NC Poetry Society aware of health issues of members

The most heart-felt appreciation goes out to the editor and others in the North Carolina Poetry Society for their support of those of us who must deal with chemical fragrances in today’s society. In the most recent issue of Pine Whispers, the jam-packed informational newsletter of the poetry society, a small article titled  “Clearing the Air” requests those who attend meetings of NCPS refrain from using scented products.
Artificial scents in deodorant, aftershave, hair products, cologne, shampoo, laundry detergents or other personal care and cleaning products release chemicals into the air, causing breathing difficulty and other adverse reactions for some people. 

See www.ncpoetrysociety.org for more information on the contests sponsored by the North Carolina Poetry Society.

Poetry in North Carolina - You don't want to miss this

LOTS OF NEWS FROM THE POETRY COUNCIL OF NORTH CAROLINA



The Poetry Council of NC is keeping quite busy these days, planning for its annual Poetry Day on October 1, 2011 in Salisbury, NC while simultaneously starting up a new cycle of contests whose deadline for entry is November 21.

Poetry Day is a day-long celebration of poetry that will be held this year in the Crystal Peeler Lounge on the campus of Catawba College. Highlights of Poetry Day will include presentation of the 2011 Poetry Council contest winners, readings by those winners, the release of the council’s awards anthology titled Bay Leaves, and a live Poetry Slam competition.

The event is open to anyone, and reservations may be made via the form found on the council’s website: http://www.poetrycouncilofnc.wordpress.com/.



In 2012, the Council is moving Poetry Day from October to April to coincide with National Poetry Month.

To facilitate this transition, the Council’s annual contests have already opened for submission and will close on November 21.

The Council coordinates separate competitions for

Elementary School students

Middle School students, and

High School students, as well as

Adult competitions for free verse, traditional form poetry, light verse, and others.



The Oscar Arnold Young Award is given to the best book of poems by a NC poet each year. Information on entering any of the contests is available on the Council’s website or by calling Ed Cockrell at 919-967-5834.

Entry in the youth contests is free, while most of the other categories have a $5 entry fee. First, second, and third place prizes ranging from $10 to $100 are given in most categories, and up to three honorable mentions are commonly named in each.

All prizewinners and honorable mentions are published in Bay Leaves, and the poets are invited to read their poems at Poetry Day.

In 2012, Poetry Day will be held in Hickory NC, in the new Student Center on the campus of Catawba Valley Community College. (This is much closer to our western writers than Weymouth where it has been held in the past.)

Teachers interested in facilitating their students’ participation in the contests can contact Nancy Posey (nposey@embarqmail.com) for high school students or Michael Beadle (beadlepoet@yahoo.com) for elementary and middle school students.

Scott Owens, is available to visit classrooms in his local area to discuss these contests or coordinate workshops to get students started writing poetry. He can be reached at asowens1@yahoo.com.

In south western NC, contact Glenda Beall for information on the contests.


Information for this post comes from Scott Owens who will be in Hayesville, NC for a workshop at Writers Circle on Saturday, October 15.

Netwest Poets, Enter your poems

Michael Beadle on left in photo heads the Charlotte Young Contest

I have served on the Poetry Council of NC for a few years now and, although we have a large number of fine poets who live in the southwestern part of NC, we have very few who enter the PCNC

contests.

Let's see some entries from our Netwest poets for the Poetry Council's contests this year.

Michael Beadle from Canton NC is on the Council. His area is the Charlotte Young Contest which is for elementary and middle school students.

Teachers, help your students enter and benefit from the publication of their work and participation in Poetry Day at Catawba College in Weymouth, NC.

Parents, pass on this information to teachers who might not be aware of the contests. Help spread the word.

See all information on these contests in following post.

POETRY COUNCIL OF NORTH CAROLINA CONTEST BEGINS JAN. 15

The Poetry Council of North Carolina announces poetry contests for this year.

Go here for the guidelines


Poetry Council of North Carolina Annual Poetry Contest
Poetry Day will take place October 10, 2009

To read about Poetry Day last year go to:
Poetry Day October 4, 2008, at Catawba College.

Annual Poetry Contest rules

Opening Date: Jan 15, 2009
Closing Date: May 15, 2009.

Open to residents and former residents of North Carolina—persons born in N.C., transients from other states who either attend school or work in this state, and N.C. residents temporarily out of state.


OSCAR ARNOLD YOUNG (book contest)
CHARLES SHULL (traditional poetry)
JAMES LARKIN PEARSON (free verse)
ELLEN T. JOHNSTON-HALE (light verse)
GLADYS OWINGS HUGHES HERITAGE (free verse) CHARLOTTE YOUNG (elementary and middle school students; any subject or form)

SAM RAGAN NORTH CAROLINA CONNECTION (high school and undergraduate)

The Poetry Council of North Carolina is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit of about 15 volunteers who conduct an annual poetry contest, publish the winning poems in our contest anthology Bay Leaves, and host Poetry Day each fall so that the poets who submitted a winning poem may read and attend a luncheon that includes a guest speaker. Because we do not have a paid membership, we charge a small entry fee of $5 for adult entries by contest category, and there is a modest charge to attend the luncheon so that we may recover those costs. The student contests are supported by donations, and do not have an entry fee as a means to facilitate the ability of school administrators and teachers to encourage students to enter one of the grade-appropriate contests. Questions about the Poetry Council may be directed by e-mail to edcockrell@hotmail.com.
Hosted by Old Mountain Press Poetry and Prose Anthology Series


http://www.oldmp.com/poetrycouncilofnc/

contests for fiction writers

TENNESSEE WILLIAMS/NEW ORLEANS LITERARY FESTIVAL FICTION CONTESThttp://www.tennesseewilliams.net/contest ---$20 ENTRY FEE Grand Prize $1,500
VIP Festival Pass ($500 value), March 25-29, 2009
Publication in the New Orleans Review
Domestic Airfare and Accommodations to attend
Public Reading
Second Prize: $200, a Public Reading, and Festival Pass.Third Prize: $100, a Public Reading, and Festival Pass.
Short stories, written in English, up to 7,000 words.Deadline: November 15, 2008 (postmark). Only open to writers who have not yet published a book of fiction. Stories must be previously unpublished.
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HACKNEY SHORT STORY AND POETRY AWARDShttp://www.bsc.edu/events/writing-today/hackney.htm---$10 ENTRY FEE
The winners will be announced at the conference on March 13-14, 2009. Length not to exceed 5,000 words per story.
Poetry not to exceed 50 lines per entry. Deadline December 31, 2008. Awards $5,000 in annual prizes for poetry and short fiction, ($2,500 national and $2,500 state level; 1st place, $600; 2nd place, $400; and 3rd place, $250).