Guidelines for the War Poetry ContestNow in its ninth year, this contest seeks today's best poems on the theme of war. We will award $5,000 in prizes. Click here to read winning entries from the past.
Submission Period
Entries accepted November 15, 2009-May 31, 2010 (postmark dates)This contest is not yet open, and the rules below may change. Please wait until November 15 or later to submit.
However, if you are here to complete an entry initiated before June 1, then you may continue. --> What to Submit
1-3 original, unpublished poems on the theme of war. Their combined length should not exceed 500 lines. Contestants may enter once per year.Prizes
First Prize, $2,000 cash and publication on WinningWriters.com (over one million page views per year)
Second Prize, $1,200 cash and publication on WinningWriters.com
Third Prize, $600 cash and publication on WinningWriters.com
Twelve Honorable Mentions, $100 cash each and publication on WinningWriters.comEntry Fee
$15, payable to Winning Writers. We welcome both online submissions with payment by credit card and submissions by mail with payment by check or money order. We also accept PayPal. Your $15 fee is not per poem, but covers your complete submission of up to 3 poems. Please note: Generally entry fees are not refundable. However, if you believe you have an exceptional circumstance, please contact us within one year of your entry.Deadline
May 31, 2010. Your entry must be postmarked or submitted online by this date.Preparing Your Entry
Submit one copy of your poems online or by mail. No handwritten entries, please. Do not put your name or contact information on your poems, not even on the backs of pages. Provide your contact information on our online form, or on a separate cover sheet if submitting by mail. If your poem contains complex formatting, such as centered text or italic type, we recommend submitting by mail. Please make your entry easy to read — no illustrations, fancy fonts or decorative borders.How To Submit
Click here to submit online (credit card)
Click here to submit by mail (check or money order)
Click here to submit via PayPalAnnouncement of Winners
We are pleased to present the winners of our eighth contest here. The winners of our ninth contest will be announced on November 15, 2010.All Entrants Receive
All entrants to our War Poetry Contest receive immediate free access to our Poetry Contest Insider online database for three months, a $6.95 value. Search our profiles of over 750 poetry contests for the ones that fit you best. Current Poetry Contest Insider customers will have their subscriptions extended by three months.Your entry fee is a one-time charge. When your subscription to Poetry Contest Insider expires, you will receive an invitation to renew, but you are under no obligation to do so. Your decision will not affect your entry in any way.
--> Entries Must Be Original and Unpublished
Your entries must be original, written by you, unpublished (either in print or in an online journal), and not have received a monetary award or high honors from any other contest. Self-published work is not eligible. Exceptions: Poems posted to the web outside of online journals, such as to a bulletin board, email list, personal web page, blog, critique site or public forums are eligible for entry. Our goal is to recognize work that has not yet received honors or wide publication. Please email us if you're unsure of eligibility.Simultaneous Submission Allowed
You may submit your poems simultaneously to this contest and to other contests and publishers. Please notify us if one of your poems wins an award in another contest or is published elsewhere.English Language
Poems should be in English. Poems translated from other languages are not eligible, unless you wrote both the original poem and the translation.A Note to Previous War Poetry Contestants
You are welcome to enter this year's contest, whether or not you won a prize in one of our previous contests. For best results, please read the Advice from the Judge first.Privacy
We respect your privacy. Winning Writers does not rent customer or contestant information to third parties. Please click here for our full privacy policy.Copyright
You retain the copyright to your submission. If you place as finalist or better, Winning Writers only requests permission to publish your work on WinningWriters.com, in our email publications and in our press releases. Any other use will be negotiated with you.Final Judge of the War Poetry Contest - Jendi Reiter
Ms. Reiter is the editor of Poetry Contest Insider, an online database of poetry contests published by Winning Writers. Her first book, A Talent for Sadness, was published in 2003 by Turning Point Books. Her poetry chapbook Swallow won the 2008 Flip Kelly Poetry Prize and was published in 2009 by Amsterdam Press. Her work has appeared in Poetry, The New Criterion, Mudfish, American Fiction, The Adirondack Review, The Broome Review, FULCRUM, Juked, The Sow's Ear Poetry Review, Clackamas Literary Review, Alligator Juniper, MARGIE: The American Journal of Poetry, Best American Poetry 1990 and many other publications. Awards include first prize in the Chapter One Promotions 2008 International Short Story Contest, first prize for poetry in Alligator Juniper's 2006 National Writing Contest, first prize in the 2007 Elizabeth Simpson Smith Award for a Short Story (Charlotte Writers' Club), two awards from the Poetry Society of America, and a National Endowment for the Humanities grant for poetry criticism. Visit her blog at www.jendireiter.com.Advice for Contestants
