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August 2010
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Welcome to our August 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? Formatting doesn't look right? Not to worry. All our recent newsletters are posted online at http://www.winningwriters.com/news
Winning Writers offers condolences to the family of Gerson Goldhaber, accomplished physicist and artist, who passed away on July 19 at the age of 86. Read his obituary on the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory website. With his wife, the award-winning poet Judith Goldhaber, he produced the books Sonnets from Aesop and Sarah Laughed: Sonnets from Genesis, available through Ribbonweed Press. Through Gerson's colorful paintings and Judith's sonnets, these collections retell classic stories in ways that will charm both children and adults.
Coming September 1: Award-Winning Poems
Each quarter we publish a special edition of this newsletter featuring winning poems from contests we admire. The next edition is September 1. Please watch for it in your mailbox!
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FEATURED SPONSOR'S MESSAGE
Closing Next Month
14th 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 14th Annual Award. The winner will receive $1,000 and an invitation to present the winning poem this fall at the Frost Festival located at the Lawrence Public Library in Lawrence, Massachusetts, the library in which Frost first explored the traditions of English and Irish poetry.
Please submit two copies of each poem, one copy with contact information (name, address, phone number, email address) and one copy free of all identifying information. Reading fees are $10 per poem (send fees via regular mail, please). Make your check payable to The Robert Frost Foundation. Mail your entry to: The Robert Frost Foundation, Attn: Poetry Award, Lawrence Public Library - 3rd Floor, 51 Lawrence Street, Lawrence, MA 01841. Include a self-addressed stamped envelope (SASE) or an email address if you'd like to receive the contest results. Email submissions are accepted at frostfoundation@comcast.net if you send your entry fee by regular mail.
You may submit up to three poems of no more than three pages each. Both published and unpublished works are accepted. See the complete contest guidelines at www.frostfoundation.org and more on last year's winners at frostawards.blogspot.com.
Please enjoy "Harvest" by Megan Grumbling, the winning entry in our 2004 competition. Ms. Grumbling is the judge of this year's award. The Frost Foundation is proud to be publishing a new edition of her first chapbook, To and From Deepening.
Harvest
by Megan Grumbling
Frost wouldn't wait, this fall, for moon
to hang her round September seal;
practicality precedes myth
in the sense and strike of that old
severance. This season, clarity
grows zen-cold; that silversteel blade
seeks the deep ways origin went,
whittles away what won't winter.
Sap ran a raw ring from each stalk.
I sawed through, prolonging the pierce
of the knife somewhere in myself
as I rent body from below.
Pain was my sole umbilical,
'til the swelling moon cut the clouds
to recall the tale of will's relent,
return and end at once at one.
Walking fields back, harvest in arms,
I saw that the truth would stumble
in the morning, cleaving to dream
as belief, to root as yet bound,
'til the chill slice of recognition
stings early through sleep to the frost
on the panes, awakening the loss
and cutting all this faith to rest.
Reap and way fell dark under the pines.
Those most tangible momenta—
memory, impulse—led me blind
along most turnings of the trail,
and moonlight seeped to reveal the rest.
Past and instinct aligned in the light,
guiding harvest toward a graceful yield,
a story—though not without
my feet sometimes tripping on roots,
my feet sometimes tripping on roots. |
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CONTESTS HOSTED AT WINNING WRITERS & OPEN NOW
Closing Next Month
Tom Howard/John H. Reid Poetry Contest
Postmark Deadline: September 30
Now in its eighth year, this contest seeks poems in any style, theme or genre. Both published and unpublished poems are welcome. Prizes of $3,000, $1,000, $400 and $250 will be awarded, plus six Most Highly Commended Awards of $150 each. Submit poems of any length. The entry fee is $7 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 Short Story Contest
Postmark Deadline: March 31, 2011
Now in its 19th year. Prizes of $3,000, $1,000, $400 and $250 will be awarded, plus six Most Highly Commended Awards of $150 each. Submit any type of short story, essay or other work of prose, up to 5,000 words. You may submit work that has been published or won prizes elsewhere, as long as you own the online publication rights. $15 entry fee. Submit online or by mail. Early submission encouraged. This contest is sponsored by Tom Howard Books and assisted by Winning Writers. Judges: John H. Reid and Dee C. Konrad. See the complete guidelines and past winners. (The winners of the 18th contest will be announced on September 15, 2010.)
Now Open
Wergle Flomp Humor Poetry Contest - No Fee
Online Submission Deadline: April 1, 2011
Winning Writers invites you to enter the tenth annual Wergle Flomp Humor Poetry Contest. We'll award $3,600, including a top prize of $1,500. Submit one poem online. No length limit. Both published and unpublished poems are welcome. No fee to enter. Final judge: Jendi Reiter. See the complete guidelines and past winners.
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WERGLE FLOMP POETRY CONTEST WINNERS ANNOUNCED
Congratulations to the winners of our ninth annual Wergle Flomp Humor Poetry Contest. Tabitha Bagatha of Great Falls, Virginia won first prize and $1,500 for her poem "A Frivolous Social Event in the USA" (be advised, it's rated R). 2,751 entries were received from around the world. See the press release announcing the winners.
Jendi Reiter, editor of Winning Writers and judge of the Wergle Flomp Contest, said of this year's winning poem: "'A Frivolous Social Event in the USA' gives a popular Miley Cyrus song an entirely undeserved air of profundity that blossoms into florid obscenity in all the right places... This parody exaggerates [the song's] youthful narcissism by paraphrasing the lyrics in loftier language."
Wendy Waters of Sydney, Australia won second prize and $800 for "The Wife of Lance Allot", a parody of Alfred, Lord Tennyson's "The Lady of Shalott". Reiter said, "Like the original Lady, Waters's disgruntled housewife finds that she's paid a high price for following romantic illusions, but this time she gets the last word." Benjamin Taylor Lally of Framingham, MA received third prize and $400 for "The Ryme of the Old-Time Musique Man". This parody mashes up Samuel Taylor Coleridge's "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" and Walt Whitman's "O Captain! My Captain!" with outrageous incidents (both real and fictitious) from the life of Michael Jackson, now quickly becoming yesterday's news to a generation that never knew him at his talented peak. Twelve honorable mentions of $75 were also awarded.
Read all the winners and finalists, plus the judge's comments, here. Thanks to everyone who participated. The new Wergle Flomp contest opens today.
