NCWN Annual Competitons Open!

The North Carolina Writers' Network is now accepting submissions for three annual competitions. Postmark deadlines are fast approaching, and we encourage you to send in your submissions soon.

January 17 marks the deadline for the Rose Post Creative Nonfiction Competition, which encourages the creation of lasting nonfiction work that is outside the realm of conventional journalism and has relevance to North Carolinians. Subjects may include traditional categories such as reviews, travel articles, profiles or interviews, place/history pieces, or culture criticism. The first-, second-, and third-place winners will receive $300, $200, and $100 respectively. The winning entry will be considered for publication by Southern Cultures magazine. Award-winning author Anne Clinard Barnhill will be the final judge.

January 30 is the deadline for the Thomas Wolfe Fiction Prize honoring internationally celebrated North Carolina novelist Thomas Wolfe. The winner receives $1,000 and possible publication in The Thomas Wolfe Review. The competition is open to all writers regardless of geographical location or prior publication. Acclaimed author Josephine Humphreys will serve as the final judge.

Finally, as of January 1, the Network is accepting submissions for the Doris Betts Fiction Prize. This competition honors acclaimed author and North Carolina native Doris Betts. The prize awards the first-place winner $250 and publication in the North Carolina Literary Review. Finalists will also be considered for publication in NCLR. The postmark deadline is February 15.

For more information on all three contests, including submission guidelines. visit www.ncwriters.org.

Children's Literature Symposium, Chapel Hill

You are most cordially invited to join us in Chapel Hill on Friday, January 13, and/or Saturday, January 14 for a rousing gathering, "Between the Dark and the Daylight": A January Symposium Dedicated to the Creation of Children's Literature.

On Friday afternoon at the UNC-CH Wilson Library five faculty and curatorial staff members will present opportunities for us to see, hear, and learn about rare children's books (including textbooks controversies) from the Southern Historical, North Carolina, and Special Collections. Friday evening offers a special opportunity for "An Evening with Children's Book Authors
Stephen Messer and Allan Wolf" at Flyleaf Books, Chapel Hill's newer independent bookstore at
752 Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd.

On Saturday, the Symposium continues with 12:30 p.m. Registration and nine Experts and Authors on panels, followed by fellowship, booksignings, refreshments, and Writing Workshops. Presnters include Brian Sturm, Karin Michel, Susie Wilde, Sarah Carr, Stephen Messer,
Jane Baskerville Murphy, Jacqueline K. Ogburn, Barbara Younger, and Allan Wolf.

This Symposium is offered to the community without charge, presented through a generous grant from Province IV, Province of Sewanee, and sponsored by the Environmental
Stewardship Committee of Chapel of the Cross, Episcopal, 304 East Franklin Street, Chapel Hill.

For information about Block-rate hotel accommodations, parking and program specifics, please E-mail childrensliterature@aol.com or telephone (919) 286-2565 or (919) 929-2193. You are most welcome to join us for this happy occasion.

Poetry Contest

Byron Herbert Reece Poetry Contest

Once again, the Byron Herbert Reece Society will hold a poetry contest in order to support the mission of the Reece Society. Similar to last year, poets in NC, KY, GA, TN, VA, and WV are encouraged to submit up to three poems for the fee of $15. Deadline for entry is Friday, May 4, 2012. There is no theme for contest. Val Nieman, author of Blood Clay, is the final judge. The winner of the contest will receive $300, and the winning poem will be published on the new and improved Byron Herbert Reece Society website. For more information and a link to the entry form, visit the website.

MOUNTAIN WOMAN: INCANTATIONS FOR THE NEW YEAR

MOUNTAIN WOMAN: INCANTATIONS FOR THE NEW YEAR: New Year's Day. Night falling. The pine trees troubled by high winds, much as I am troubled by what lies ahead. I fear for my region,...

MERIDIAN EDITORS' PRIZE CONTEST DEADLINE APPROACHING

 

A final reminder that MERIDIAN is now accepting online entries for its twelfth annual Editors’ Prize Contests in fiction and poetry until December 30. Genre winners receive a $1,000 prize and publication; all entries receive a one-year electronic subscription. Entry fee: $8.00.  Deadline: midnight (EST), Dec. 30, 2011.

 

Please note a few significant changes in our 2012 contest:

1) Our entry fee is now only $8 

2) Entrants receive an electronic version of the journal (.pdf or ePub) rather than a print subscription

3) We are only allowing two submissions per genre per entrant

 

We believe this new contest model is better for you, and better for us. Rather than having you pay substantial entry fees to cover the cost of a print subscription (and mailing fees), we’re trying a lower $8 entry fee and will e-mail you electronic versions of the January and May 2012 issues. Fewer trees, less cost … and we’ll still have print-on-demand versions ofMeridian available at an inexpensive rate for those readers who want something tangible.

