24 must be received by April 25; those published between April 25 and June 26 must be received by June 27; and those published between June 27 and September 30 must be received by August 8. Publishers should submit 5 copies of the book (or 3 bound galleys, to be followed by at least 2 copies of the book), press kit, entry form, and list of titles published by that publisher, to establish eligibility. See website for detailed requirements.

4/30: Ernest J. Gaines Award for Literary Excellence +++
Highly recommended free contest for published books of fiction by African-Americans offers $10,000 and all-expenses-paid trip to Baton Rouge, LA to read from winning book at ceremony in January. Send entry form and 8 copies of a book published in the previous calendar year.

4/30: Hayek Essay Contest +
Neutral free contest offers prizes up to $2,500, plus travel grant to annual conference in Tokyo, for essays of 5,000 words maximum on a selected quote from free-market economist F.A. Hayek. Entrants must be aged 35 or younger. Sponsored by the Mont Pelerin Society, a libertarian think tank in Virginia. Offered in even-numbered years only.

5/1: Commonwealth Short Story Competition +++
Entries must be received by this date
Highly recommended free contest for citizens of the British Commonwealth (the UK and countries once ruled by the British Empire) offers 2,000 pounds and radio broadcast for a short story, maximum 600 words and 4 minutes 30 seconds performance time. Maximum 3 entries per person. Enter by mail or email.

5/1: Novello Literary Award +
Neutral free contest for North and South Carolina writers over age 18 offers $1,000 and publication for a manuscript of literary fiction or nonfiction, 200-400 double-spaced pages. One entry per person. Entries in both genres compete for one prize.

5/1: Sir John M. Templeton Fellowships Essay Contest +++
Entries must be received by this date
Highly recommended free contest from libertarian think tank The Independent Institute offers top prizes of $10,000 for faculty, $2,500 for students, for essays on selected political and philosophical themes. Enter online only. Entrants must be college or graduate students or junior faculty, and aged 35 or under as of the deadline. The 2008 theme is: "Are property rights human rights? How are they related? What are their similarities and differences? If property rights are human rights, why have they enjoyed fewer legal protections and intellectual champions than other human rights?"

5/1: Waterman Fund Alpine Essay Contest ++
Recommended free contest offers $2,000 and publication in Appalachia Journal for essays of 2,500-4,000 words that explore the relationship between the human spirit and the environment. Both personal and scholarly works are welcome. Contest is open to US residents who have not published a book or a national magazine article on the topic. Enter by mail or online. No simultaneous submissions. The Waterman Fund supports education and stewardship to preserve the Alpine areas of the Northeastern US.

5/1: West Virginia New Writers Award ++
Recommended free contest from Shepherd University's Appalachian Literary Project offers $500 for the best unpublished short story of 500-2,500 words by a West Virginia resident or student. One entry per person. The contest's mission is to encourage and recognize novice writers in the State, and to foster an appreciation of Appalachian culture and values represented in the diverse writing of the region.

5/15: Great Canadian Questions Essay Competition ++
Entries must be received by this date
Recommended free contest for Canadian high school seniors and college students offers C$2,000 for the best essay of 1,500 words maximum on one of six topics concerning Canadian history and culture: Founding Concepts, Identity Revolution, After Unity, Canada & the World, Heroes & Symbols, or Does History Matter. Online submission only.

5/15: Tamarack Award +++
Highly recommended free contest offers $10,000 and publication in Minnesota Monthly for a short story, 4,000 words maximum. Residents of Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa, Wisconsin, and Michigan may enter.

5/31: Black Orchid Novella Award ++
Recommended free contest offers $1,000 and publication in Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine for the best traditional mystery novella. Contest sponsor The Wolfe Pack is the official fan club for Nero Wolfe, a legendary fictional sleuth created by Rex Stout in a series of mystery novels published from 1934 to 1975. Entries should be 15,000-20,000 words. See website for thematic and stylistic restrictions. Essentially, they are looking for an old-fashioned story of deduction, with a witty style and an engaging relationship between the characters, and no explicit sex or violence.

5/31: Jerry Jazz Musician Fiction Contest +
Entries must be received by this date
Thrice-yearly free neutral contest offers $100 and web publication for short fiction. The Jerry Jazz Musician reader has interests in music, social history, literature, politics, art, film and theatre, 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.

