Lost Charlotte Brontë Manuscripts, Literary March Madness, and More
Publishing veteran Judith Curr to join HarperCollins; Folio Prize finalists announced; teaching poetry during March Madness; and other news.
Genre: Poetry
The Elusive Gerald Murnane, Jacqueline Woodson Wins World’s Largest Children’s Lit Prize, and More
Lorrie Moore talks humor and her new essay collection; Penguin Random House reports a stable year in sales; independent booksellers criticize Chronicle Books over John Oliver book rollout; and other news.
Take a Peep
The candy manufacturer Just Born has been producing their popular Peep confections since 1953. Over the years, these seasonal sugarcoated marshmallow chicks have expanded into a year-round line of different animals, colors, and flavors, and spawned a Washington Post diorama contest, countless creative recipe ideas, eating competitions, and other offbeat uses. This week, write a Peep-inspired poem, perhaps exploring themes of springtime, holiday consumerism, kitsch, iconic candy design, or childhood nostalgia.
Upcoming Poetry Deadlines
Happy Spring, poets! If you have a single poem or a full-length manuscript ready to submit, consider the following contests with upcoming deadlines, each of which offers a prize of at least $1,000 and publication.
Frost Farm Prize: A prize of $1,000 is given annually for a poem written in metrical verse. The winner also receives a scholarship and honorarium to give a reading at the Frost Farm Poetry Conference in Derry, New Hampshire, in June. Melissa Balmain will judge. Entry fee: $6. Deadline: March 30.
Airlie Prize: A prize of $1,000 and publication by Airlie Press will be given annually for a poetry collection. The editors will judge. Entry fee: $25. Deadline: March 31.
Arts & Letters Poetry Prize: A prize of $1,000 and publication in Arts & Letters is given annually for a group of poems. Alfred Corn will judge. Entry fee: $20. Deadline: March 31.
Florida Review Editors’ Awards: A prize of $1,000 each and publication in Florida Review is given annually for a group of poems. The editors will judge. Entry fee: $20. Deadline: March 31.
Fish Publishing Poetry Prize: A prize of €1,000 (approximately $1,250) and publication in the Fish Publishing anthology is given annually for a poem. The winner and 10 runners-up are also invited to give a reading at the West Cork Literary Festival in July. Ellen Bass will judge. Entry fee: $17. Deadline: March 31.
Winning Writers Wergle Flomp Humor Poetry Contest: A prize of $1,000 and publication on the Winning Writers website is given annually for a humorous poem. Jendi Reiter will judge. No entry fee. Deadline: April 1.
Gulf Coast Writing Contests: A prize of $1,500 and publication in Gulf Coast is given annually for a poem. Entry fee: $23. Deadline: April 1.
Southeast Missouri State University Press Cowles Poetry Book Prize: A prize of $2,000, publication by Southeast Missouri State University Press, and 30 author copies is given annually for a poetry collection. Entry fee: $25. Deadline: April 1.
Zone 3 Press First Book Award for Poetry: A prize of $1,000 and publication by Zone 3 Press is given biennially for a debut poetry collection. Jennifer Givhan will judge. Entry fee: $20
Saturnalia Books Poetry Prize: A prize of $1,500, publication by Saturnalia Books, and 20 author copies is given annually for a poetry collection. Natalie Diaz will judge. Entry fee: $30. Deadline: April 1.
Poetry International Prize: A prize of $1,000 and publication in Poetry International is given annually for a poem. Victoria Chang will judge. Entry fee: $15. Deadline: April 1.
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.
Philadelphia’s Poet Laureate, Dispatches From March for Our Lives, and More
Lawyers weigh in on the Broadway To Kill a Mockingbird lawsuit; 24 percent of adult Americans didn’t read a book last year; America’s most widely misread poem; and other news.
How Do You Raise a Black Child?
Caption:
This Motionpoems film, presented by Button Poetry, is an adaptation of Cortney Lamar Charleston’s poem “How Do You Raise a Black Child?” directed by Seyi Peter-Thomas and produced by Station Film, in partnership with Cave Canem. Charleston is the author of the poetry collection, Telepathologies (Saturnalia Books, 2017).
Genre:
Smith to Serve Second Term as Poet Laureate, Plath Items Auctioned, and More
Congress proposes increased funding for NEA and NEH; Whiting Award winners announced; a case against prescribing books as therapy; and other news.
Elizabeth Acevedo
Caption:
“Us brown girls: Brick-built: / Masters of every metaphor and every metamorphosis…” Elizabeth Acevedo, author of The Poet X (HarperTeen, 2018), reads her poem “This Is For Us” for PBS NewsHour’s “Brief But Spectacular” series.
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Whiting Foundation Announces 2018 Award Winners
The Whiting Foundation announced the ten recipients of its $50,000 awards at a ceremony tonight in New York City. The annual awards are given to emerging writers of poetry, fiction, nonfiction, and drama.
The winners are Rickey Laurentiis and Tommy Pico in poetry; Anne Boyer in poetry and nonfiction; Patty Yumi Cottrell, Brontez Purnell, and Weike Wang in fiction; Esmé Weijun Wang in nonfiction; and Nathan Alan Davis, Hansol Jung, and Antoinette Nwandu in drama.
“Year on year, we’re astounded by the fresh ways Whiting winners challenge form and stretch the capabilities of language, while scrutinizing what’s most urgent in the culture,” says Courtney Hodell, the Whiting Foundation’s director of writers’ programs. “The award is intended to give them the freedom to keep experimenting and growing.”
Established in 1985, the Whiting Awards have given more than $7.5 million to 330 writers since its inception. Previous winners include poets Tracy K. Smith and Jorie Graham, fiction writers Deborah Eisenberg and Denis Johnson, nonfiction writers Mary Karr and John Jeremiah Sullivan, and playwright Tony Kushner.
Photos clockwise from top left: Rickey Laurentiis, Tommy Pico, Anne Boyer, Patty Yumi Cottrell, Brontez Purnell, Antoinette Nwandu, Hansol Jung, Nathan Alan Davis, Esmé Weijun Wang, and Weike Wang.
The Poetry of Jazz, Carnegie Library Book Theft, and More
Tracy K. Smith on what she’s reading; booksellers defend the University Press of Kentucky; Michael Chabon writes an ode to David Lynch; and other news.
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