Announcing the 2015 AW POETRY CONTEST -- SPACE

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poetinahat

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Hi, everyone -

On behalf of Steppe, AW Poet Laureate XIX, I welcome you to the

2015 ABSOLUTE WRITE POETRY CONTEST -- SPACE

What It’s About

Subject is SPACE. All kinds of SPACE. See Skelly's 7-20-69 Translunar Injection, Kylabelle's Made In SPACE, or Steppe's Reserved- A Space For War for ideas. Our minds are full of rooms, rooms are SPACE. There is SPACE everywhere, past, present or future.

The SPACE of childhood, first day of school, our first kiss, first kiss from a shortwave radio. First baby born.

Just associate it to SPACE somehow.

The Prizes

Winners will choose, in order of finish, from Steppe's generous cornucopia of prizes:


  • Poems - Antonia Pozzi
    translated by Peter Robinson, paperback
    191 pages
  • Take Up The Song - poems by Edna Vincent Millay
    hardcover with new Bodart cover
    150 pages
  • The Complete Poems of Carl Sandburg, with introduction by Archibald MacLeish
    hardcover with new bodart cover
    797 pages
  • All The Odes of Pablo Neruda (a bilingual edition)
    hardcover with new bodart cover
    861 pages
  • Migration - W.S. Merwin
    hardcover with new bodart cover
    543 pages
  • Louise Gluck - poems 1962-2012
    paperback
    634 pages

How It Works

Entries open: CLOSED
Entries close: CLOSED Wednesday, August 5
All dates given are US Eastern Daylight Time.

After the closing date, the entries will be posted, without the authors' usernames, in a sticky thread in the Chapbook subforum.
This thread will remain open for Contest discussion.

There will be a two-week reading period before voting opens.

Voting opens: NOW Thursday, August 20
Voting closes: Wednesday, September 2


Winners announced: Friday, September 4

After the winners are announced, I'll post the authors' usernames with each entry.

If you would like to know how many votes your entry received, send a PM to poetinahat; I'll be happy to tell you.

FAQ

Who Can Enter?

  • Any member of AW in good standing.
  • If you enter, you *must* vote to be eligible to win.

Who Can Vote? (updated 26/8)

  • Any member of AW in good standing as of the date of this post and is still in good standing when voting opens.
  • Any member of AW in good standing.

How Many Times Can I Enter?

  • Limit one entry per member.
  • No word limit, as long as it fits in an AW post.

Can I Vote for My Own Entry?

  • Yes.

Do I Have To?

  • No.

What are the Rules for Entries?

  • Poems must be written by the submitter. No proxy entries.
  • Poems should be written expressly for this contest.
  • Poems must not have been previously published or publicly displayed.
  • Entries will be posted exactly as submitted, with one exception: they will all be posted in the same font, with the same attributes (size, colour, etc.). Individual words, or quotes at the start, can be italicized.
  • I plan to use the default font for AW posts.
  • I will not promise to proofread or edit, or reformat the entries. Please double-check them before submitting. (If you find a typo before voting starts, contact poetinahat. I'll do what I can to help.)
  • No illustrations or graphics.

How can I get my lines to indent?
Here's one way.

Does My Poem Need a Title?

  • Titles are recommended but not required.
  • If your entry does not have a title, it will be given a generic title, e.g. "Entry #4 - Untitled".

How Do I Enter?


  • [*]Using AW's private message (PM) function, send your entry to poetinahat, by Wednesday, August 5.
  • Entries are closed.

How Do I Vote?
  • Vote for your three favorites, in order. Votes *must* list three entries to be counted.
  • Send your vote to poetinahat via PM. Votes will be accepted from August 20 to September 2.
  • The PM subject line should read VOTE: Poetry Contest. (That's not mandatory, but it will help me out. Thanks.)
  • Include three votes in order, from first to third. For example:
First place: The Fount of Cosmic Sands
Second place: Entry #17 - Untitled
Third place: Iamb What Iamb

How Will Votes Be Counted?

  • First-place votes: 3 points each
  • Second-place votes: 2 points each
  • Third-place votes: 1 point each
The entry with the most points wins. Winners will select a prize each in order.​

Why Do I Have to Vote for Three Poems?

  • To make the vote count more fun and interesting
  • To encourage deeper thought about all of the poems
  • To help identify favorites, since the number of voters will likely be not much greater than the number of entries

Why Do I Have to Wait to Vote?

  • To allow time to read, consider, and let the poems sink in. Think of it as the campaign period.

Any Other Questions?

  • Post them in this thread, or PM me. I'll update this post accordingly.

And with that, I wish you a fun, rewarding contest!
 
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Stew21

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Excellent!

And as a side note to our poets: add this thread to your sig line so you can share it around the other rooms of AW. Generate some interest in entering the contest and in voting! We want lots of participation in this one! :)

Looking forward to this one.
Great job, Steppe and Rob.
 

Kylabelle

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Cariad

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Newbie question: does 'in good standing' mean e.g. not subject to any sanctions, or do entrants need to have been around awhile and have an established reputation? I'm...er... asking for a friend? ;)
 

William Haskins

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it just means your dues are not in arrears and you've passed the credit check and are free of STDs.
 

Kylabelle

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But there is no drug test.
 

Kylabelle

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Oh, it will be on the final, so, study up.
 

Cariad

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That's beautifully clear - thank you - just like the urine sample I shall be providing for the final.
 

Steppe

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Cariad - They are just having fun with you. Often happens here. Far as I know it just means you're not on the banned list.
 

Kylabelle

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:greenie

Cariad, your best bet with questions of procedure is to send a PM to poetinahat. I think Steppe is probably correct, though.
 

Cariad

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Cariad - They are just having fun with you. Often happens here. Far as I know it just means you're not on the banned list.

No worries, I got that, but thank you! :)

:greenie

Cariad, your best bet with questions of procedure is to send a PM to poetinahat. I think Steppe is probably correct, though.

Got it! :Thumbs:
 

poetinahat

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The committee, acknowledging the inherent conflict between "poet" and "member in good standing of a writers' community", is prepared to make allowances.
 

Magdalen

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The committee, acknowledging the inherent conflict between "poet" and "member in good standing of a writers' community", is prepared to make allowances.

Actually quite glad to hear that!!

Hey, wait a minute. . . poets in a group. . . I'd like to dwell on that for a bit.
 

poetinahat

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First entry is in. We have an event. One more, and we have a contest!
 

skelly

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Two more. We have to cast three votes. Oh and I get to spend the rest of the evening trying to remember how to add stuff to my sig line. :D looking forward to the contest. Thanks for all your hard work and enthusiasm Rob.
 

poetinahat

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Touché, Scott!
 

RedRajah

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Um, I'm not seeing where it's stickied in the Chapbook forum (and I used the correct password)...:cry:
 

kuwisdelu

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I'm going to need Cassandra or Kyla to lock me in a room until I write and submit a poem.

I can't be trusted to do it on my own.
 
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