5/31: The Nation Student Writing Contest ++
Entries must be received by this date
Recommended free essay contest for US high school and college students offers top prize of $1,000 and publication in The Nation, a prominent left-wing political and cultural magazine. Send one essay, maximum 800 words, about what you think is the most important issue for young people in the 2008 presidential campaign. Enter by email only.

5/31: TRACE Institute Essay Contest ++
Entries must be received by this date
Recommended free contest offers prizes up to $10,000 for essays up to 2,500 words on an annual theme relating to business ethics. Enter by email only. The 2008 theme is "What Works?" In your essay, please respond to the following: "What personal behaviors, what laws or policies, what deterrents or incentives, what reporting devices or transparency mechanisms, what educational campaigns, what measures of any kind have been or could be effective in resisting or curtailing bribery?" Contest sponsor The TRACE Institute is the research and publication arm of TRACE International, Inc., a nonprofit membership association of multinational companies and their commercial intermediaries committed to fighting bribery and corruption.


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

Delta-Sky Magazine's Green Short Story Contest
Entries must be received by April 15
Neutral free contest offers $500 and publication in Sky Magazine, the in-flight magazine of Delta Air Lines, for a short story of 2,000 words maximum on the following theme: "It may employ any tone, from funny to apocalyptic, but must deliberately have some aspect of Green as a prevailing presence, or even its theme. By 'Green' we mean the concern for our environment that is motivating people worldwide to take action to reverse its degradation. To waste less, for example—and to care more." Enter via online form only. Authors must be aged 18+. (We list this here rather than in The Best Free Poetry Contests because it appears to be a one-time commercial promotion.)

Woman's Day/American Library Association Essay Contest
Entries must be received by noon Eastern time on May 11
In 700 words or less, tell us how the library has helped you find a diagnosis for yourself or a loved one, or improved your physical, mental or emotional well-being. Entries will be judged equally on subject matter (how well the entry reflects the contest theme), clarity of ideas and grace of expression. Four winners will be featured in an upcoming issue of the national magazine Woman's Day. Open to women who are US residents aged 18+.

Freight Stories
Entries must be received by September 30
New online journal of contemporary fiction seeks short stories or novel excerpts. Longer works welcome. "We do not publish work that exists solely for readers of romance, mystery, crime, erotica, or other genres you can name; we do, however, happily consider works of literary fiction that employ the tools of successful genre fiction in their exploration of rich characters." Enter by email only. Past contributors include Debra Sparks, Lee Upton, and Robert Boswell.


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NEW LITERARY RESOURCES

Disability Writes
Online forum for disabled writers to post poetry, fiction and articles, and receive feedback and news of writing opportunities. Website is managed by Just Services, with funding from Arts Council England.

The Externalist
This online journal of poetry, fiction, essays and artwork aims to bridge the gap between entertainment and literary craft. They are especially interested in work that addresses social, environmental or moral issues in a nuanced and original way.

Live Hope Love
Kwame Dawes, the University of South Carolina's poet-in-residence, launched this multimedia site to chronicle the experiences of HIV patients and caregivers in Jamaica. The site features his own profound and lyrical poetry as well as video interviews and background stories of the people who inspired him.

Mobile Poets.org
The Academy of American Poets has made their entire collection of over 2,500 poems on Poets.org, as well as hundreds of biographies and essays, available in a mobile format for your Palm Pilot or iPhone.

Union Songs
This Australian website has collected over 600 labor union and political protest songs, from classics like "Bread and Roses" and "Where Have All the Flowers Gone" to contemporary offerings such as "After We Torture Our Prisoners". A number of the songs are accompanied by audio recordings. An extensive links directory provides information on other working-class music and cultural sites.


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

And Still the Music
By Alison Townsend. In this prizewinning poetry chapbook from Flume Press, the author speaks on behalf of "Eve and Persephone and all/ those other wayward girls" who bravely danced through a dangerous world. Even painful anecdotes brim with a life force conveyed by Townsend's love of sensory details. Book design is above-average with glossy paper and French flaps.

Being Frank with Anne
By Phyllis Johnson. This poetry book for young adults fleshes out the emotions and events narrated in the classic Holocaust memoir The Diary of Anne Frank. Read sample poems on her website.

