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It is with great pleasure that I announce
The Poets’ Graveyard Contest: Epigrams for Epitaphs
What It’s About
Write a rhyming poem, four to twelve lines, that would be suitable as a tombstone inscription.
A couple of examples:
- Norman D Gutter's recent poem, Oxymoron No. 1.
- the gravestone of English soldier Thomas Thetcher:
Here sleeps in peace a Hampshire Grenadier
Who caught his death by drinking cold small Beer.
Soldiers be wise from his untimely fall,
And when ye're hot drink strong or none at all.
[Alternate ending: An Honest Soldier never is forgot/Whether he die by Musket or by Pot.]
How it Works:
You submit a poem directly to me (up to two entries per person). I post all entries in one thread, without attribution. For the title, use the name of the person (or persons) whose headstone would bear your poem. For example:
- Thomas Thetcher
- Unknown Soldier – Normandy Invasion
- The Jones Family (lost at sea)
People vote for their top three favorites. First-place votes get three points; second-place votes get two points; third-place votes get one point.
The poem with the most points wins.
The Prizes:
THREE prizes -- one each for the top three finishers. First-place chooses first, then second-place. Third-place gets the remaining prize.
And the prizes are:
- A poetry book to be named
- A copy of Jenna Glatzer's The Street-Smart Writer
- A year's subscription to The AW Newsletter - Premium Edition
Rules:
Once the poems are posted, you may send me your vote – one vote per current AW member in good standing, also using the private message function.
The poems will be both numbered and titled (if you submit without a title, it will be creatively called Untitled).
How to Vote:
In the subject line of your private message, type VOTE: Poets' Graveyard Contest.
In the body of the message, include up to three votes inorder, from first to third. List both the poem number and the title. For example, if you like the Paul Bunyan epitaph best:
14. Paul Bunyan
7. Rev G. Slocumb Peanutt
8. Amy Lowell
Voting will close at 11:59PM US Eastern on Tuesday, October 30, 2007. Any votes received after that time will be sent to the, er, Dead Letter Office.
I will then post complete results with vote totals for every entry, and announce the winner.
If you win and opt to receive your prize, I'll need a mailing address of course. I'll either mail it to you myself or have it sent from an online distributor.
Get writing – or chiseling, as appropriate. Good luck!
The Poets’ Graveyard Contest: Epigrams for Epitaphs
What It’s About
Write a rhyming poem, four to twelve lines, that would be suitable as a tombstone inscription.
A couple of examples:
- Norman D Gutter's recent poem, Oxymoron No. 1.
- the gravestone of English soldier Thomas Thetcher:
Here sleeps in peace a Hampshire Grenadier
Who caught his death by drinking cold small Beer.
Soldiers be wise from his untimely fall,
And when ye're hot drink strong or none at all.
[Alternate ending: An Honest Soldier never is forgot/Whether he die by Musket or by Pot.]
How it Works:
You submit a poem directly to me (up to two entries per person). I post all entries in one thread, without attribution. For the title, use the name of the person (or persons) whose headstone would bear your poem. For example:
- Thomas Thetcher
- Unknown Soldier – Normandy Invasion
- The Jones Family (lost at sea)
People vote for their top three favorites. First-place votes get three points; second-place votes get two points; third-place votes get one point.
The poem with the most points wins.
The Prizes:
THREE prizes -- one each for the top three finishers. First-place chooses first, then second-place. Third-place gets the remaining prize.
And the prizes are:
- A poetry book to be named
- A copy of Jenna Glatzer's The Street-Smart Writer
- A year's subscription to The AW Newsletter - Premium Edition
Rules:
- Poems must be at least four lines, and no longer than twelve.
- Poems must take the form of an epitaph, commemorating a person of group of people. (Animals and fictional characters are fine too.)
- Do not address epitaphs to living people. These entries will not be accepted.
- Poems will be posted exactly as entered – except that no graphic images will be permitted. Please make sure your spelling and formatting are exactly as you want them before you submit the poems.
- Using the board's private message function, send me your poems by Tuesday, October 16, 2007 at 11:59 PM US Eastern (Know your time zones)
Once the poems are posted, you may send me your vote – one vote per current AW member in good standing, also using the private message function.
The poems will be both numbered and titled (if you submit without a title, it will be creatively called Untitled).
How to Vote:
In the subject line of your private message, type VOTE: Poets' Graveyard Contest.
In the body of the message, include up to three votes inorder, from first to third. List both the poem number and the title. For example, if you like the Paul Bunyan epitaph best:
14. Paul Bunyan
7. Rev G. Slocumb Peanutt
8. Amy Lowell
Voting will close at 11:59PM US Eastern on Tuesday, October 30, 2007. Any votes received after that time will be sent to the, er, Dead Letter Office.
I will then post complete results with vote totals for every entry, and announce the winner.
If you win and opt to receive your prize, I'll need a mailing address of course. I'll either mail it to you myself or have it sent from an online distributor.
Get writing – or chiseling, as appropriate. Good luck!
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