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RECENT HONORS FOR OUR NEWSLETTER SUBSCRIBERS
Congratulations to Pamela Uschuk. Her poem "Shostakovich: Five Pieces" won first prize for poetry in the Winter 2010 New Millennium Writings Awards. This prestigious twice-yearly award offers prizes of $1,000 for poetry, fiction, nonfiction and short-shorts, plus publication in a handsomely produced literary journal that publishes a mix of magic realism, fantasy and mainstream work. The next deadline will be November 17.
Congratulations to Patricia Smith. "Blood Dazzler", a dance/theater production based on her poetry collection of the same name, will debut September 23-26, 2010 at the Harlem Stage Gatehouse in New York City. Blood Dazzler was published in 2008 by Coffee House Press and was a National Book Award finalist. The poems chronicle the emotional and physical impact of Hurricane Katrina. Read an excerpt here.
RECENT HONORS FOR POETRY CONTEST INSIDER SUBSCRIBERS
Congratulations to Margot Wizansky. Her poem "Toehold" won the 2010 Patricia Dobler Poetry Award from Carlow University, judged by Lynn Emanuel. She kindly shares it with us below. This contest for unpublished poems by US women over age 40 with no published books offers a prize of round-trip travel and lodging for the university's two-week MFA residency in Ireland in June. The most recent deadline was March 20.
Congratulations to Ann Eustace. Her poem "Black Flakes" won an honorable mention in the 2010 Inglis House Poetry Contest. It was published in the online journal Wordgathering and will be included in the winners' chapbook anthology this fall. This contest offers prizes up to $50 for poems by disabled authors and/or about disability. The most recent submission period was April 1-June 1.
Congratulations to Ruth Hill. Her poem about frogs, "...and Not a Trace of Bass or Bass", was shortlisted for the 2010 Frogmore Poetry Prize and will be published in the literary journal The Frogmore Papers. This long-running British contest offers prizes up to 200 guineas for unpublished poems. The most recent deadline was May 31.
RECENT PUBLICATION CREDITS FOR OUR SUBSCRIBERS
Nicole Nicholson's poem "Gulf Song" was published on Poets for Living Waters, a new online anthology of poetic responses to the BP oil spill disaster in the Gulf of Mexico.
Freddy Niagara Fonseca is the editor of the forthcoming anthology This Enduring Gift: A Flowering of Fairfield Poetry, which showcases 76 poets residing in Fairfield, Iowa. His poetry is also included in the collection. He kindly shares a sample poem below. The book will be released September 11 by 1st World Publishing; a pre-order discount of 20% is available until that date.
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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 300 of the best prose contests. Contest rules, addresses and deadlines change constantly. We update Poetry Contest Insider nearly every day to stay on top of them. Search and sort contests by deadline, prize, fee, recommendation level and more. Access to Poetry Contest Insider is just $9.95 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 entries help you refine your craft. Learn more about Poetry Contest Insider.
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Deadlines: August 16-September 30
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.
8/16: Boardman Tasker Prize ++
Entries must be received by this date; formerly August 15
Recommended free contest offers 3,000 pounds for the best published book on the theme of mountains or mountaineering, first published or distributed in the UK between November 1 of the previous year and October 31 of this year. Entries must be submitted by publisher, and may be poetry, fiction, nonfiction, or drama. Early entries are encouraged.
9/1: Helen Schaible Shakespearean/Petrarchan Sonnet Contest +
Neutral free contest offers top prize of $50 for the best Shakespearean or Petrarchan sonnet. Sponsored by the Poets' Club of Chicago and the Illinois State Poetry Society. One poem per person.
9/1: Picador Poetry Prize ++
Entries must be received by this date
Recommended free contest offers 1,000 pounds and publication of your poetry collection by Picador, an imprint of the global publishing house Macmillan. Contest is open to UK authors aged 18+ with no prior published full-length poetry books. Entrant must be a permanent resident of the UK, Channel Islands, Isle of Man or the Republic of Ireland. Initial entries should be a 10-page sample, not the whole manuscript. There will be 8-10 shortlisted authors who will be invited to submit another 10 pages. Enter online only. Entries must be received by 17:30 GMT on the deadline date.
9/15: Kate Tufts Discovery Award +++
Highly recommended free contest offers $10,000 for a first published book of poetry by a US citizen or current resident. Books must have been published between September 15 of last year and September 15 of this year. Send 5 copies of book, list of previously published works and entry form from website. Judges seem to favor books that have already won prizes and/or come from the top literary presses.
9/15: Kingsley Tufts Poetry Award +++
Highly recommended free contest offers $100,000 for a published book of poetry by a US citizen or current resident. "The Kingsley Tufts Poetry Award is presented annually for a work by an emerging poet, one who is past the very beginning but has not yet reached the acknowledged pinnacle of his or her career. While some poetry prizes discover and honor new voices and others crown an indisputably major body of work, this award at Claremont Graduate University aims to sustain a poet who is laboring in the difficult middle between these extremes." Books must have been published between September 15 of last year and September 15 of this year. Send 5 copies of book, a list of previously published works and entry form from website.
9/15: Left Coast Eisteddfod Competitions +
Entries must be received by this date
Neutral free contest offers prizes of $150 for poems and short stories. You may submit one entry (1-5 poems, any length, or one story, 1,000-3,000 words) per language category. Poems accepted in Welsh, English, and Spanish, fiction in Welsh and English. Previously published work accepted. Enter online. Contest sponsor Americymru is an online social network for Americans of Welsh descent or with an interest in Welsh culture.
9/15: Poole Literary Festival New Media Prize ++
Entries must be received by this date
Recommended free contest offers prizes of 250 pounds and an Apple iPad in each of two categories, adults and students. The contest seeks poetry, fiction, and nonfiction that is written specifically for delivery and reading/viewing on a PC or Mac, on the web, or via mobile phone. Entries should take advantage of the multimedia and interactive possibilities of these new technologies. See website for details. Enter online. Entries must be received by noon UK time on the deadline date.
9/17: United Planet Writing & Photography/Video Contest +
Entries must be received by this date; formerly August 29
Neutral free contest seeks written work (poetry, fiction, or creative nonfiction) along with photos and videos that demonstrate the promotion of cross-cultural understanding, friendship, and supporting one another in one's own community or abroad. Top prize is a framed limited-edition photo ($800 value) and a free volunteer Quest (airfare not included) for up to two weeks to any of United Planet's short-term locations around the world in order to advance the winner's own personal intercultural interaction and promote social and economic prosperity worldwide. Written entries not to exceed 1,000 words; see website for photo and video formatting rules. Enter by email only.