Whether or not you've entered this contest before, we urge you to read our Advice from the Judge before entering. It will measurably improve your chances. We also encourage you to read our recent winning entries and the judge's comments. You may also find useful our page of Frequently Asked Questions.About Winning Writers
Winning Writers finds and creates quality resources for poets and writers. Our expert online poetry contest guide, Poetry Contest Insider, profiles over 750 poetry contests. We directly sponsor the Wergle Flomp Humor Poetry Contest and the War Poetry Contest. We also assist the Tom Howard/John H. Reid Short Story Contest, the Margaret Reid Poetry Contest for Traditional Verse and the Tom Howard/John H. Reid Poetry Contest. Winning Writers is proud to be one of "101 Best Websites for Writers" (Writer's Digest, 2005-2009) and a recipient of the Truly Useful Site Award (Preditors & Editors, March 2006).
Guidelines for the Wergle Flomp Humor Poetry ContestNow in its ninth year. We seek today's best humor poems. Total cash prizes have been increased to $3,600, with a top prize of $1,500. This contest is free to enter. Click here to read winning entries from the past.
Submission Period
Entries accepted August 15, 2009-April 1, 2010This contest is not yet open, and the rules below may change. Please wait until August 15 or later to submit.
--> How to Submit Your Entry
New simplified procedure! Just click here to submit your entry online. There is no fee to submit to the Wergle Flomp Poetry Contest. Poets of all nations may enter. Your poem must be in English (inspired gibberish also accepted). Please submit only one poem per year. Your poem may be of any length. Both published and unpublished work are welcome.Prizes
First Prize of $1,500 and publication on WinningWriters.com
Second Prize of $800 and publication on WinningWriters.com
Third Prize of $400 and publication on WinningWriters.com
Twelve honorable mentions will receive $75 each and publication on WinningWriters.comThe winners and honorable mentions will also all receive official Winning Writers polo shirts.
Announcement of Results
The winner and honorable mentions of the ninth contest will be announced in our free email newsletter and on WinningWriters.com on August 15, 2010.Simultaneous Submission Allowed
You may submit your poems simultaneously to this contest and to other contests and publishers.Privacy
We respect your privacy. Winning Writers does not rent customer or contestant information to third parties. Please click here for our full privacy policy.Copyright
You retain the copyright to your submission. If you place as finalist or better, Winning Writers only requests permission to publish your work on WinningWriters.com, in our email publications and in our press releases. Any other use will be negotiated with you.Final Judge of the Wergle Flomp Poetry Contest - Jendi Reiter
Ms. Reiter is the editor of Poetry Contest Insider, an online database of poetry contests published by Winning Writers. Her first book, A Talent for Sadness, was published in 2003 by Turning Point Books. Her poetry chapbook Swallow won the 2008 Flip Kelly Poetry Prize and was published in 2009 by Amsterdam Press. Her work has appeared in Poetry, The New Criterion, Mudfish, American Fiction, The Adirondack Review, The Broome Review, FULCRUM, Juked, The Sow's Ear Poetry Review, Clackamas Literary Review, Alligator Juniper, MARGIE: The American Journal of Poetry, Best American Poetry 1990 and many other publications. Awards include first prize in the Chapter One Promotions 2008 International Short Story Contest, first prize for poetry in Alligator Juniper's 2006 National Writing Contest, first prize in the 2007 Elizabeth Simpson Smith Award for a Short Story (Charlotte Writers' Club), two awards from the Poetry Society of America, and a National Endowment for the Humanities grant for poetry criticism. Visit her blog at www.jendireiter.com.About Winning Writers
Winning Writers finds and creates quality resources for poets and writers. Our expert online poetry contest guide, Poetry Contest Insider, profiles over 750 poetry contests. We directly sponsor the Wergle Flomp Humor Poetry Contest and the War Poetry Contest. We also assist the Tom Howard/John H. Reid Short Story Contest, the Margaret Reid Poetry Contest for Traditional Verse and the Tom Howard/John H. Reid Poetry Contest. Winning Writers is proud to be one of "101 Best Websites for Writers" (Writer's Digest, 2005-2009) and a recipient of the Truly Useful Site Award (Preditors & Editors, March 2006).
