Hold Your Darlings
The author of Took House explores a kinder approach to revision, in which language cut during one editorial process may be saved as material for a new writing project.
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Genre: Poetry
Upcoming Contest Deadlines
With July already underway, it’s never too soon to start submitting to contests with a deadline of July 31! These competitions offer unique awards such as two cases of Dogfish Head craft beer, a weeklong residency at the Anam Cara Writer’s Retreat in West Cork, Ireland, and 20 copies of a letterpress broadside of a winning poem, alongside cash prizes of at least $500. One contest even has no entry fee. Cheers, writers!
Connecticut Poetry Society Experimental Poetry Contest: A prize of $1,000 and publication in Connecticut River Review will be given annually for an innovative poem. Richard Deming will judge. Audio and video recordings are eligible. Entry fee: $15.
Dogfish Head Craft Brewed Ales Dogfish Head Poetry Prize: A prize of $500, publication by Broadkill River Press, 10 author copies, and two cases of Dogfish Head craft beer are given annually for a poetry collection written by a poet living in Delaware, Maine, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington, D.C., or West Virginia. The winner is expected to attend a reading and award ceremony at the Dogfish Head Brewery in Milton, Delaware, on December 10. Lodging for a two-night stay at the Dogfish Inn in the beach town of Lewes, Delaware, is provided. Travel expenses are not included. Michael Glaser will judge. Entry fee: none.
Hidden River Arts Hawk Mountain Short Story Collection Award: A prize of $1,000 and publication by Hidden River Press is given annually for a story collection. Entry fee: $20.
Howling Bird Press Book Contest: A prize of $2,500 and publication by Howling Bird Press is given in alternating years for a book of poetry, fiction, or creative nonfiction. The 2023 prize will be awarded in nonfiction. Memoirs, essay collections, and other creative nonfiction are eligible. Entry fee: $25.
Munster Literature Centre Seán O’Faoláin International Short Story Competition: A prize of €2,000 (approximately $2,178) and publication in Southword is given annually for a short story. The winner also receives a weeklong residency at the Anam Cara Writer’s Retreat in West Cork and accommodation at the Cork International Short Story Festival. Entry fee: €19 (approximately $21).
Narrative Spring Story Contest: A prize of $2,500 and publication in Narrative is given annually for a short story, a short short story, an essay, or an excerpt from a work of fiction or creative nonfiction. A second-place prize of $1,000 is also awarded. The editors will judge. All entries are considered for publication. Entry fee: $27.
New Millennium Writings Awards: Four prizes of $1,000 each and publication in New Millennium Writings and on the journal’s website are given twice yearly for a poem, a short story, a short short story, and an essay that have not appeared in a print publication with a circulation over 5,000. All entries are considered for publication. Entry fee: $20.
Press 53 Award for Poetry: A prize of $1,000, publication by Press 53, and 50 author copies is given annually for a poetry collection. Tom Lombardo will judge. Entry fee: $30.
Red Wheelbarrow Poetry Prize: A prize of $1,000 and publication in Red Wheelbarrow is given annually for a single poem. The winner will also receive 20 copies of a letterpress broadside of the winning poem, printed by Gary Young at Greenhouse Review Press. Juan Felipe Herrera will judge. All entries are considered for publication. Entry fee: $15.
Sewanee Review Fiction, Poetry, and Nonfiction Contest: Three prizes of $1,000 each and publication in Sewanee Review are given annually for a group of poems, a short story, and an essay. Richie Hofmann will judge in poetry, Raven Leilani will judge in fiction, and Lisa Taddeo will judge in nonfiction. Entry fee: $30 (which includes a subscription to Sewanee Review).
Visit the contest websites for complete guidelines, and check out the Grants & Awards database and Submission Calendar for more contests in poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction.
Jackson Poetry Prize Celebration: Honoring Sonia Sanchez
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“One of the things we must do as poets is certainly to answer the most important question: What does it mean to be human?” says Sonia Sanchez, recipient of the 2022 Jackson Poetry Prize, in this virtual celebration with poets Mary Jo Bang, Marilyn Chin, and Claudia Rankine.
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Independence Day
This past weekend, Independence Day was celebrated in the United States with barbecues, concerts, parades, picnics, and fireworks commemorating the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. Amidst the celebration, the day has also become a reminder of what it means to uphold human rights. Write a poem reflecting on celebrating the country you grew up in and all the complicated feelings and memories that come along. For inspiration, read “Ghazal: America the Beautiful” by Alicia Ostriker, included in the archives of the Academy of American Poets’ website.
Ten Questions for Zeina Hashem Beck
“I think it was essential that I turn further inward, that I trust the ‘quieter’ poems.” —Zeina Hashem Beck, author of O
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Martina Evans Reads a Poem by Wisława Szymborska
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Irish poet and novelist Martina Evans reads Wisława Szymborska’s poem “Could Have,” translated from the Polish by Stanislaw Baranczak and Clare Cavanagh, in this short film directed by Matthew Thompson and produced by the Adrian Brinkerhoff Poetry Foundation for their Words We Share series.
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Ten Questions for Maya Marshall
“Write because you want to, not to define yourself for the benefit of other people.” —Maya Marshall, author of All the Blood Involved in Love
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Paint a Portrait
“Today we’re going to get to work on the details / of your expression. And believe it or not, / the only colors we’re going to use will be / blacker than most blacks,” writes Terrance Hayes in his poem “Bob Ross Paints Your Portrait,” published in Paris Review’s Summer 2022 issue. In the poem, Hayes writes in the voice of American painter and television host Bob Ross, whose show The Joy of Painting aired on PBS in the 1980s and 1990s, as he delivers instructions on how to paint a portrait of the poet. This week, inspired by Hayes, write a poem in the form of a self-portrait. Try using instructional language to describe yourself, allowing any emotions that arise to make their way into the poem.
Lucille Clifton on Poetry
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“For me, poetry is a way of living in the world.” In this vintage video from the Poetry Breaks series, Lucille Clifton reflects on what poetry means to her and how it is not about answers, but rather questions. The Academy of American Poets has partnered with Leita Luchetti, who produced and directed the series in the late 1980s and early 1990s, to bring back these videos.
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Setting the Table for Your Reader
The author of [WHITE] explores the benefits of writing to a specific audience and the risks of trying to meet the market’s imagined demands.
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