9/30: Consequence Prize in Poetry ++
Recommended free contest offers $200 for the best poem addressing the culture and consequences of war. Send 1-3 unpublished poems, maximum 6 single-spaced pages total. Enter by mail or email. Consequence is a Massachusetts-based literary magazine, published annually, focusing on the culture of war in America.
9/30: Lee & Low New Voices Award ++
Recommended free contest offers top prize of $1,000 and publication for a picture book story (1,500 words maximum) by a US writer of color who has no prior published books in this genre. No simultaneous submissions. Entries may be poetry, fiction, or nonfiction. No folklore or animal stories. Though we're not a fan of the exclusive-submissions rule, we upgraded this contest to Recommended in 2010 because it has established enough of a track record, and offers a good-sized prize to encourage multicultural literature for children.
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
Snake Nation Press Announces the Winners of the Violet Reed Haas Award and the Serena McDonald Kennedy Award
The 2010 winner of the Violet Reed Haas Award is Judith Hemschemeyer of Winter Park, Florida, for her poetry book, Lovely How Lives. She received $1,000, publication, and 20 books.
The 2010 winner of the Serena McDonald Kennedy Award is Starkey Flythe, Jr. of Augusta, South Carolina, for his book of short stories, Driving With Hand Controls. He received $1,000, publication, and 20 books. These books can be purchased at www.snakenationpress.org.
Please enjoy the title poem from Lovely How Lives by Judith Hemschemeyer:
Lovely How Lives
by Judith Hemschemeyer
Lovely how lives of the great overlap.
Pushkin the sophisticate, the madcap,
fighting that infamous duel
when Dickinson was just a girl at school.
Passion, renunciation—she could have been
Tatiana in his Onegin.
Equally word-obsessed, he teased, she stretched
the Russian, the English alphabet.
Can you see her, who argued each day with God,
venturing into the Gavriliad?
She seldom went anywhere. He, worldly traveler,
was superstitious to the bone:
if he encountered a priest or a hare
in the lane, he would turn around and go home.
Snow, too, they had in common, and a kind
of slippery, exalted loneliness.
"God keep me from going out of my mind,"
was his mantra. His black curls, her white dress...
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Welcome to Carpe Articulum Literary Review, a full-colour, international, quarterly journal of resplendent literature! Once again we bring you a wonderful selection of cross-genre literature as well as spectacular interviews from famous industry greats. Genres include: Poetry, Short Fiction, Novellas, Screenwriting & Non-Fiction. We also include full-colour photography, informative articles and insightful interviews. Come to CarpeArticulum.com and see a free sample online.
SPECIAL THANKS TO SCREEN ACTOR JEFF GOLDBLUM AND FORMER HEAD OF MGM STUDIOS, PARAMOUNT AND DESILU PRODUCTIONS, MR. HERBERT F. SOLOW FOR THE LOVELY INTERVIEWS THIS ROTATION. This quarter, Mr. Solow speaks about what screenwriters should know about the industry, the true stories behind his mega-hits Star Trek and Mission: Impossible, and how things really work in Hollywood. Stay in touch to see the exciting new interviews in upcoming issues! $10,000 per year in cash awards provided to exceptional writers and photographers! Available in print in Barnes & Noble, Borders and other fine bookstores worldwide. Online editions available as well.
Current call for submissions: Short Fiction, Screenwriting (Best opening scene only) and Non-Fiction & Poetry. NO PAGE LIMITS! Multiple submissions permitted; submit online via the website! Previously published work is permitted only if the print run did not exceed 2,000 copies.
THIS QUARTER'S ANNOUNCEMENTS OF WINNERS:
POETRY:
FIRST PRIZE: Deborah DeNicola, for The Tree At Casa Cara
SECOND PRIZE: Mara Buck for Charmeuse
THIRD PRIZE: Krista Kurth for Over The Wall
PHOTOGRAPHY:
FIRST PRIZE: Aashish Kaul & Harsh V. Parihar
SECOND PRIZE: Anna Joujan
THIRD PRIZE: Rosmarie Epaminondas
HONOURABLE MENTIONS: Tom Sterner, Charles Patton
Last Call!
Novice Christian Poetry Contest
Postmark Deadline: August 31
Contest will award US$2,000 to previously unpublished poets of Christian faith. First Prize is $500; special prizes for rhyming poetry. Entry fee: $10 per poem (reduced from last year's $20).
Click for the rules and required entry form. This contest is sponsored by Utmost Christian Writers Foundation, a registered non-profit association for Christian poets.
Please enjoy "Aporia of the Gift", recognized as the Best Rhyming Poem in the 2009 Novice Christian Poetry Contest:
Aporia of the Gift
by Karen Winterburn
What I have owed in love I've always paid,
measured out in small change—nickel and dime.
I'm nothing if not just and fair in trade.
I am that woman holding up the line:
I calculate the cost of Bread and Wine,
exhaust my coin while still the Loaf expands;
Wine inundates and shifts the paradigm:
overflows it; elevates, countermands
and understates the debt it takes out of my hands.
I want to pay my bill! I estimate
it's astronomical; it multiplies
as Love devises to inebriate
and fill me past my means to amortize
my liability. I agonize,
liquidate my estate, consign the lot
to such a Love: who does not itemize
or keep accounts or hold the Gift he's got
on lay-away till I can pay sans caveat—
—to such a Love as this. No recompense
for such unheard-of Love is on report,
nor have I anything of consequence
to make return. My whole life comes up short:
my yearning is a poverty that thwarts
my moves, my airs, and leaves me impotent,
with bare and baffled heart. No speechless sort,
I stammer at the stop I've reached, consent
to yield, receive the Feast—to eat and be outspent.
Love quiets me. Love sits me on his knee.
"You are yourself," says he, "all I desire."
Might Love be satisfied in colloquy?
We wink and whisper till my eyes acquire
his own spark. My darkened heart now afire
with borrowed Light bestows itself and—swift
to cede—receives itself! Might Love conspire
to grant affinity to me, uplift
this heart to make it one with Giver and the Gift? |
Closing Next Month
Connecticut River Review Poetry Contest
Postmark Deadline: September 30
The Connecticut Poetry Society is pleased to announce that the Connecticut River Review Poetry Contest is accepting submissions. Please note that the deadline for submissions is now September 30 (this is a change from previous years).