Click here to enter the Wergle Flomp Humor Poetry Contest
The WASHINGTON PRIZE
In 1981, Karren Alenier, Deirdra Baldwin, Jim Beall, and Robert Sargent created the Washington Prize, a United States national literary competition awarding $1000 to an American poet. In 1999 the prize award was increased to $1500. From 1981 to 1987 winning poems were published in a full-page ad in Poets & Writers magazine. In 1988, the prize progressed from a single poem competiton to a book-length manuscript award. Washington area poets read and judge contest entries blind. Literary merit is the sole criterion. As a book publication award, the Washington Prize has given The Word Works national recognition and has increased distribution.
In 1999, The Word Works published WINNERS: A RETROSPECTIVE OF THE WASHINGTON PRIZE, an anthology of poems, anecdotes, essays, and photos of and by the winners and judges of the prize from 1981 to 1999. This collection of work by 80 poets tells the complete story of the Washington Prize. Entrants to the competition should consider this book a reference for how to win this prize.
All snail mail queries about the Washington Prize are answered with a graphically attractive brochure that describes the organization, provides the Washington Prize contest rules, profiles our books, and solicits orders. Typically, distribution is through booksales at readings by the author and mail orders to The Word Works.
- Year 2010 Guidelines
- Frequently Asked Questions
- 2009 Winner
- List of Winners (annually since 1981)
- Washington Prize Anthology
WASHINGTON PRIZE GUIDELINES
In 2010, The Word Works will award a living American or Canadian poet $1,500 and book publication for a volume of original poetry in English. To enter:
- Submit a manuscript of 48 to 64 pages.
- Include a title page with name, address, phone number, email address and signature. Author's name should appear on the title page only.
- Repeat the title of the manuscript on the table of contents page.
- Include an acknowledgments page and brief bio. Attach acknowledgments and bio to title page with a staple.
- Use a binder clip to fasten the manuscript. No manuscripts will be returned.
- Kindly indicate the information source where you learned about the Washington Prize. For example, AWP newsletter, Poets & Writers Magazine, the Word Works web site.
Enclose entry fee: $25 US drawn on a US bank only, payable to The WORD WORKS.
Enclose a self-addressed stamped envelope (SASE) for contest results. Early in 2011, all entrants to the 2010 Washington Prize will receive the winning publication.
Between January 15 and March 1, 2010, inclusive, mail manuscript by first class postage, entry fee, and business-sized SASE to:
- Nancy White, Administrator
- WORD WORKS Washington Prize
- Dearlove Hall
- Adirondack Community College
- 640 Bay Road
- Queensbury, NY 12804
The winner will be selected by August 2010. Book publication is planned for January 2011.
Direct questions to Nancy White, Washington Prize Administrator, electronically or by regular mail to The Word Works, PO Box 42164, Washington, DC 20015. Include a self-addressed stamped envelope with all regular mail inquiries. Many questions are answered in WINNERS: A RETROSPECTIVE OF THE WASHINGTON PRIZE .
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Q: May I send a manuscript that exceeds your limit of 64 pages?
A: While we prefer that submissions meet our guidelines of 48 to 64 manuscript pages, we usually tolerate a manuscript that might run over or under by a few pages.
Q: May I send a postcard for notification that you received my manuscript?
A: Yes, but we prefer that you consider your canceled check as proof that your MS arrived safely.
Q: May I send more than one manuscript?
A: Yes, and it is best if we know that you are doing this so that the manuscript can be distributed to different first readers. Please be sure to submit a $25 entry fee per manuscript--i.e., $50 for two manuscripts, $75 for three, etc.
