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Useful Resources : Websites for Poets and Writers : Resources and Contests for Students
African American Poetry for Children
Henrietta Smith identifies outstanding work to share with younger audiences. One such is The Lost Zoo by Countee Cullen. "The Lost Zoo (1940) is a series of allegorical poems explaining why certain animals did not make it onto Noah's Ark and were therefore lost to the world forever. Legend has it that Cullen, at this time a public-school teacher, wrote The Lost Zoo to help his young students learn the fruitlessness of certain types of unacceptable behavior. In the book, 'The Hoodinkus-With-The-Doublehead' drowns because his two heads fight about which one should lead the way, while the 'Squilililigee' lets the waters cover him rather than continue being laughed at because of his name, demonstrating the not-at-all-harmless consequence of constant teasing. The most popular selection, 'The-Snake-That-Walked-Upon-His-Tail,' speaks out against vanity; the snake waits to make a grand entrance as the last one to board the ark, his newly grown feet get tangled in a vine, and with no help available, he sinks ignominiously beneath the waters."
| | Canadian Student Writing Contests and Resources
A must-see for Canadian students and valuable for others as well.
| | Carol Hurst's Children's Literature Site
Recommended books on subjects from Appalachia to Work and Occupations, with suggested lesson plans and classroom activities. Site includes book reviews, advice on creating teaching materials, and more.
| | Children's Online Rhyming Poetry by Josie Whitehead
Ditties by Yorkshire poet teach children about rhyme and rhythm, through subjects such as animals, fairy tales, resisting peer pressure, and making time to hear God's voice.
| | chixLIT
Magazine by and for girls ages 7-17, aims at empowering young women by publishing their creative writing and artwork.
| | Fairrosa Cyber Library of Children's Literature
Online library of children's literature contains the full-length text of dozens of classics. Reference Shelf feature includes links to background material on many authors of children's books.
| | Favorite Children's Books: Poetry and Song
Selected by the New York Public Library. Featured titles include And the Green Grass Grew All Around: Folk Poetry from Everyone and X.J. Kennedy's Brats, where "forty-two poems describe a variety of particularly unpleasant children."
| | Graham's Poetry Library
Quality poetry links selected by David Graham, Professor of English at Ripon College. Reading the essays on poetry is an education in itself.
| | Mantex Educational Guidance
Practical advice on research and essay writing. Links to online style guides, dictionaries, and other resources for writers. Literature section provides research notes and links for important English-language authors. While you're studying, remember that many classic texts can be downloaded for free from Project Gutenberg, Bartleby and Blackmask.
| | Merlyn's Pen
A large, professional literary site for American teens. Submissions from students in grades 5-12 are being accepted for the next Merlyn's Pen magazine. Read from the 10+ years of archives - over 1,000 stories, essays and poems. The Merlyn's Pen Foundation mentors promising young writers and trains English teachers. Books, tapes and teacher's guides are available in the store.
| | National Federation of State Poetry Societies
Click these links to learn about the Manningham Student Poetry Awards (grades 6-12) and the NFSPS College/University Level Poetry Competition. Individual state societies often sponsor their own contests for students. Many have low entry fees. Click these links for societies in Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, Illinois, Louisiana, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas and Virginia. Other societies are best contacted by mail. Click here for their addresses.
| | National Schools Project
This group of educators publishes an annual anthology, the Young American Poetry Digest, showcasing poems by US elementary and secondary school students. Each participating school receives a free copy of the book. There are also awards of $100 and $50 for the schools with the most student poems accepted.
| | Online School of Poetry
New venture seeks to bridge the worlds of literary academia and slam poetry. Instructors include former California poet laureate Quincy Troupe, performance poets Patricia Smith and Regie Gibson, prizewinning author Tom Daley.
| | Poetry 180
A poem a day for American high schools. For teens who think poetry is boring, remote and not for them, US poet laureate Billy Collins has 180 surprises. Comes with welcome advice on reading poems aloud.
| | Poetry Express
Fun, attractive site introduces the basics of poetic technique, plus a few writing prompts to get you started. The addictive "e-muse" poetry generator creates surprisingly good free verse by asking you to fill in the blanks, Mad Libs style.
| | Poetry Out Loud: National Recitation Project
This joint venture of the Poetry Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts awards over $100,000 in scholarships annually to high school students for memorizing and performing classic poems. Top prize is $20,000.
| | Potluck Children's Literary Magazine
This print magazine publishes poems, stories, essays and artwork from children 8-16, and some younger. Online submissions welcome. Editors respond to all submissions whether or not they are published.
| | Powell's Books: Children's Poetry
Portland's famous bookseller offers over 1,500 books of poetry for children and young adults. Recommendations and reviews help you choose. Free North American shipping on qualified orders over $50.
| | Shel Silverstein
Official site featuring the work of this acclaimed author of humor poetry for children. Includes fun activities for kids, and lesson plans for teaching his poetry in the classroom.
| | Slammin': Poetry Resources for Teens
A directory of high-quality websites, contests and print publications for high school poets. Also lists suggested novels in poetry form and movies involving poets and poetry. Sponsored by the American Library Association.
| | Student Bylines Magazine
Publishes stories, essays, reviews, poetry, photos and artwork of students in grades 6-12. Based in the Pacific Northwest. Accepts entries from all over the world. No fee to submit. Contributors get paid $10 when their work is published. Student Bylines also sponsors a Spotlight on Poetry contest.
| | Teen Poetry at The Student Center
A good place to post your poems and read those of others. Be skeptical of some of the poetry-related ads on the site, however. They look like legitimate poetry contests, but may be vanity presses in disguise.
| | The Poetry Zone
Website features poems by teens and pre-teens. Good quality. Click here to submit free. Also hosts regular poetry competitions. Winners receive books and other prizes.
| | The Printed Poem - A Beginner's Guide to Publishing Poetry
Wise advice from poet Corin Nguyen. This generous, easy-to-read web guide gets you on the right path to getting published. Get tips for preparing a professional-looking submission and choosing the right venue. Includes links to quality sites, publications and poetry. "Only by reading a journal can you determine whether your poetry would fit with the poems they are currently publishing. Writing is an art, but publishing is work. If you cut corners, the process will only take longer. Do the legwork and don't send blind submissions because a rejection letter is just as disheartening the 50th time as it is the first time."
| | Tiny Giant Magazine
A literary magazine by and for young people. Journalism, opinion, reviews, fiction, art and photography are emphasized rather than poetry. Based in Canada since 1947.
| | Words Work Network
WoW works with high school writing programs to guide and publish young writers. They award prizes in writing and design to students and student magazines. This professionally-done site is rich in content. Teachers will enjoy it as much as students. It's affiliated with another quality literary site, Web Del Sol.
| | Writecorner Press
Online publisher and writers' resource site offers a selection of well-crafted short fiction and nonfiction by emerging and established writers, including the winners of Writecorner's $1,100 E.M. Koeppel Short Fiction Award. The P.L. Titus Scholarship of $500 is awarded to a student winner of this contest. Copies of novels, short fiction collections, poetry books, oral history works, and memoirs from established publishers will also be accepted for possible review on their site.
| | youngpoets.ca :: Forum
Youth poetry forum sponsored by The League of Canadian Poets. Post your work, give feedback, discuss poetry with other young writers and professionals. You don't need to be Canadian to participate. Site features a variety of published adult poets as guest moderators.
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