We offer prizes of $400, $200, and $100. Winning poems will be published in the Connecticut River Review. Other submissions will also be considered for possible publication. For your $15 entry fee (make check out to CPS) you may enter three unpublished poems, up to 80 lines each. Multiple and simultaneous submissions are acceptable if you notify us immediately upon acceptance elsewhere. Last year's winners are not eligible for this year's contest.
Please submit two copies of each poem, one with contact info and one completely anonymous. Include a self-addressed stamped envelope (SASE) for contest results. No poems will be returned—please keep a copy. Mail your work to CRR Contest, CPS, P.O. Box 270554, West Hartford, CT 06127.
The Connecticut Poetry Society is a state-wide community of poets dedicated to the promotion and enjoyment of poetry. CPS has a 35-year tradition of excellence in publishing work of national and Connecticut poets. Our mission is to support poetry with chapter meetings, contests, and events for CPS members throughout the state. More information on this contest and on our organization can be found at www.ct-poetry-society.org.
Closing Next Month
2010 Creekwalker Poetry Prize
Postmark Deadline: September 30
"Welcome to the 4th annual Creekwalker Poetry Prize. For our 2010 contest, we anticipate entries from poets, veterans and novices alike, whose work carries the capacity to startle us with glimpses into the relationship between profound truths and the minutiae of everyday life."
— Tom Mark Gilbert, Founder/Editor
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 $400 prize. Entry fee: $15 payable to Creekwalker. Please mail your entry and fee to:
Creekwalker Poetry Prize
5620 Paseo Del Norte #127-240
Carlsbad, CA 92008
Questions? Please see our complete guidelines at www.creekwalker.com or email 2010prize@creekwalker.com.
Please enjoy "When Passing the Possum" by Faye Williams Jones, our 2009 Creekwalker Poetry Prize Winner:
When Passing the Possum
by Faye Williams Jones
on the way to chemo today
I remembered banding hummingbirds
held captured birds playing possum
lifeless—then released to frantic flight
pretending the band is not attached—
acting as if the chemo does not flow
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death |
a possum curled up and died
by the busy highway
at a familiar spot
I hold my breath
today as in childhood—
I walk alone
I will fear no evil...
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| Note: A parallel poem is read line by line (horizontally, left-to-right) and vertically as two parallel columns. The meaning may be the same, or it may be different. |
Closing Next Month
On The Premises Short Story Contest: "Strength" (prize money increased, still no fee)
Email Submission Deadline: September 30
Since 2006, On The Premises magazine has aimed to promote newer and/or relatively unknown writers who can write creative, compelling stories told in effective, uncluttered, and evocative prose.
Every four months, On The Premises sponsors a short story contest. Entrants pay no fees, and winners receive cash prizes in addition to exposure through publication. Every contest challenges authors to write creative, compelling, and well-crafted stories based on a broad premise that the magazine's editors supply.
Prize money as of July 2010: $180 for 1st, $140 for 2nd, $100 for 3rd, and $40 for honorable mentions, all in US dollars. Usually, two or three honorable mentions are published.
The newest contest launched on July 3. You can find details at http://www.onthepremises.com/current_contest.html. To be informed when new contests are launched, subscribe to our free, short, monthly newsletter.
"On The Premises" is recognized in Duotrope, Writer's Market, Ralan.com, and other short story marketing resources.
Hints for Winning Our Contests
- Your story should be CREATIVE. That doesn't mean it has to be speculative! Genre is not the issue. The issue is, how many times have we read (or seen) stories similar to yours, in any genre?
- Your story should be COMPELLING. Make us care about your story and the characters in it. Grab our attention at the beginning and make us want to keep reading.
- Your story should be WELL-CRAFTED. More than anything else, that means every word is chosen with great care. It also means there isn't one unnecessary word or idea in your story. The parts of your story form a perfect whole.
- Your story should CLEARLY use the contest premise. If our premise is that a story has to be about a dog, make the dog a major character. Don't have a dog appear in the first paragraph, then never be seen again. And don't make the story about a secret organization whose initials are D.O.G. The more obvious your use of our premise is, the better.
See more hints
2010 Caketrain Chapbook Competition in Fiction: $250 and Publication of Winning Chapbook
Postmark Deadline/Online Submission Deadline: October 1
Final Judge: Deb Olin Unferth, author of Minor Robberies and Vacation
Genre: Fiction
Prizes: Winner: $250 award and publication of a limited-edition, perfect-bound chapbook with a full-color cover, and 25 contributor copies. Runner-Up: publication of a limited-edition, perfect-bound chapbook with a full-color cover, and 25 contributor copies.
Previous Winning Titles: Elizabeth Skurnick (Check-In), Tom Whalen (Dolls), Claire Hero (afterpastures), Tina May Hall (All the Day's Sad Stories), Matt Bell (The Collectors), Ben Mirov (Ghost Machine), Lucas Farrell (Bird Any Damn Kind).
Open to manuscripts 40 to 80 pages in length (approximately 12,000 to 26,000 words). Previously-published stand-alone pieces may be included in the manuscript, but the manuscript as a whole must be an unpublished work. Translations and previously self-published books are ineligible. Simultaneous submissions are acceptable; please notify us if your manuscript is accepted elsewhere. Please enclose a check or money order in the amount of either $15 for reading fee or $20 for reading fee and copy of the winning chapbook (payable to Caketrain) and send with your manuscript to Caketrain Journal and Press, Box 82588, Pittsburgh, PA 15218. You may also submit your entry electronically.
Caketrain is a literary journal and press based in Pittsburgh; our interest is in bringing readers the very best in daring contemporary creative writing. For more information, please visit us at www.caketrain.org.
The Missouri Review Editors' Prize: Over $15,000 in Prizes
Postmark Deadline: October 1
Now through October 1, submit your best poetry, fiction, and essays. Winners in each genre receive $5,000, a featured publication in our spring issue, and a trip to Columbia, MO for a gala reading and reception. Three finalists in each genre receive cash prizes and will also be considered for publication. $20 contest fee includes a one-year subscription to The Missouri Review.
Entries must be previously unpublished and will not be returned. Please include no more than 25 typed, double-spaced pages for fiction and nonfiction. Poetry entries can include any number of poems up to 10 pages in total. Each story, essay, or group of poems constitutes one entry. Submit online or by mail.
For more information, please see http://www.missourireview.com/contest/editors_prize.php
Please enjoy "Into your pocket" by Christina Hutchins, part of her first-place entry in poetry in our most recent competition.