Q: Why do you require that a binder clip hold manuscripts together?
A: if your manuscript is selected, we will copy that manuscript for our final judges and want easy access to the pages. Therefore we do not want stapled or bound manuscripts. We also do not want manuscripts sent in folders because the pages might fall out and get lost.
Q: is there a limit on the length of any one poem submitted for this contest? For example, could one poem exceed one or two pages?
A: Individual poems may be of any length as long as the manuscript adheres reasonably to our manuscript length of 48 to 64 manuscript pages.
Q: What kind of paper should I use?
A: Use standard white 20 lb copying paper sized 8 ½ “ X 11”. We handle a lot of manuscripts and do not want unnecessarily heavy manuscripts.
Q: May I use distinctive fonts and styling?
A: Text should be printed in black ink. The single font you choose should be standard and easy to read, such as Times New Roman.
Q: May I include illustrations and/or drawings?
A: No. The contest is judged solely on the poetry.
Q: I have submitted to your contest before and want to know if I am wasting my time and money sending my manuscript again.
A: In 2009, there will be a completely new roster of first and second readers. All manuscripts are read without identification of the author. If you read about our judging process, you will see that it is not likely that your manuscript will be read by the same first reader, which is a critical point in the competition’s process. If you have been submitting your manuscript without notice of it being selected as a finalist, consider working with a professional editor or a peer group to make revisions.
Q: How does your judging process work?
A: When a manuscript arrives, it is assigned an identification number and logged into our database. When the contest closes March 1, first readers are assigned 20-30 manuscripts. From that group, a first reader selects up to 5 manuscripts to pass on to a second reader. Second readers receive 15 to 20 manuscripts and pass along as many as 3 manuscripts to the final judges. Final judges receive copies of the same 10-12 manuscripts. Therefore, a single manuscript making it to the hands of the five final judges is read by one first reader, one second reader, and the complete panel of five judges. If a reader or judge recognizes the work, he or she will recuse him/herself from reading the manuscript and will allow others to read it. After the final judges have read the final manuscripts, they meet, discuss the merits of the manuscripts, and vote on a winner. The winner is usually called from that meeting.
Q: Is there a particular school or style of poetry that The Word Works prefers?
A: The Word Works looks for the best manuscript without any restriction to style or subject matter. The best advice for a winning manuscript can be found in an essay by Hilary Tham in Winners, A Retrospective of the Washington Prize.
Q: What happens to my fee?
A: Your $25 fee helps support the cost of printing the winning book, supplying the winner’s monetary award, advertising the prize, and the mailing costs associated with sending every entrant a copy of the book.
Q: When or how will I hear the contest results?
A: if you are selected as the winner, you will be called. Be sure to include your phone number and email address. If you provide an SASE, we will send you a news release about the winner. Results will be posted on our website at wordworksdc.com.
2009 WASHINGTON PRIZE WINNER
The Word Works is pleased to announce that that Frannie Lindsay, of Belmont, MA, has won the 2009 Washington Prize for her full-length poetry manuscript, Mayweed. The prize includes publication and a cash award of $1,500.
Lindsay’s two previous books are also prize winners: Lamb won the 2006 Perugia Press Intro Award and was runner-up for the James Laughlin Award from the Academy of American Poets. Where She Always Was (Utah State University Press) was selected for the 2004 May Swenson Award. Her poems have appeared in The Atlantic Monthly, Black Warrior Review, The Georgia Review, Field, Prairie Schooner, The Yale Review, and many others. Her poems have been featured on Poetry Daily, Verse Daily, and read by Garrison Keillor on National Public Radio’s Writer’s Almanac. She earned her MFA at the University of Iowa and is also a classical pianist. Lindsay has received fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Massachusetts Cultural Council, as well as residencies from Yaddo, the MacDowell Colony, and the Millay Colony.