 

We expect to announce winners toward the end of March 2012.

 

All submissions will be considered for publication in Meridian.

 

Fiction writers may submit one story of 10,000 words or fewer. Poets may submit up to 4 poems totaling 10 pages or fewer.

 

For full eligibility rules and submission guidelines see http://readmeridian.org/?page_id=47

 

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MOUNTAIN WOMAN: DAY 18 OF FORTY DAYS OF PRAYER FOR OUR MOUNTAINS

MOUNTAIN WOMAN: DAY 18 OF FORTY DAYS OF PRAYER FOR OUR MOUNTAINS: Today, Rev. William Boys and members of the Southeastern Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, are praying for creation… ...

MOUNTAIN WOMAN: DAY 17 of the 40 DAYS OF PRAYER FOR OUR MOUNTAINS

MOUNTAIN WOMAN: DAY 17 of the 40 DAYS OF PRAYER FOR OUR MOUNTAINS: December Sunset Day 17 of the 40 Days of Prayer from LEAF December 18, 2011 Today, Steve Ferguson and members of Community Chu...

WRITING FREE VERSE; SOME QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS Reprint

This post is a reprint from June 14, 2008. Nancy Simpson writes about free verse. I thought some of our new poets would find this helpful. You might want to print this for referral later.



WRITING FREE VERSE POETRY: Some Questions and Answers

Nancy Simpson, Instructor

When talking with free verse poets, I tread lightly to see if we are on the same page. Many free verse poets believe there is no form in free verse poetry and that there are no rules. I do not agree with that. I believe writers of free verse must follow the essential rules of poetry. Free verse poets have a great amount of freedom, but it is a misconception to think we can write with abandon of rules.

Yes, we must break with traditional verse. We must shun rhyme, but after that, in my opinion, free verse poets must decide carefully which guidelines of poetry they will practice.

Some of the most asked questions from my students.

1) QUESTION: If there are free verse rules, what is number one?

ANSWER: Economy of Words is the first rule of poetry. The second is Use of Diction, choice of words, choosing the best word in regard to correctness. Poets of old followed these essential rules. Free verse poets must follow these rules.

2) QUESTION: Do I have to write in sentences?

ANSWER: Yes. According to the Princeton Encyclopedia of Poetics, poetry is written in sentences and lines. Poets of old followed this guideline. Free verse poets must do so. Why? Syntax of Sentence. A sentence has syntax, and it is syntax that gives your words meaning. No meaning, no understanding for your reader.

3) QUESTION: Do I have to punctuate?

ANSWER: No. This is your choice. Once in a while, in the literary magazines, I read poems that have no punctuation. However, it is as if the poem were punctuated and then the poet lifted out the punctuation marks. There is no rule, but caution would say, help the reader all you can. If there were a rule regarding punctuation, it would be: Do not lose your reader.

4) QUESTION: What is the rule for line breaks?

ANSWER: There is no rule. Line breaks are completely your responsibility and your choice. Some free verse poets work in unrhymed meter, some count syllables, some spoon feed the reader one thought on one line and the next bite on the next line. There are no rules, but there are a few guidelines.

A.) End the line with a strong word, not a weak word such as a, and, or the.

B.) Be aware of your one word lines. That one word you want to use will draw attention to itself. It had better be great, for it will provoke questions, and it will slow your reader.

C.) If your line is too wide for a narrow page, it will wrap, and you will lose what ever it was you were trying to accomplish. Editors shun the wide line that wants to wrap.

D.) If there were one rule to line breaks, it would be, work your lines.

5) QUESTION: What if I have a sentence that ends in the middle of the next line? What is the rule?

ANSWER: There is no rule against ending a sentence in the middle of a line. What you have is a caesura, a pause, and you have a golden opportunity. Caesura in a line can be a dreadful mistake, or it can be one of the most brilliant, most sophisticated moves in your free verse poetry. The guideline would be, make that line with the caesura stand alone as a thought. It is comparable to giving your reader a spoonful of something delicious that was not on the menu. You have the first sentence and the second sentence, and in-between you have a line with a period somewhere in it. Words on each side of the period should add up to something in itself. Guard against caesura lines that make no sense.

Post any questions or comments to http://www.netwestwriters.blogspot.com/
Nancy Simpson is the author of two collections of poetry.
She is Resident Writer at John C. Campbell Folk School.

Updated information on Nancy Simpson, Dec. 16, 2011. Nancy is the author of three books of poetry. Her most recent is Living Above the Frost Line, New and Selected Poems, published by Carolina Wren Press.
She is no longer Resident Writer at John C. Campbell Folk School, but she teaches at Young Harris College with the ICL program.

Labels: Caesura, Instructor, John C. Campbell Folk School, line breaks, Nancy Simpson, punctuation in free verse, Rules of Free Verse Poetry

3 comments:

Lonnie Busch said...