Into your pocket
by Christina Hutchins
I have slid a bright morning before rain.
Tonight's concerto is folded into thousands
of paper cranes; their wings were trees, rollicking
restless in the sun. Here's a loose,
black thread pulled from my hem, tangled
to a tiny bundle between my fingers & thumb.
Kelp strands roiled back & forth in the surf
& deposited at high tide, the lost chains
of underseas are knotted, left along the beach.
Here is the warmth of my stride, left in a heap
on a rug beside the bed, blue jeans shed
in the shapes of my legs. I, too, have held
the shape of an absence. Quiet in the auditorium.
Who is that, laughing at the back of the room?
Here we are again, leaning against the door,
my way to you disclosed by two tongues
spending a sweet moment. The self I become
& the self you become are celestial bodies
entered into, one by another. Tender
release, a wet palate tasting its small
flourishes, my love is for taking along.
Like you, I swim a rising, astral surge.
If we are anchored by every spent moment,
the anchors are already rusted to dust
& these chains no heavier than light.
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The 21st Annual Reuben Rose Poetry Competition 2010
Entries must be received by October 7 (rolling deadline)
Sponsor
"Voices" The Israel English Poetry Association
Prizes
FIRST: US$500
SECOND: US$200
THIRD: US$100
10 HONOURABLE MENTIONS
Entry fee
NIS15; US$5; 4 euros; or 3 pounds sterling per poem (these currencies only, payment by cash or check, made payable to Voices Israel). Receipt of submission acknowledged if accompanied by a self-addressed envelope with three International Reply Coupons (available from your post office). Please see our website for more information.
Poem Format & Content
All styles of challenging, humorous and/or curious poetry are welcome. The competition is general and not necessarily on Jewish or Israeli subjects. Poems should be 40 lines or less, submitted in duplicate (one copy should NOT have any identifying information) and be accompanied by a cover letter giving the titles of the poem(s) submitted, with your full name and address. You may enter as many poems as you wish at $5 etc. per poem. Entries received after the deadline will be automatically entered into the following year's contest. Mail your entries to:
Voices Israel (Reuben Rose Competition)
J. Dicks
P.O. Box 236
Kiryat Ata 28101
Israel
Package Deal
Four of your submissions may be considered by the "Voices" editorial board for publication in the upcoming poetry anthology. Please send four entries of your choice to our anthology editors, Sheryl Abbey & Michael Dickel, for consideration in the Voices Israel Anthology, Volume 37, by email to VoicesIsraelPoetryAnthology@gmail.com. See website for separate submission guidelines, which must be followed. Please note the postal mail address above is for the Reuben Rose Poetry Contest entries only.
About the Judging
Judging anonymously by Professor Seymour Mayne (University of Ottawa). Professor Mayne is the author, editor or translator of more than fifty books and monographs. His work is represented in eighty anthologies and his own writings have been translated into numerous languages. He will be conducting a creative writing workshop in Israel in early 2011.
Notification
Winners will be notified personally. The results will be published online in January in the monthly Voices newsletter. There will be a public reading.
 Announcing the 2010 Cutthroat Literary Awards
Postmark Deadline: October 15
$1,250 First prize, $250 Second prize plus publication for the 2010 Joy Harjo Poetry Prize and the 2010 Rick DeMarinis Short Fiction Prize.
Send up to three poems (100 lines each) or one short story (5,000 word limit) with a $15 reading fee per submission. NO AUTHOR NAME ALLOWED ON ANY ENTRY. Check can be made out to Raven's Word Writers or CUTTHROAT, A JOURNAL OF THE ARTS. Include a cover sheet with author name, address, email address and phone number plus a mandatory self-addressed stamped envelope (SASE) for announcement of winners to:
CUTTHROAT, A JOURNAL OF THE ARTS
P.O. Box 2414
Durango, CO 81302
JUDGES: Marvin Bell, Poetry, and Lorian Hemingway, Short Fiction. Enter as often as you wish! All finalists considered for publication. Congratulations to Valentina Gnup for her poem, "France Etude", winner of the 2009 Joy Harjo Poetry Prize chosen by Dorianne Laux, and Tom Coakley for his story, "The Lower Heights of the Hindu Kush", winner of the 2009 Rick DeMarinis Short Fiction Prize chosen by Alan Cheuse. Both works were published in CUTTHROAT 8, the fifth Anniversary Issue. Purchase back issues for $10 plus shipping. For the complete contest guidelines, go to www.cutthroatmag.com.
Open City's 2010 RRofihe Trophy Short Story Contest
Postmark Deadline: October 15
7th year! The RRofihe Trophy for an unpublished short story! Limit: 5,000 words. Winner receives: $500, trophy, and publication in Open City magazine. Judge: Rick Rofihe.
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, slushpilemag and fictionaut. His nonfiction has appeared in The New York Times, The Village Voice, SPY, and The East Hampton Star, and on mrbellersneighborhood. A recipient of the Whiting Writers' Award, he has taught MFA writing at Columbia University. He currently teaches privately in New York City, and is an advisor to The Vilcek Foundation for their 2011 prizes in the field of literature. Rick is the editor of the new online literary journal, anderbo.com.
 9th Annual FundsforWriters Essay Contest
Theme for 2010: "When Writing Made a Difference"
Email Submission Deadline: October 31
FundsforWriters.com and Literary Database team up to co-sponsor the 9th Annual FundsforWriters Essay Contest. We want to know how someone's words made a difference. You could address another author of years long past whose writing affected you, a classroom or an entire population. You might talk about a mentor's writing. Maybe your writing impacted someone else and altered one person's life or the lives of thousands. Did your writing finally sell and pay off the wolf at the door or send you on a grand retreat or vacation? Did your writing impact a child, a senior, a lover, a friend, or a complete stranger?
We offer the same two categories—the $5 FEE category and the NO FEE category. Many writers do not believe in paying while others have no contrary opinion about an entry fee. Here we offer both so everyone has a choice. This way no one has an excuse not to submit.
First place winner receives $300. Six cash awards given. Limit 750 words. Winners announced December 1. www.fundsforwriters.com/annualcontest.htm / www.literarydatabase.com
Open Now
Coal Hill Review Poetry Chapbook Contest: $1,000 and Publication
Postmark Deadline: November 1
The winning chapbook will be published electronically as part of our Spring issue of Coal Hill Review, and an attractive paper edition will also be available through Autumn House Press. In addition, the poet will receive $1,000.