Mayweed was chosen from 242 manuscripts submitted by American poets. Doug Ramspeck of Lima, OH, received an Honorable Mention for Possum Nocturne. The 2009 finalists represented a wide range of styles, from formalism to prose poems: Dross by Melissa Cannon of Nashville, TN; No Eden by Sally Rosen Kindred of Columbia, MD; Living in the Candy Store by Leonard Kress of Perrysburg, OH; Little Lung Damage by Esther Lee of Salt Lake City, UT; The Nomenclature of Small Things by Lynn Pedersen of Kennesaw, GA; and Paul’s Hill by Shelby Stephenson of Benson, NC.
The final judges were Karren Alenier, J. H. Beall, Barbara Ungar (winner of the Gival Prize), Nancy White (winner of the Washington Prize), and Maria van Beuren. First readers were Stuart Bartow, Michelle Galo, Carol Graser, Elaine Handley, Marilyn McCabe, Kathleen McCoy, and Mary Sanders Shartle. Second readers were George Drew, Naton Leslie, and Jay Rogoff (winner of the Washington Prize).
The Word Works has awarded the Washington Prize since 1981, using a “blind” judging process that gives all poets, regardless of previous experience, an unprejudiced reading throughout the selection process. In 2010, the Word Works again will offer publication and a $1,500 prize to a volume of original poetry. Submissions will be accepted from Jan. 15 to March 1, 2009, and the entry fee will be $25. All entrants receive a copy of the winning book. For further information and guidelines (available December 2008), send a stamped, self-addressed envelope to the Word Works, P.O. Box 42164, Washington DC 20015, or visit the Word Works Web site at wordworksdc.com.
Advance orders for Ace are available for $15 plus $3.95 shipping and handling from WORD WORKS Books, P.O. Box 42164, Washington, DC. 20015. We expect publication of the book in January 2010.
WASHINGTON PRIZE WINNERS 1981-2008
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- 1981 - Barbara Goldberg for "Nee Maggie Malone"
- 1982 - Susan Gubernat for "To the Close Friend Most Unlike Me"
- 1983 - Judith Steinbergh for "Initiation at Bish Bash Falls"
- 1984 - Lindsay Knowlton for "Flight"
- 1985 - Enid Shomer for "Stalking the Florida Panther"
In 1987 Word works published Enid Shomer's full-length book
STALKING THE FLORIDA PANTHER as the first Washington Prize book- 1986 - Renee Ashley for "Crow"
- 1987 - Lisa Ress for "Setting the Table, Eating What is Served"
- 1988 - Christopher Bursk for THE WAY WATER RUBS STONE
- 1989 - John Bradley for LOVE-IN-IDLENESS
- 1990 - Barbara Moore for FAREWELL TO THE BODY
- 1991 - Elaine Magarrell for BLAMELESS LIVES
- 1992 - Nancy White for SUN, MOON, SALT
- 1993 - Fred Marchant for TIPPING POINT
- 1994 - Jay Rogoff for THE CUTOFF
- 1995 - Linda Lee Harper for TOWARD DESIRE
- 1996 - George Young for SPINOZA'S MOUSE
- 1997 - Ann Rae Jonas for A DIAMOND IS HARD BUT NOT TOUGH
- 1998 - Nathalie F. Anderson for FOLLOWING FRED ASTAIRE
- 1999 - Peter Blair for LAST HEAT
- 2000 - Charlotte Gould Warren for GANDHI'S LAP
- 2001 - Michael Atkinson for ONE HUNDRED CHILDREN WAITING FOR A TRAIN
- 2002 - Miles Waggener for PHOENIX SUITES
- 2003 - Ron Mohring for SURVIVABLE WORLD
- 2004 - Carrie Bennett for BIOGRAPHY OF WATER
- 2005 - Richard Lyons for FLEUR CARNIVORE
- 2006 - John Surowieck for THE HAT CITY AFTER MEN STOPPED WEARING HATS
- 2007 - Prartho Sereno for CALL FROM PARIS
- 2008 - Richard Carr for ACE
- 2009 - Frannie Lindsay for MAYWEED
WASHINGTON PRIZE ANTHOLOGY
WINNERS: A RETROSPECTIVE OF THE WASHINGTON PRIZE was published December 1999 as part of The Word Works 25 year celebration. This anthology of poetry by Washington Prize winners, readers, and judges includes anecdotal material about winning or judging the prize since the competition was started in 1981. Winners‹A Retrospective of the Washington Prize is a reference for anyone who enters the competition for the prize.