A Changed Man
By Francine Prose. Part novel of ideas, part romantic comedy, this book begins with a young skinhead walking into the office of World Brotherhood Watch, a human-rights group run by a Holocaust survivor, and saying he wants to help them "save guys like me from becoming guys like me." The events that follow reveal each character to be a very human mix of vanity and genuine altruism, with the latter most often emerging in small moments away from the spotlight. The novel raises provocative questions about the tension between service to grand causes and caring for the individuals in one's personal life, though Prose could have accomplished more with this theme by introducing a true villain to raise the stakes in the conflicts between characters.

For Love of a Soldier
Edited by Jane Collins. Heartfelt collection of interviews with military families who have become activists against the Iraq war. These brave parents, spouses and relatives of Iraq war veterans must contend with their loved ones' PTSD, injuries or death, while also facing accusations of being "unpatriotic" for speaking out against what they see as a senseless waste of life. Among those interviewed are the founders of Military Families Speak Out.

Observatory
By M. Lee Alexander. Clear-sighted, modest and wise, the narrator of these poems takes us to London, China, Japan, and post-Katrina New Orleans, always with an eye for the moments of common humanity that open up intimacy between strangers.


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MORE SPONSORS' MESSAGES

Closing Next Month
War Poetry Contest
Postmark Deadline: May 31
We seek 1-3 original, unpublished poems on the theme of war for our seventh annual contest, up to 500 lines in total. We will again award $5,000, including a top prize of $2,000. Submit online or by mail. The entry fee is $15. Judge: Jendi Reiter. See the complete guidelines and past winners.


Margaret Reid Poetry Contest for Traditional Verse
Postmark Deadline: June 30
Now in its fifth year, this contest seeks poetry in traditional verse forms such as sonnets and free verse. Both published and unpublished poems are welcome. Fourteen cash prizes totaling $5,250 will be awarded, including a top prize of $2,000. 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
Now in its sixth year, this contest seeks poems in any style, theme or genre. Both published and unpublished poems are welcome. Fourteen cash prizes totaling $5,250 will be awarded, including a top prize of $2,000. 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.


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/Formichelli/magazines.htm


Office Depot Coupons
Save on paper, toner, binders and all your writing supplies at Office Depot. Free delivery in select areas when you order $50 or more.
Save 10% Off Your Purchase! No Minimum! Don't miss this chance to save on any order, large or small, when you order today. (Excludes Technology. Expires 05-10-08)

Office Depot Coupon - Save $30 Off Your Order of $150 or More!


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Advertise to 20,000 Poets and Writers
Promote your contests, websites, events and publications in this newsletter. Reach over 20,000 poets and writers for $65. Ads may contain up to 250 words, a headline and a graphic image. Find out more and make your reservation here:
http://www.winningwriters.com/advertisers.php

Carolina Sineni of hotmetalpress on the impact of advertising in the Winning Writers Newsletter:
"We advertised elsewhere but I know it was a startling jump from a few acceptable submissions in weeks to a few everyday. We went from perhaps less than a hundred hits in a month to over 3500 each month."

See more testimonials.

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PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT

Using Comics to Motivate Readers—Free Comic Book Day
May 3, 2008

The definition of literacy used in the 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy focuses on using printed and written information. In today’s world, however, people access information in many more ways—computers and video screens, podcasts, and photos and pictures. And under the theory of “multiple intelligences”, people have different learning styles—some auditory, some kinesthetic, others visual.

Comic books have been used as educational tools since the 1930s, especially with pre-teen and teenaged boys. Now there’s a growing number of advocates for using comics and graphic novels—book-length comics—to engage and motivate adults learning basic literacy and English as a second language.

A study by the University at Buffalo found the average American comic book reader is 25 years old. “Comics spark interest and encourage reading and can be a powerful tool for reaching visual learners.”(1) Another case study states: “readers credit comic books with providing them with the linguistic basis for reading more difficult text.”(2)

Adult literacy practitioners who haven’t thought of using comics and graphic novels might consider doing so on May 3rd. Declared Free Comic Book Day, thousands of comic book retailers around the world will give out free comic books that day.

ProLiteracy affiliate Cape Fear Literacy Council partnered with a local comic book store for an event held on last year’s Free Comic Book Day. Council representatives staffed an information table at the store and received more than $500 from a raffle the store conducted. “It was one of the least intensive fundraisers we’ve ever done,” said Yasmin Tomkinson. “And we raised awareness and money in a new venue.” Tomkinson said the Council was so happy with the results that staffers are working on another event with the store for this year.