We ask that all poetry submissions to Coal Hill Review come through our annual contest.
Manuscripts, submitted through our website or through the US Mail, will be accepted August 1 to November 1, and the competition is open to all poets writing in English.
The submission fee of $20 may be paid through our PayPal account or by check or money order made out to Autumn House Press.
Submission should consist of 10-15 pages, either a long poem or a group of poems.
If poems have been previously published, acknowledgments should be included with the submission.
All finalists will be considered for publication in Coal Hill Review and Kestrel Magazine.
Manuscripts may be submitted electronically through our website www.coalhillreview.com, or sent by US mail to this address: Autumn House Press, P.O. 60100, Pittsburgh, PA 15211.
Please enjoy this poem by Gailmarie Pahmeier, part of her winning chapbook entry from 2009, Shake It and It Snows:
Homegrown Roses
by Gailmarie Pahmeier
Everyone has a story to tell
that's set inside a bar. I remember
the long year I loved a boy from school,
how every day at five o'clock we met
at George's Lounge, how we became familiar,
the aging lady bartender calling
out in her clear voice—Miller, Miller Lite—
before that big door eased shut behind us.
I also recall being conscious
of the clock, how in the world of the tavern
you are always alive in the future,
even if it's only ten or fifteen
minutes, long enough to know the baseball
game you're watching is behind you, that if
you hope hard enough your team can still score,
there's time and plenty of it. Imagine,
too, one chilled summer night when I was young
and fleeing my first divorce, found myself
at the End of the Trail in Dayton, Nevada.
I met a man who bought me drinks, who fed
the jukebox till I thought it would burst,
held me close enough to hear his heart.
I don't remember when we decided
to pretend—this is a bar story,
after all—but we told the other patrons,
four tired cowboys and a black-eyed woman,
that we'd just been married, this was our
honeymoon and we were happy.
One of the cowboys wandered outside,
broke a rose from a battered bush, placed it
in a beer bottle, a gift for the bride.
I still have it. And now every year or so,
when I return to my truck in the dark
after work, I find a single rose anchored
under the wiper. My friends think I should
be afraid of this, as if this flower
were a dead chicken or a stalker's signature.
But it's just a rose and all it means
is that I'm forever joined to a man
who'll never know my real name, a man
I couldn't possibly pick out in a crowd.
Now, your turn. Tell me one of your stories. |
11th Annual Writer's Digest Short Short Story Competition
Postmark Deadline: December 1
To make a long story short, the 11th Annual Writer's Digest Short Short Story Competition is now accepting entries! We're looking for fiction that is bold, brilliant...but brief. Send us your best in 1,500 words or fewer. But don't wait too long—the deadline is December 1, 2010.
Grand-Prize winner will receive $3,000 (that's $2—or more—per word).
Click for the guidelines, prizes and to enter online.
Plus, the 1st- through 25th-place manuscripts will be printed in the 11th Annual Writer's Digest Short Short Story Competition Collection. Click to learn more about this special collection and to reserve your copy today.
Please enjoy this excerpt from our interview with Wendi Christner, winner of last year's short short story competition:
What are your favorite short stories?
I lean toward the Southern writers like Eudora Welty and Alice Walker. And I especially enjoy discovering old less-known fairytales and fables.
What's your typical writing routine?
I try to write every day. Other than that, I keep my routine flexible. I want to be available for all of life's surprises and to have time for the people who are important to me.
What's the secret to a great short story?
I think the secret to a great story of any length is to engage the reader's emotions.
Click for more |
2010 Anderbo Poetry Prize
Postmark Deadline: December 15
- Submit up to six unpublished poems
- Winner receives $500 cash and publication on anderbo.com
- Judged by Linda Bierds, assisted by Anderbo Poetry Editor Charity Burns
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
- Limit six poems per poet
- Poet must not have been previously published on anderbo.com
- Mail submissions to:
Anderbo Poetry Prize
270 Lafayette Street, Suite 1412
New York, NY 10012
- Enclose 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
Linda Bierds' eighth book of poetry, Flight: New and Selected Poems, was published in 2008 by Putnam's. Her awards include four Pushcart Prizes, the Virginia Quarterly Review's Emily Clark Balch Poetry Prize, and fellowships from the Ingram Merrill, the Guggenheim, and the MacArthur foundations, and twice from the NEA. She is a professor of English at the University of Washington.
http://www.anderbo.com/anderbo1/anderprize2010.html
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These free prose contests with deadlines between August 16 and September 30 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.
8/27: Young Lions Fiction Award +++
Entries must be received by this date; formerly August 28
Highly recommended free contest sponsored by the NY Public Library offers $10,000 for the best published book of fiction (novel or short story collection) by a US author age 35 or under. Books must have been published or scheduled for publication during the current calendar year. Must be submitted by publisher. See website for nomination form.
9/8: Family Circle Fiction Contest ++
Formerly August 31
Recommended free contest offers top prize of $750 for short fiction up to 2,500 words. Entrants must be US residents, aged 21+. Family Circle is a women's magazine with articles about parenting, health, cooking, crafts, relationships, and family travel. Entries must be postmarked by September 8 and received by September 15.
9/15: VCU Cabell First Novelist Award ++
Recommended free contest from Virgina Commonwealth University offers $5,000 for a first novel published during the previous calendar year. Author, agent, and editor also receive an all-expenses-paid trip to Richmond, VA to participate in the Virginia Commonwealth University First Novelist Forum. Send 3 copies of published book. One prize per year, but two deadlines, depending on when book was published. Deadline is September 15, 2010 for books published January through June 2010. For books published July through December 2010, the deadline is January 15, 2011.
9/17: Atlas Shrugged Essay Contest for College Students +++
Highly recommended free contest for high school seniors and full-time college students offers $10,000 top prize, other large prizes, for essays on Ayn Rand's novel Atlas Shrugged. 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.
9/21: Glass Woman Prize ++
Entries must be received by this date
Recommended twice-yearly free contest offers prizes up to $500 and online publication for the best short fiction or creative nonfiction by women. Both published and unpublished work welcome. Entries should be 50-5,000 words. Contest sponsor Beate Sigriddaughter says, "Subject is open, but must be of significance to women. My criterion is passion, excellence, and authenticity in the woman's writing voice." Enter by mail or email (no attachments).