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via wordworksdc.com
Judge: David Dodd Lee, Series Editor
The Lester M. Wolfson Poetry Award is being created in an effort to bring fresh and original voices to the poetry reading public. The prize will be offered annually to any poet writing in English, including poets who have never published a full length book as well as poets who have published several. New and Selected collections of poems are also welcome. The winning poet will receive $1,000 and publication of his or her book. The winner will also be invited to give a reading at Indiana University South Bend as part of the release of the book. Finalists, other than the prize-winning manuscript, will be considered for publication. The final selection will be made by the Series Editor. Current or former students or employees of Indiana University South Bend, as well as friends of the Series Editor or other Wolfson Press staff, are not eligible for the prize. There is a $25, non-refundable, entry fee, made payable to Wolfson Press. There is no limit on the number of entries an author may submit. Simultaneous submissions are fine, in fact they are encouraged, but please withdraw your manuscript if it is taken for publication elsewhere. Please include a SASE with each entry. Please include a self-addressed postage paid postcard if you desire confirmation of manuscript receipt. No manuscripts will be returned. Entries sent by e-mail or fax are not permitted; they will be disqualified. On your cover sheet include name, address, phone number, and e-mail. The manuscript should be paginated and include a table of contents and acknowledgments page. Manuscripts will be accepted starting December 1, 2009, and ending deadline will be March 1, 2010.
Manuscripts received prior to December 1, or postmarked after March 1, will be recycled and the entry fee returned. The winner will receive 50 copies of his or her book. With questions e-mail Davdlee@iusb.edu.
Mail manuscripts to:
Lester M. Wolfson Poetry Award
Indiana University South Bend
Department of English
1700 Mishawaka Avenue
P. O. Box 7111
South Bend, IN 46634-7111Manuscripts submitted for the Lester M. Wolfson Poetry Award should exhibit an awareness of the contemporary “voice” in American poetry, an awareness of our moment in time as poets. We are excited to receive poetry that is experimental as well as work of a more formalist bent, as long as it reflects a complexity and sophistication of thought and language. Urgency, yes; melodrama, not so much. Winners will be announced via this website, as well as through the mail. We will also announce the winner in major magazines (Poets & Writers) and blogs, including this one. The winning book, and any others chosen from the pool of entries, will be published in 2011.
Please Join our University of Tennessee at Martin Civil Rights Conference Facebook Group or email dbarber@utm.edu.
The University of Tennessee at Martin is an EEO/AA/Title VI/Title IX/Section 504/ADA/ADEA employer and complies with UT System Policy No. HR0220. E05-4033-00-006-10
The Month of February: Weekly book discussions about the Civil Rights Conference 2010 book, Short Stories of the Civil Rights Movement: An Anthology,
Margaret Early Whitt, editor.
Saturday February 20
10:00 am–5:00 pm Ken-Tenn Homecoming and Reunion Association and
Community Forum, African American History Month
Celebration, Tennessee Room, Holland McCombs
Building. kthracf@gmail.com
Sunday February 21
3:00–5:00 pm Ken-Tenn Homecoming and Reunion Association and
Community Forum, African American History Month
Celebration, Harvey Vick Center, South Fulton, Tenn.
6:00 pm & 9:00 pm Civil Rights Movie Showing: Amistad, Steven Spielberg’s
account of a slave ship rebellion. Sponsored by UT Martin
Student Activities Council.
Monday February 22
12:00 pm Student Rally for Social Justice
Boling University Center and Paul Meek Library plaza
7:00 pm Black History Quiz Bowl, Sponsored by the National
Association of Black Journalists
Tuesday Native American Civil Rights Day February 23
1:00–3:00 pm How the Lies of History Have Tarnished Our Moral Values.
A lecture and discussion with Dr. Henry Parker and UT
Martin student, Karen Adams
5:50 pm Bill Miller, Grammy Award-winning musician
All events will be held in Watkins Auditorium unless otherwise noted.
Please Join our University of Tennessee at Martin Civil Rights Conference Facebook Group or email dbarber@utm.edu.