How can comic books and graphic novels help adult literacy and ESL students? Freelance writer Steven Grant found that comic books, “are useful for introducing concepts such as narrative structure and character development...they appear to enhance the development of analytical skills and critical thought.”(3)

In his book Literacy in the New Media Age, Gunther Kress says limiting adult learners to read print text only does them a disservice in today’s “communication revolution”. And author Jon Sieszka (The Stinky Cheese Man) says educators need to expand the definition of reading to include graphic novels, comic books, magazines, and audio books.(4)

Go to Free Comic Book Day to learn more about the May 3rd event. If you would like to partner with a comic book retailer on an event, go to the store locator to find a store near you.

Notes
  1. Michael R. Lavin, Comic Books and Reading, UBlib/Buffalo.edu
  2. Mathabane, M. (1986). Kaffir boy. New York: Plume
  3. Steven Grant, Pow! Using Comic Books to Get Kids Reading, Disney Family Parenting
  4. Valerie Strauss, Washington Post, (3-24-08) Author Works to Prevent Reading’s 'Death Spiral'

ProLiteracy WorldwideThis announcement is brought to you by ProLiteracy, 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.

Support ProLiteracy's vital mission. Click here to learn more. Click here to contribute.

Send this newsletter to a friend and we'll donate 15 cents to ProLiteracy for each friend you refer.


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Jendi Reiter JENDI'S CRITIQUE CORNER

This month, Critique Corner is pleased to present "The Mirror" by Neville Klaric.

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!


The Mirror
by Neville Klaric



Look into a mirror what do you see
Do you see gazelles pronking up and down like snow flakes falling to the ground
Or do you see the ocean dark and blue
Do you see me on a crystal wave floating out to sea
Or does the tide roll your heart along the ocean floor
My tears for you will never lie
Even though your eyes could never see the tears you had inside for me
You told me life was a balancing game and that we hold the balance
You rode your stallion in the rain
You rode him all through the night
You rode him never letting go for that stallion loved you so
Do you see the meadow in the morning sun
Golden leaves lying on the ground parting left and right like waves rolling out to sea
A faded shadow in a gilded frame trotting faster than before
Towards the scent he knows so well
The reins that hold him tight are now in his sight
Her hand lifting into the air
Golden honey dripping on her finger tips
Dancing drops of golden rain so sweet surround his tongue again
This the angels from above only give for two to share
For love and trust are just skin deep this moment for mortals not to keep
Black stallion's mane waving in the breeze balancing on his knees
Her hand once by her side striking at the fore
Spooked forever more
Galloping into the night
Following shadows cast by stars above forever now in search of love
Never to return again
But you'll hear him in the wind and taste him in the rain
And in the dark of every night you'll see the stars that are his tears
For he will love you for a thousand years



Copyright 2008 by Neville Klaric


Critique by Jendi Reiter

This month's critique poem, Neville Klaric's "The Mirror", uses a free-flowing modern verse form to freshen its traditional romantic sentiments and imagery. Energetic as the dream-stallion who embodies the passion of the protagonists, the poem's momentum is driven by internal rhymes and the syncopation of longer and shorter lines. However, inconsistent use of pronouns caused the occasional stumble for this reader, as the poem appears to shift from an "I/You" to a "He/She" perspective without making it clear whether these are the same characters.

The unrequited love of the original speaker is enigmatically interwoven with another story of a woman and a creature who appears to be a stallion, but actually represents Romantic Love itself—fleeting, ecstatic, wounded yet made sublime by loss. ("For love and trust are just skin deep this moment for mortals not to keep.") The beloved must disappear as a mortal individual in order to be transfigured into an immortal ideal, as described in the last four lines of the poem.

This understanding of romance harks back to the medieval tradition of courtly love, in which unconsummated passion for an unattainable Lady was sublimated into artistic expressions of devotion. This state of refined frustration was considered nobler than an ordinary coupling between two individuals....

critique continues here

This poem, our critique and contest suggestions for poems in this style appear in full at:
http://www.winningwriters.com/resources/critiques/2008/urc_0804klaric.php

See all of our poetry critiques.


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