9/24: Life Lessons Essay Contest +++
Entries must be received by this date; formerly September 7
Highly recommended free contest offers $3,000 and publication in the lifestyles magazine Real Simple for personal essays up to 1,500 words. Open to US authors aged 19+. Enter by mail or email. 2010 theme is "Have you ever taken a huge, surprising risk? Did you climb a mountain? Go back to school? Get married (again)? Tell us about it." Online entries must be received by September 24. Postal entries must be postmarked by September 24 and received by September 30.
9/30: Eric Hoffer Award for Short Prose +
Entries must be received by this date
Neutral free contest from Hopewell Publications offers $500 and anthology publication for unpublished short fiction or essays (both genres compete together) up to 10,000 words. Enter online only. No simultaneous submissions. Deadlines are quarterly, but there is only one annual prize. You can enter one story per quarter.
9/30: Iowa Short Fiction and John Simmons Short Fiction Awards ++
Recommended free contest from the prestigious Iowa Writers' Workshop seeks two manuscripts of short fiction (each 150 double-spaced pages minimum) by an author who has not previously published a book of prose fiction in English. (Books in other genres or languages, and self-published books, do not disqualify you.) Prize is publication under a standard royalty contract.
9/30: 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.
9/30: L. Ron Hubbard's Writers of the Future Contest +++
Highly recommended free contest for emerging writers of short science fiction, fantasy and horror offers quarterly prizes of $1,000 plus an annual $5,000 grand prize for one of the four winners. Send only one story per quarter, maximum 17,000 words. See website for eligibility rules. Entrants may not have professionally published a novel or short novel, or more than one novelette, or more than three short stories, in any medium.
9/30: USNI General Prize Essay Contest +++
Highly recommended free contest from the US Naval Institute offers top prize of $10,000 for essays on any subject relating to the goal of the Naval Institute: "to provide an open forum for those who dare to read, think, speak, and write in order to advance professional, literary, and scientific understanding of sea power and other issues critical to national defense." Winners are chosen from articles published in the Proceedings magazine within the September through September entry period; these is no separate submission process for the contest. Maximum 3,000 words. Authors must be USNI members or eligible for membership. Enter by mail or email (preferred).
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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The Q Review
Entries must be received by August 15
The Q Review, a Chicago-based online journal of GLBT literature and art, seeks submissions of poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction for its September issue. Send 1-3 poems or one prose piece up to 5,000 words, by email only. See website for formatting guidelines.
Kudos Competitions Bulletin "Nineveh" Challenge
Entries must be received by August 31
Kudos is a UK-based newsletter of writing competitions, edited by Carole Baldock, who also edits the literary journal Orbis. Their July/August challenge has the following theme: "What would happen if somebody like Philip Larkin (poem) or Sir Peter Ustinov (prose) had a twin—and they ended up lost in Nineveh?" Email your entry, pasted into the message (no attachments) with "Nineveh" as subject line, to baldock.carole@googlemail.com. Send a poem of 30 lines maximum (rhyme preferred), or a 50-word flash fiction or intro to a short story. The first six prose entrants can have the option of writing a short story, 1,000 words maximum (extra points if you include the 3 words: Larkin, Peter and Nineveh). Overall grand prize is a year’s subscription to either Kudos or Orbis, plus publication on website and invitation to submit work for Orbis. Winner in each category receives a complimentary copy of current issue of Kudos, plus 1 free copy of the magazine. Runners-up: 1 free copy. Plus, free copy of magazine if you can identify which competition listings on this page include the words "Nineveh" and "Ustinov".
PRISM International
Postmark Deadline: August 31
Canadian literary journal PRISM International seeks submissions for its winter issue, which will focus on micro-fiction (1,000 words maximum) and prose poems (250 words maximum). Editors say, "The difference between prose poetry and micro-fiction is up for discussion—generally, prose poetry focuses more precise attention on language. It's less narrative than micro-fiction, and asks readers to make larger jumps than micro-fiction might demand." This journal pays $40 per printed page for poetry, $20 for prose.
Relief Journal
Entries must be received by August 31
Relief: A Christian Literary Expression is seeking submissions of literary fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry. Published twice a year, the literary journal features spiritual and faith writing in the tradition of Anne Lamott, Flannery O'Connor, John Gardner, Leif Enger, and Marilynne Robinson. Relief is looking for authors on the cutting edge of religious writing, who can write gritty and realistic works about life on "this-side-of-Heaven". The editorial staff is currently particularly interested in quality personal essays and fiction. You can submit up to three short stories, essays, or poems via the online submissions system. Length limits: poetry, 1,000 words maximum; fiction, 8,000 words; nonfiction, 5,000 words.
Cyclamens and Swords
Entries must be received by November 30
Cyclamens and Swords, an online literary journal edited by Israeli poets Helen Bar-Lev and Johnmichael Simon, seeks poetry, stories and artwork for their December issue. Poems should be on the theme of "Supernatural". Prose and art submissions for this issue can be on any theme. Send 1-5 poems, maximum 60 lines each, or 1-2 stories, maximum 5,000 words each. Enter online only.
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Toehold
by Margot Wizansky
Every day you make the choice to live
on the slippery ledge, where you almost always
fail to find a toehold, mesmerized as you are
by the gelid clarity of water or the far-off blow
of some blue-green radiance, the steely whistle
of work and money, the softer mist of love,
everything draws you—the cold burn seizing
anyone who stands up in the boat. Paddle
through the irresistible archway. Take a piece
of the iceberg to chill your cocktail. It can
roll over you. Virtue will carry you only so far
and help never comes fast enough.
Copyright 2010 by Margot Wizansky
This poem won the 2010 Patricia Dobler Poetry Award from Carlow University.
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The Language of the Trees
by Freddy Niagara Fonseca
I asked the trees one summer
What they had been thinking of all year.
They wouldn't say,
But then I heard them wave
And whisper of the ages—
Seasons—
Years, and months, and days—
And countless hours
Of abundant happiness!
I like the tales they tell me.
Autumn makes them talk of leaving all,
And yet they stay,
And as they drop their leaves,
They muse for weeks on April—
Thrushes—
Stars and lingering Indian summers—
Rain—
And latent loneliness...
Their voice is low in winter.
Snow and icy winds are on their minds,
And they withdraw;
But in their winter dreams
You hear how branches sing,
And think of dawn—
The sun in distant countries—
Warmth—
And summer peacefulness.
How grand they are each season—
Often have I seen them stand like kings!
