PROJECT PROPOSAL:
My next PS contest will be a call for contributors towards a collaborative printed book (and ebook). The theme will be TIPS FOR MODERN POETRY with a target audience of BUDDING POETS OF ALL AGES.
I was inspired by a little book entitled SEEING THE BLUE BETWEEN: ADVICE AND INSPIRATION FOR YOUNG POETS.
Please provide your suggestions here on this blog or, if you prefer more privately, by SoupMail.
Here is the general plan, pending tweaking as comments come in…
Winners of my upcoming contest will be published as contributing poets:
CONTEST (DRAFT): MAX 60 entries (of course NO NAMES, as per PS rule)
PARTICIPANTS AGREE TO: have their submission printed in the said anthology with 1) their prior knowledge of which of their poems are selected, and 2) their consent if their text needs to be modified in any way.
SUBMISSION is a NOT A POEM but a multi-part contest entry (a sample entry follows further below):
1) A short letter to novice poets e.g. “Dear budding poet, …” Tone should be personal, friendly and informal:
· 1st paragraph: your view of what modern poetry is (MAX 3 lines)
· 2nd paragraph, etc: offer your 10 tips (be clear, specific and original), (MAX 25 lines)
· Last paragraph: describe what poetry has brought to your life, (MAX 3 lines)
2) “My favorite THEMES are: …” - MAX 8 themes or MAX 2 lines
3) ”My favorite REFERENCE sources are: …” - MAX 5 (enumeration only)
4) “Ten TITLES of favorite poems I’ve written (in order of preference):” - MAX 10 TITLES of poems no longer than 20 lines each (preferably different forms): – PREFERABLY AT LEAST ONE WITH: humor, shape, punch, uplifting, different… NO HAIKUS (Will be a separate contest because haiku have very particular rules) !! Judges will find your ten poems and make their selection. WORD OF ADVICE IN POEM SELECTION: avoid vulgarity, explicitly erotic imagery, hardcore political rants.
5) “My literary BACKGROUND:” (mini bio: background, awards, writings, personal history when you started writing, etc) MAX 5 lines
6) SUGGESTION for book title: MAX 2 titles
7) Title your entry as if it was a poem
8) Send a private soup mail if interested in being the 3RD collaborator for editing (more info below)
EXAMPLE OF FICTITIOUS ENTRY (just babble for the sake of illustration):
TITLE: SPEAK FROM THE HEART
Dear budding poet,
To me, modern poetry is the expression of the soul in this cold, complex world of chaos and uncertainty. Modern poetry is often more raw and speaks from the heart and is meant to be direct and understood.
If I were to give advice to a novice of any age, I would say to pick up a pen and write in the unique way you see the world. Describe those personal ways you interpret what goes on in your universe. Write about what you find strange with respect to human relationships. Jot down your thoughts about the strange things that happen around you. Share your reactions to injustices in the world. Fill a page with words as you sit in introspection.
Poetry has been a blessing in my life. I started writing in my teenage years and it helped sort out feelings, and I just fell in love with the satisfaction of turning sad feelings into ‘works of art’.
My favorite themes: mythology, whimsy, humor, spirituality, introspection, afterlife.
My favorite reference sources : www.shadowpoetry.com, www.howmanysyllables.com, synonym dictionary.
My TITLES of favorite poems I’ve written (in order of preference): Ocean blue. Kindness was her name. Johnny King. I love the blues. Longing for you. When I was young. Skylark. Starry night.
My literary background : I’m a homemaker, mother of 4, grand-mother of 6, with a love for expressing myself in poetry since the age of 12. (Please elaborate more than this)
Suggestion for book title: ‘Modern Poetry Tips for Budding Poets’
May 10, 2018
P.S. Of course, the headings are for ease of judging and consistency – the book will read more seamlessly.
P.P.S. By the way, a succinct FORMS SECTION as well as a succinct TYPES OF FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE will also be incorporated at the end of the book.
P.P.S. To make it easy on yourself, copy and paste my whole blog (especially the contest rules and sample) into a blank document so you can then manipulate it at will. KEEP IN MIND THOUGH THAT THE CONTEST RULES WILLL HAVE BEEN UPDATED ONCE THE CONTEST IS LAUNCHED.
WINNING ENTRIES:
- No pre-determined number of winners: targeting a minimum of 25 or 30.
- May be asked to tweak or abbreviate for purposes of the book’s overview, to avoid repetition etc.
- Only 3-5 poems will be selected for publication per contributor from the list provided (again, variety will be taken into account for the overall effect of the book)
- For each non-winner, we will consider printing 1-2 poems.
GENERAL INFO:
CreateSpace will be used as the publisher, targeting a listed price of $20 per book. I will be creating the lay-out of the book with: 1) consultation from our esteemed colleague Emile Pinet who is far from a novice with CreateSpace, as well as 2) a third collaborating reviewer YET TO BE DETERMINED (must have editorial skills). The three collaborators will agree on the poem selections, intro, dedication, conclusion, editing, title of book, front and back covers.
PLEASE provide your comments, concerns and suggestions here on this blog or, if you prefer more privately, by SoupMail.
LOOKING FORWARD TO HEARING FROM YOU.
HAVE A SOUPER DAY !!
Line xx