Reflecting on her poem “Bluebeard,” published in the Academy of American Poets’ Poem-a-Day series, Safiya Sinclair writes, “I was always fascinated with the myth of Bluebeard; the way a man can construct a false image while keeping a hideous secret from the one he claims to love. And how a woman might be so diminished by his falsehood that she begs for her own destruction.” Select a myth, fable, or fairy tale, and focus on its darker aspects, seeking out any evocative themes of duplicity, betrayal, vengeance, or destruction. Reflect on the layers of complexity that the darkness brings to the narrative and see if you can connect it to your own life experiences. Compose a poem that brings the mythological story into a more contemporaneous reality, incorporating especially resonant archetypal characters and dynamics, and allowing yourself to delve into a variety of sounds, textures, and imagery.
Find details about every creative writing competition—including poetry contests, short story competitions, essay contests, awards for novels, grants for translators, and more—that we’ve published in the Grants & Awards section of Poets & Writers Magazine during the past year. We carefully review the practices and policies of each contest before including it in the Writing Contests database, the most trusted resource for legitimate writing contests available anywhere.