A certain awe
Surrounds their splendid forms,
And so they wait for spring—
For flowers—
Verdant prairies—
Butterflies in May—
And simple loveliness.
And then they speak of lovers!
Sudden colors spread their message fast,
And every year
Their many stories bloom,
And nourish noble pages—
Poems—
Gorgeous music—
Heart and mind
With endless youthfulness.
And so we welcome summer...
All day long they stand and think and dream,
And all we hear
Is how they wave again
And whisper of the ages—
Seasons—
Years, and months, and days—
And countless hours
Of unending happiness...
Copyright 2010 by Freddy Niagara Fonseca
This poem is reprinted from the anthology This Enduring Gift: A Flowering of Fairfield Poetry, forthcoming from 1st World Publishing. Hear Mr. Fonseca reading it on YouTube here.
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Advertise to 30,000 Poets and Writers
Promote your contests, websites, events, and publications in this newsletter. Reach over 30,000 poets and writers for $80. 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
"We can tell by our data readings that Winning Writers is an economical and efficient way to advertise both the Anderbo Poetry Prize and The RRofihe Trophy/Open City Short Story Contest."
Rick Rofihe, Publisher & Editor-In-Chief, anderbo
"...I'd like to share that our web site received a very good amount of clicks from your web site after we ran the ad. In fact, the clicks we received after Dec. 15 were comparable to the average number of clicks received per month during 2009 from our second highest referring web site for the whole year. We were very pleased, and that's why we want to advertise four times this year. Thanks again for the work that you do..."
Steve Petty, New Millennium Writings
"Thanks again for the ad. Poems have been pouring in."
Frances Flynn, Sidney Lanier Award
See more testimonials
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PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT
Sign the Declaration for the Right to Literacy
Our nation faces a silent yet growing crisis: too many adults have poor reading, writing, English, and computer skills. Right now, an estimated 30 million adults in the U.S. have limited literacy skills; this costs our economy $60 billion a year in lost productivity and $106-$238 billion in unnecessary health care expenses. Adult low literacy contributes to a host of other problems ranging from crime and drug abuse to unemployment and homelessness. Fixing the literacy problem is essential for lifting Americans out of poverty and rebuilding a strong economy.
Many of our nation's children are saddled with the disadvantages of low literacy even before they enter kindergarten. Often raised by parents with limited literacy, these children can slip through the cracks of our school system to join the millions whose lack of literacy excludes them from the most basic opportunities other individuals take for granted.
The individuals who have signed this document believe that no one should be denied the fundamental skills necessary for success in life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
When you sign the declaration online, you add your voice to our message for the president: Literacy is vital for individual and national success, and as such, it must be a high priority on the president's agenda.
Read the complete Declaration for the Right to Literacy (PDF)
 ProLiteracy supports adults and young people in the U.S. and internationally who are learning to read, write, and do basic math by training instructors, publishing instructional materials, and advocating for resources and public policies that support them.
Support ProLiteracy's vital mission. Click
here to learn more. Click 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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This month, Critique Corner is pleased to present "Marry Me" and "Praise for Wyatt" by Bob Bradshaw.
If you would like a chance to be critiqued, please email your poem to 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!
Marry Me
by Bob Bradshaw
My friend Susi and her boyfriend
were in the bleachers when someone
launched a home run.
Fireworks burst
like a corsage over their heads.
That's when she said Robert
leaned over and proposed.
The whole ballpark was cheering.
What did you say? I asked.
"I couldn't hear over the crowd
a word he was saying.
But the cheering got me excited
and I stood up jumping like crazy
and my boyfriend thought I
had said yes. He threw his arms
around me and five years later
we have a gaggle of children."
Praise for Wyatt
by Bob Bradshaw
As a bachelor the only thing I could cook
was the smoke alarms.
You steam vegetables in woks,
flip crepes deftly, paddle creams and butters,
and aren't afraid to try new recipes
whether from Beijing or Tuscany.
Your skills at laying cables,
editing audio tracks, playing drums
and writing impromptu songs
at jamming sessions makes me think
that everything comes easily to you.
I admire your confidence
but I love your kindness more,
and I pray for your good health,
for a cure of your diabetes.
You don't remember receiving
your first injections, 18 months old,
or your tiny fingers bleeding
four times a day...your cries
needles through my heart.
Copyright 2010 by Bob Bradshaw
Critique by Tracy Koretsky
If you are a frequent reader of the type of literary e-zines included in the Best of the Net Anthology, you have probably encountered the work of the much-published Bob Bradshaw. His talent for the refreshingly apt and original metaphor, coupled with his charmingly self-deprecating humor, give Bradshaw's deceptively simple poems a distinctive voice popular with editors. So when I received a letter from him containing poems that, he said, had been rejected numerous times, I became deeply curious as to why. Little did I know his poems would lead me to question the very nature of poetry itself.
You see, Bradshaw favors poems that tell stories, usually of the head-scratching variety. The reader is left thinking, "Well, who would have seen that coming?" or, "Isn't that just amazing?" The narrative poem is often accessible, which explains why it is so frequently enjoyed, but it is problematic too. What makes a story a story and a poem, a poem? Indeed, what, in fact, is a poem?
Consider for a moment that the Latin origin of the word "verse" means to turn. The word "story", on the other hand, comes from the word "history"—a series of events. In fiction, one event generally causes another, or is, at least, related in some way. Furthermore, story—as opposed to history—has a beginning, middle, and end, though, as any first course in writing will teach, they do not necessarily have to be presented in that order. Nevertheless, causation is the logic of plot, and therefore of story.
Not so for poetry. Poems "verse"; they turn, sometimes several times. They may leap from the logic of the story to a metaphor bringing in a wholly new idea or image. They may leap to another level of meaning, suddenly more universal or personal, serious or surreal. The address—that is, to whom the poem is speaking—might redirect. Even something as subtle as an alteration of verb tense can affect a turn....
Click to continue reading this critique
These poems and our critique appear in full at:
http://www.winningwriters.com/resources/critiques/2010/urc_1008bradshaw.php
See
all of our poetry critiques.
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VISIT JENDI REITER'S BLOG
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COMING SEPTEMBER 1: AWARD-WINNING POEMS
Our Fall 2010 selection of winning poems from contests we admire
COMING IN OUR SEPTEMBER 15 NEWSLETTER
Winners Announced for the 2010 Tom Howard/John H. Reid Short Story Contest
The Best Free Poetry Contests for September 16-October 31
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