Wednesday February 24
12:15-12:50 pm Roundtable on Black Writers, Hortense Parrish Writing
Center, 209 Humanities Bldg. Sponsored by Hortense
Parrish Writing Center. Contact owl@utm.edu for more
information.
1:00–3:00 pm Brooke Haycock
One-woman performance on contemporary issues in
education and civil rights
Thursday February 25
9:30–10:45 am Civil Rights in the Age of Obama
Dr. Cynthia Griggs Fleming,
University of Tennessee, Knoxville
11:00 am – White Privilege and White Activism in the Struggle
for Black Freedom
Chude Allen and Karen Trusty
1:00–2:15 pm Racial Disparities in Health Care
Dr. Vivian Carter, Tuskegee University
2:30–3:45 pm Local Civil Rights History: Fulton and South Fulton
Joyce Washington, T.D. Morris and Pete Algee
7:00 pm Dr. Bob Moses, Keynote Speaker
UT Martin Collegiate Gospel Choir
Introduction of speaker by Cynthia Griggs Fleming
Friday February 26
7:00 pm Unnatural Causes: Is Inequality Making Us Sick?
Documentary Movie
*
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12:15 pm
ANNOUNCEMENT: Writers Needed ASAP
The Atlanta Post (TAP), a news site focused on African-American business, politics & finance news, will be launched by Moguldom Media Group this month. (Moguldom is also the owner of the popular sites Bossip.com & HipHopWired.com). Right now, TAP needs as many writers as possible to write Q & As with entrepreneurs & business folks. These types of articles can be completed quickly & remotely and they pay $40 each. Writers can take on as many of them as they wish. If interested, please send an email ASAP to the managing editor, Rahwa Asmerom at editorial@atlantapost.com. Available immediately.---
Thanks.--
Best,
China Okasi
The Atlanta Post
260 Madison Avenue, 8th Floor
New York, NY 10016
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Dr. Myra Brown Green/Pieced Symbol Location: Hue-Man Bookstore & Cafe Description: ...... More info on this event |
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| Saturday, February 20, 2010 6:00 p.m. | |
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I Gotta Make it to Heaven Location: Hue-Man Bookstore & Cafe Description: ...... More info on this event |
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| Sunday, February 21, 2010 3:00 p.m. | |
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Sunshine Actor's Workshop WIht Mel Jackson & Q Location: Hue-Man Bookstore & Cafe Description: Acting for Change...... More info on this event |
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| Sunday, February 21, 2010 3:00 p.m. | |
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Sunshine Actor's Workshop WIht Mel Jackson & Q Location: Hue-Man Bookstore & Cafe Description: Acting for Change...... More info on this event |
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| Monday, February 22, 2010 6:00 p.m. | |
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Marcus Sammelsson Location: Hue-Man Bookstore & Cafe Description: ....... More info on this event |
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| Tuesday, February 23, 2010 6:00 p.m. | |
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Gordon Brown/ Gordon's Way Location: Hue-Man Bookstore & Cafe Description: Financial Literacy has proven to be an advantage...Are y ou fluent. COme Join New York Stock Exchang... More info on this event |
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| Thursday, February 25, 2010 6:00 p.m. | |
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Small Business Seminar Location: Hue-Man Bookstore & Cafe Description: In these difficult times continuous education for small businesses is a must. Four business experts... More info on this event |
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| Friday, February 26, 2010 6:00 p.m. | |
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Enice Toussaint/Enice: Tales of a Multifaceted Life Location: Hue-Man Bookstore & Cafe Description: ...... More info on this event |
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| Saturday, February 27, 2010 11:00 a.m. | |
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Tales from Aunt Tookie Location: Hue-Man Bookstore & Cafe Description: Tales from Aunt Tookie was created by Allyshia Hamilton in efforts to bring a fun story time experie... More info on this event |
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R.A. Ptahsen-Shabazz/Black to the Roots Location: Hue-Man Bookstore & Cafe Description: Since the 1970s, the reggae lyricist/poet has been arguably the most significant collective voice of... More info on this event |
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| Sunday, February 28, 2010 7:00 p.m. | |
