Bits and Pieces and an Interesting Writing Exercise

Summer Garden

I received a newsletter with the notice of an annual poetry contest. What is interesting is that they will accept already published poems as well as ones that have not been published. $1 entry per poem which is doable for most people. Read the announcement and guidelines here. I have no idea what the prizes amount to as they are determined by a percentage of the entry fee monies. There are additional nonmonetary prizes, as well.

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Now for the writing exercise. This is one I did quite some time ago and found to be a lot of fun. 

Writing Prompt: Write a still life with something ordinary and obvious, such as an aging car, a pile of laundry, a tired dog, a half-eaten bowl of cereal or a summer garden like the one pictured above. Try to personalize the object but not let us know what it is until the end.

This is the one I wrote:

It sits, tired and worn out, on my dining room floor. Sticks out like a sore thumb, as it’s not an item one normally sees amongst the china, silver, and crystal that fill my china cabinet. Nor would you see it resting on top of the glass dining table, or even on one of the chairs that surround the table. It’s cord is wrapped around its body, a thin layer of dust covers all. Once reliable, once acclaimed for all it accomplished, now it sits in shame, head (if it had one!) down. One too many temper tantrums and it became banished from my office. Out with the old, in with the new. And yet, I have a tiny piece of nostalgia resting within. That old printer served me well for a good number of years. It printed, copied, scanned and faxed whenever I asked. It gobbled more ink than I liked, but don’t they all? And here it is, on the floor, sad and forlorn. Maybe there’s hope for a new home. I’m looking for a place to recycle it. A repairman with patience and nerves of steel just might get it going again. It’s a foster child looking for someone to love it again.

Poetry Contest For Poets Over 50

National Senior Poet Laureate Competition

I learned of a contest for poets recently that has two major requirements. The poets who enter must be over 50 years of age and a U.S. citizen. 

Earlier contests sponsored by Great Spirit Publishing have resulted in a book of the winners and finalists with the title Golden Words. 

There is a small entry fee of $5 for the first entry and an additional $3 for each entry thereafter. Guidelines can be found here. As always, read them carefully and follow step by step. 

I found the direction about the cover letter not quite as clear as I'd have liked it to be but a quick query message to the editor cleared it up quickly. FYI, the cover letter can be sent as an attachment to your entry or sent as a separate email. Just be sure to use the subject line entry that is given in the guidelines. 

The fee(s) are paid separately by snail mail. Unusual? Yes. But if you want to enter a contest, you must follow the rules. Actually, it helps those people who do not have a paypal account, so it's not really a big deal. 

Since I'm a U.S. citizen and over 50, I plan to enter two poems in this contest. There are two categories, Rhymed and Unrhymed, which leaves a wide choice. 

Did I mention prize money? How could I forget? There is a $500 prize for National Senior Poet Laureate and a $100 prize for National Honor Scroll. It's hinted that there may be other prizes given at the discretion of the 2014 contest board. The more entries there are, the more prize money is available.

Poets--go through your files and select your best work, published or unpublished, and send it before the June 30, 2014 deadline. Spread the word to your poet friends so they, too, can enter. 

I have no affiliation with this publishing company and sponsor of the contest. It sounded interesting to me and I wanted to share with other poets who might qualify to enter. Don't be fooled by the word national in the contest title, it is not meant to be sponsored by the U.S. government, instead, it is termed national because poets from all parts of our country are eligible to enter.