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“I pulled down a book by Gayl Jones, Eva’s Man, and I sat down and didn’t get back up until I finished it—and I felt so haunted,” says Rachel Eliza Griffiths about what inspired her third poetry collection, Mule & Pear (New Issues Press, 2011), in this conversation at the 2013 Poets Forum for the Academy of American Poets.
“The art of poetry for me is the art of composing a sequence of vowels, consonants, and sentence sounds that will seem moving, meaningful,” says former U.S. Poet Laureate Robert Pinsky in this 2014 episode of Cortland Review’s Poets in Person series, in which he discusses his beginnings as a poet and his philosophy behind writing.
“I love the I, / frail between its flitches, its hard ground / and hard sky, it soars between them / like the soul that rushes, back and forth, / between the mother and father.” In this line from her iconic poem “Take the I Out,” Sharon Olds describes both the physical shape of the letter and how it represents the self. This week write an ode to a letter of the alphabet. Whether it be the letter I, or a different one, how far can you go in describing this letter and locating the many ways it holds place in your life?
There are two days remaining to submit to the Benjamin Saltman Poetry Award. Administered by Red Hen Press, the prize offers $3,000 and publication for an original collection of poetry. The contest boasts few limiting guidelines and only prohibits entries from writers who are already connected to Red Hen Press or the contest judge.
Using only the online submission system, submit a manuscript of 48 to 96 pages with a $25 entry fee by October 31. Major Jackson will judge. Visit the website for complete guidelines.
Red Hen Press is an independent publisher based in Pasadena, California. In addition to the Benjamin Saltman Poetry Award, the press offers several other awards, including a biennial novella prize and a biennial prize for prose by women writers. Anna V. Q. Ross won the 2020 Benjamin Saltman Poetry Award for her collection Milk Teeth, which is due out next year.
A first look at Eloisa Amezcua’s Fighting Is Like a Wife, which is forthcoming from Coffee House Press on April 12, 2022.
In this virtual poetry reading hosted by Annie Bloom’s Books, Teresa K. Miller reads from her new collection, Borderline Fortune (Penguin Books, 2021), and Amanda Moore reads from her debut collection, Requeening (Ecco, 2021), both winners of the 2020 National Poetry Series. Moore’s Requeening is featured in Page One in the November/December issue of Poets & Writers Magazine.
“Enough of osseous and chickadee and sunflower / and snowshoes, maple and seeds,” writes Ada Limón in her poem “The End of Poetry.” “Enough sorrow, enough of the air and its ease, / I am asking you to touch me.” In this timely poem, Limón uses the repetition of “enough of” to list actions, objects, and experiences that might be considered poetic in order to emphasize what the speaker is willing to do away with for a moment of physical connection. Write a poem that articulates “the end of poetry” for you. What images and phrases would you consider poetic, and what would you want in return if you were to give it all away?
“I was using the text as a future image of what my own life could be.” —Shayla Lawz, author of speculation, n.
Kick off the beginning of a new month by submitting to one of the following six contests, which all share a November 1 deadline. Poets, fiction writers, and nonfiction writers will find an abundance of opportunities in these prizes, with two of the awards being given in all three genres. All contests offer a cash prize of $1,000 or more, with the chance for one lucky fiction writer to win $15,000 and book publication.
Briar Cliff Review Writing Contests: Three prizes of $1,000 each and publication in Briar Cliff Review are given annually for a poem, a short story, and an essay. The editors will judge. Entry fee: $20 (includes a copy of the prize issue).
Brick Road Poetry Press Book Contest: A prize of $1,000, publication by Brick Road Poetry Press, and 25 author copies is given annually for a poetry collection. Keith Badowski and Olivia Ivings will judge. All entries are considered for publication. Entry fee: $30.
Fiction Collective Two Catherine Doctorow Innovative Fiction Prize: A prize of $15,000 and publication by Fiction Collective Two, an imprint of University of Alabama Press, is given annually for a novel, short story collection, novella, or novella collection. U.S. writers who have published at least three books of fiction are eligible. Cristina Rivera Garza will judge. Entry fee: $25.
Fiction Collective Two Ronald Sukenick Innovative Fiction Contest: A prize of $1,500 and publication by Fiction Collective Two is given annually for a novel, short story collection, novella, or novella collection. U.S. writers who have not previously published a book with Fiction Collective Two are eligible. Marream Krollos will judge. Entry fee: $25.
Malahat Review Open Season Awards: Three prizes of CAD $2,000 (approximately $1,622) each and publication in Malahat Review are given annually for a poem, a short story, and an essay. Conor Kerr will judge in poetry, Zilla Jones will judge in fiction, and Erin Soros will judge in creative nonfiction. Entry fee: CAD $45 (approximately $36), which includes a subscription to Malahat Review.
Nina Riggs Poetry Foundation Award: A prize of $1,000 is given annually for a single poem that examines relationships, family, or domestic life that was published in a book or magazine in the last three years. Entry fee: None.
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.
“By the pricking of my thumbs, something wicked this way comes.” Watch the trailer for The Tragedy of Macbeth, a film based on the play of the same name by William Shakespeare, written and directed by Joel Coen and starring Denzel Washington, Frances McDormand, and Corey Hawkins.