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Sunshine Acting Workshop with Mel Jackson Location: Hue-Man Bookstore & Cafe Description: Acting for Change... More info on this event |
The Griot's Corner @ the Frederick Douglass Unity House
Proudly PresentsOUT LOUD
Voices of the Black Power BabiesA generation of Performing Artists, Writers and Educators were born and raised during, as well as directly influenced by the artists,
intellectuals and cultural architects of the Black Arts Movement; as the movement enters it's third generation we explore the transformation of a movement into a culture. Join us for our first evening of performances and conversation with two generations of Black Arts Movement Artists.Featuring:
ASKIA TOURE - Griot, Poet, Black Arts Movement Architect, & Black Studies
Pioneer
MIKAL AMIN "Hired Gun" LEE - Griot, poet, MC, and educator
TAH PHRUM DUH BUSH - Griot, Poet, Philosopher, MC and Actor
TANTRA-ZAWADI - Griot, Performance Poet, Writer and Filmmaker
MWALIM *7) - Griot, Performance Artist, Writer, Filmmaker and Assoc Prof
of English and African/ African American StudiesTHURS DAY, FEB. 25 - 6:30 - 8:30 PMFrederick Douglass Unity House
285 Old Westport Road. N. Dartmouth, MA 02747For more information, contact 508.999.9222 or mpeters@umassd,eduThis event is Free and open to the public
"In my childhood a circumstance occurred which made an indelible
impression on my mind, and laid the ground work of that enthusiasm..." -
Nat TurnerMWALIM (MJ Peters)
Assoc. Professor of English & Afr ican/ African American Studies
Univ of Mass Dartmouth
285 Old Westport Rd.
N. Dartmouth, MA 02747
mpeters@umassd.edu
PH: 508-999-8304
FX: 508-999-9235
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MWALIM *7)
Performing Artist, Writer, Filmmaker http://www.myspace.com/mwalim7
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- August Wilson
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The video ends before the last five minutes of Bill refusing to sing a full song but he does demonstrate his guitar technique and then slyly drops a few lines of "pants on the ground." ;>)
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This time last week I rattled off the world’s laziest column. I was struggling against my book deadline which expired 24 hours later and I simply didn’t have time to write anything else. This week should have been different; I should have finished the book days ago and now be sitting on a beach in the Caribbean, sipping a Diet Coke martini and lazily writing a long, well-thought-out column about some vital issue of the day. Why it’s inadvisable to write a mea culpa in the passive voice (otherwise it’s just a ‘culpa’). Something like that.
And yet, and yet – the fact that, seven days later, I’m still sitting at my desk and I still haven’t delivered the manuscript to my publisher, should give a hint to how perilous things are right now. I’m Wile E. Coyote about five seconds after he looks down and realises he’s overshot the cliff. And yet despite my urge to sack off this week’s column and focus on lessening the size of crater I’m about to leave in the desert floor, there’s something on which I can’t remain silent on any longer. Four words which I’ve been seeing again and again all week, and which threaten to drive me mad…
“A victory for authors.”
That’s how some people are describing Amazon’s capitulation to Macmillan over the pricing of ebooks. They say it in the same tone as people describe more expensive milk as “a victory for farmers” or subsidies for domestic cars as “a victory for American auto workers”, which is to say the same tone as you might use to pity a cat with three legs.
Poor authors, after all, need all the help they can get. They work for years on their Great Novel, probably subsisting on stale cheese and rats’ milk as they do so, and what thanks do they get? A measly royalty, chipped away at by heavy discounting in book stores. Thank God then for Macmillan taking a stand against Amazon and its aggressive discounting. And thank Jesus for all of the other publishers bravely following them.
Oh please.
First a few facts, in the form of a disclosure statement. I am an author. Before that I was a publisher. Although my publisher is now Hachette, I’ve been published in the past by Macmillan, both in the UK and the US. Macmillan were a partner of the publishing house I co-founded, and were responsible for distributing all of our titles. Richard Charkin, the former CEO of Macmillan, was an advisor. I like Macmillan. I feel, then, somewhat qualified to call bullshit on the claim that this deal is good for anyone – including Macmillan and especially including authors.
Much like the monarchy, