| The Gulf Coast Poets Chapter of the Poetry Society of Texas has temporarily suspended meetings due to massive damage and recovery efforts along the Gulf Coast during Hurricane Ike. E-mail and postal mail to the chapter may not receive immediate response. Winners of competitions may not be immediately posted, and submissions may not be read until the following month. If you are a member of the Gulf Coast Poets, please use the information given to you when you joined to contact us if you need help. |
2008 GULF COAST POETS POETRY COMPETITIONS
If you wish to sponsor one or more contests, please contact GulfCoastPoets
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Contest Twenty) September’s choice of topics 1. A Lost Key Found. 2. Strong Light Casts Dark Shadows. 3. Friends are like Roses. 4. Compassion: Empathy in Action. Must be postmarked between September 1-24, 2008, but no earlier; poems must arrive no later than September 29, 2008. (Contests 1-3 sponsored by Diana Dettling Buckley. Contest 4 sponsored by Mary Margaret Carlisle. Each contest has a $10.00 first place prize. Poets may enter all contests, but may win only one prize per month.)
Contest Twenty-One) October’s choice of topics 1. Letting the Leaves Go. 2. Mountains in the Distance. 3. Neon Signs. 4. Tired Feet. 5. War: Give us our Daily Dead. Must be postmarked between October 1-25, 2008, but no earlier, poems must arrive no later than October 30, 2008. (Contests 1-2 sponsored by Mary Ann Goodwin. Contests 2-4 sponsored by Richard Peake. Contests 1-4 each has a $10.00 first place prize. Contest 5 sponsored by Mary Margaret Carlisle. Contest 5 has a $25.00 first place prize. Poets may enter all contests, but may win only one prize per month.)
Contest Twenty-Two) November’s choice of topics 1. Home in a Cardboard Box. 2. Lanterns in the Dark. 3. Ancient Things. 4. Abandoned Buildings. Must be postmarked between November 1-20, 2008, but no earlier, poems must arrive no later than November 25, 2008. (Contests 1-2 sponsored by R.J. Clarken. Contests 2-4 sponsored by Richard Peake. Each contest has a $10.00 first place prize. Poets may enter all contests, but may win only one prize per month.)
No fees returned. Sponsors may not enter a contest they sponsored, but they may enter contests from other sponsors.
Our fees fund speaker honorariums.
Open to all, except those eighteen and younger must include parental permission.
Member Contest: Members may submit one fee-free poem each month on any topic, as long as the entry includes MEMBER CONTEST above the poem title, and all other rules have been followed. No prize but publication is offered in the Member Contest category. Member Contest poems should be included with other monthly entries.
Save a tree: submit only your check by mail, and send poems and cover letter by e-mail: GulfCoastPoets [at] gmail.com Yes, poems may be attached to keep formatting unchanged, but only use one attachment with all the poems in one document. Everything else should be in the body of your e-mail note.
Don’t save a tree: If you must send by snail-mail, send your check with all entries for that month, including any Member Contest entry, in the same envelope. You may send up to five titled poems per topic, each poem on a separate page. Do not title with the name of the topic. Please send only one copy only of each poem (one poem per page) typed on 8½ x 11 paper. Put the topic first, then your titled poem, but don’t include your name.
Cover Letter: Include a one-page cover letter that has the date, then names the first contest, then the titles of the poems submitted in that topic; then names the second contest, and titles of poems submitted in that topic; etc. (This allows us to id your poems later.) Finally, include your full name, mailing address, e-mail address, and weekend phone number. On the same page, include a third person autobiography written in 50 words or fewer.
Technical Advice: Font: Easy to read, 12 or 14 point. No script fonts, colored ink, or illustrations. Justification: Fully left justified or centered only, no tabs, in one column. A maximum of 34 lines or fewer, including title. Long lines would most probably wrap in an unfortunate place if published, and add to your line length.
Fee: The entry fee is $5.00. Do not include a SASE. Do include a check made out to Gulf Coast Poets. No coins or bills; check only. Mail to: Gulf Coast Poets, c/o Carlisle, P.O. Box 580037, Houston, Texas 77258-0037. Five day grace period for receipt of an entry in snail-mail, but only if an envelope has the correct postmark. Questions? GulfCoastPoets [at] gmail.com or Sol.Editor [at] prodigy.net
Announcement of winning: Winners contacted by e-mail. Winning poems will be posted at the Gulf Coast Poets’ Website along with a brief biography of the poet. Poets are invited to read their winning poem at the next meeting. Once posted at the Gulf Coast Poets Website, all rights return to the poet. Poets who enter a competition may be invited to submit works to be considered for publication in a Gulf Coast Poets chapbook or anthology.