Beyond Baroque Poetry Contest

The Beyond Baroque Literary Arts Center ("dedicated to the possibilities of language") invites submissions to its third annual poetry contest, judged this year by Suzanne Lummis, poet, teacher, and director of the Los Angeles Poetry Festival.

Prizes of $1000, $500, and $250, for first, second and third place, respectively; five honorable mentions will also be given.

INSTRUCTIONS: Up to three unpublished poems may be submitted by poets resident in the United States, accompanied by an entry fee for $15, and a cover letter with the author’s contact information and the titles of the poems being submitted. Each poem should begin on a new sheet; multiple-page poems should have numbered pages, with the title on each page. No identifying information other than the title should be on the poems. Receipt confirmation will only be sent via email.

ENTRY DEADLINE: September 1, 2012. Mail to: Beyond Baroque Poetry Contest, 681 Venice Boulevard, Venice, CA 90291. For more information, contact info@beyondbaroque.org.

Winners will be invited to read at Beyond Baroque on Sunday, October 21, 2012, at 2 PM. Participants in the reading are responsible for their travel and lodging. Attendance by winners is not required at the reading.

Frost Farm Prize submission deadline: April 1

A reminder: submissions for the 2nd Annual Frost Farm Prize for metrical poetry must be postmarked by April 1, 2012. The winner will walk away with $1,000 and an invitation, with honorarium, to read as part of The Hyla Brook Reading Series at the Robert Frost Farm in Derry in the summer of 2012. The poem will appear in the 2012 edition of The Evansville Review. Submission guidelines are available at the Farm website.

Melita Hume Prize for Poetry

Eyewear Publishing announces its inaugural (2012) THE MELITA HUME PRIZE FOR POETRY. This is an award of £1,000 and a publishing deal for the best first full collection (i.e. debut) of a young poet writing in the English language, born in 1980 or later. The aim of this prize is to support younger emerging writers during difficult economic times, with a quality publication in England and a helpful amount of money which can assist them in their studies, travel or accomodation, for example. This is open to any one of the requisite age, anywhere in the world.

About the sponsor: Melita Hume is a Canadian book collector, and compiler of information about Canadian authors, who lived most of her life in St. Lambert and the Eastern Townships.

Please post your submissions to: Melita Hume Prize for Poetry, Eyewear Publishing, Suite 38, 19-21 Crawford Stree,t London W1H 1PJ United Kingdom.

Please include an SASE or equivalent, a biographical note of 100-250 words, and a brief covering letter including email contact details. The deadline for submission is April 8, 2012. The winner will be announced September 1, 2012. For email queries, contact info @ eyewearpublishing.com

An award for service to literature

Who do you know whose teaching, publishing, editing, and advocacy on behalf of literature deserves special recognition? The Association of Writers & Writing Programs invites letters from any members (I know many of you are such) who wish to nominate candidates for the George Garrett Award for Outstanding Community Service in Literature. Letters of nominations must be postmarked before September 15th. The 2011 winner was Askold Melnyczuk, of the UMass-Boston faculty. We stare pointedly in the direction of Don Share, Bill Corbett, Mary McCallum...

Boston Review Short Story Contest

Recently rededicated to the memory of the late author and critic Aura Estrada, and judged in its first year by her husband, Francisco Goldman, the Aura Estrada Short Story Contest is now accepting submissions for 2011. This year’s judge is acclaimed novelist and
critic Samuel R. Delany.

The winning author will receive $1,500 and have his or her work published in Boston Review, the summer of 2012. First runner-up will be published in a following issue, and second runner-up will be published at the Boston Review Web site. Stories should not exceed 4,000 words and must be previously unpublished. Mailed manuscripts should be double-spaced and submitted with a cover note listing the author’s name, address, and phone number. No cover note is necessary for online submission. Names should not appear on the stories themselves. Any author writing in English is eligible, unless he or she is a current student, former student, relative, or close personal friend of the judge. Simultaneous submissions are not permitted, submissions will not be returned, and submissions may not be modified after entry. A non-refundable $20 entry fee, payable to Boston Review in the form of a check or money order or by credit card, must accompany each story entered. All submitters receive a complementary half-year subscription (3 issues) to Boston Review. Submissions must be postmarked no later than October 1, 2011. Manuscripts will not be returned. The winner will be announced no later than May/June 2012, on the Boston Review Web site.

Enter using the online contest entry manager, which requires payment using a credit card. Or mail submissions to Short Story Contest, Boston Review, PO Box 425786, Cambridge, MA 02142.

Philbrick Poetry Project Chapbook Competition

The Providence Athenaeum has announced guidelines for the 14th annual Philbrick Poetry Project Chapbook Series. This year's poet-judge is Lisa Starr, Rhode Island Poet Laureate

The winning poet will receive $500, publication of her or his chapbook, publication of an e-book on the Athenaeum website, and the opportunity to read with the poet-judge.

• Deadline: Submissions must be postmarked between July 15, 2011 and October 15, 2011.
• A check for the entry fee of $10.00 must be enclosed with the submission (includes free chapbook of a previous honoree).
• Manuscripts should be 15 to 25 pages. Please send two copies.
• Eligibility is limited to residents of the New England states (Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont) who have not had a poetry chapbook or a full-length book published. The Philbrick Poetry Project honors a spirit of fairness and integrity among poets. If you have been a student of the judge within the last five years or if you have a close personal or professional relationship with the judge, please wait until next year to submit your work.
• The author’s name must not appear anywhere on the manuscript.
• Please enclose with your submission two cover sheets with the following information. Cover sheet #1: Title of manuscript, author name and address, telephone number and e-mail address. Cover sheet # 2: Title of manuscript.
• Please include a stamped, self-addressed envelope for announcement. Manuscripts will not be returned.
• The honoree will be announced in February 2012.
• The reading by the poet judge and honoree will take place at the Athenaeum in April 2012.

Manuscripts may be sent to: The Providence Athenaeum, attn. Philbrick Poetry Project , 251 Benefit Street

Providence, RI 02903.