Wow, Nancy, thank you so much for this post. I have learned more about writing poetry in the few minutes it took me to read your comments than anything I've ever known before! Very fascinating! I will read poetry with a new eye.



Sunday, June 15, 2008 10:49:00 PM EDT

Glenda (Writerlady) said...

Nancy, Thank you for sharing your vast knowledge of poetry with all of us.

Anyone who writes poetry will benefit from this post.

Glenda



Monday, June 16, 2008 8:43:00 AM EDT

Anonymous said...

You covered a vast spectrum and distilled it to clear perfection. I am going to make a copy of this and refer to it often. Thank you, Nancy!

Pat Workman



Friday, July 18, 2008 8:06:00 PM EDT

Poetry Contest Announcement

Attention GA and NC poets -- The Byron Herbert Reece Society is holding its second poetry contest. See the website for details. The Society is proud to have Val Nieman as the final judge! Send your best!

Writing as Art, Editing & Discovery

Quotations Coffee Café will team up with Wayne Drumheller, local writer, photographer and editor, to offer a workshop called Writing as Art, Editing & Discovery. Place: Quotations Coffee Cafe in Brevard, NC, on Tuesday, December 13, from 2:30-4:00PM (conference room).

Free coffee or tea for those that attend. Bring your laptop or best ideas for workshop.

During the workshops, Wayne will be demonstrating how he designed, edited and produced his two soft cover books: Portraits in Courage and Commitment and Appalachian Sunrise: A Photographer's Notebook.

Also, Wayne is holding a contest to collect unpublished works for his soon to be produced All Time Best Squirrel Tales from Transylvania County. Interested writers and illustrators need to send an email to mystory@comporium.net for more details and awards offered.

Echoes Reviewed in WNC Woman

Thank you, Mary Ickes, for this review of Echoes in WNC Woman!

Happy Holidays to all!

COFFEE WITH THE POETS IN HAYESVILLE

Coffee with the Poets is held at Cafe Touche in Hayesville, NC on the second Wednesday of each month. The entire program is Open Mike on December 14. Mary Mike Keller will be hosting.
 Bring a couple of poems or a short piece of prose. Depending on time, you might read more than once.

Be there by 10:30 a.m. to get a good seat. If you have one, bring a folding chair, just in case. The atmosphere is casual and friendly. Readers are guaranteed a welcoming audience. Liz's coffee is the best in town and the muffins are soooo good.

We will not have Coffee with the Poets in Hayesville in January. We will resume in February featuring Bob Grove.

This is a NCWN West writing event.

How One Woman Became a Best Selling Author

The Wall Street Journal article, How I Became A Best-Selling Writer , tells the story of one woman's rise to the top by self-publishing her novel as an e-book. She sold the book online for 99 cents.
Now she hopes the book will be picked up by a publisher and sold in print. Librarians want the book, but she has no book in print.
I found this an interesting comment on today's world of publishing. You might like it.
Come back here and tell us what you think, Okay?

POET AND PUBLISHER FEATURED AT WRITERS’ NIGHT DEC. 9

Writers’ Night Out brings you Robert S. King reading his poetry at Mountain Perk Coffee House in Hiawassee. The free event takes place on Friday, December 9, beginning at 7 p.m. and also includes an open microphone for those who’d like to read their own poetry or prose.

King lives near McCaysville, Georgia. His poems have appeared in hundreds of magazines, including California Quarterly, Chariton Review, Hollins Critic, Kenyon Review, Lullwater Review, Main Street Rag, Midwest Quarterly, Negative Capability, Southern Poetry Review, Spoon River Poetry Review, Visions International, and Writers' Forum. He has published three poetry chapbooks (When Stars Fall Down as Snow, Garland Press 1976; Dream of the Electric Eel, Wolfsong Publications 1982; and The Traveller’s Tale, Whistle Press 1998). His full-length collections are The Hunted River and The Gravedigger’s Roots, both from Shared Roads Press, 2009. He is director of FutureCycle Press, www.futurecycle.org.

Writers’ Night Out takes place on the second Friday of each month and is open to the public. The event draws approximately 30 people from four counties. Mountain Perk Coffee House is located at 1390 Highway 76 East in Chatuge Harbor Plaza across from Towns County High School. Food, gourmet coffees and other refreshments are available for purchase. Each open microphone reader can sign up at the door and has two-and-a-half minutes to read.

For more information, please contact Karen Holmes at (404) 316-8466 or kpaulholmes@gmail.com, or call Mountain Perk at (706) 896-0504.

Have you visited Bill Everett's site?

Thanksgiving seems to get lost in the greed we see on Black Friday. Our most precious days are ruined by the commercialism our country seems to need.


William Everett is a writer and poet and a member of Netwest. I recommend his post on Thanksgiving.
Click here.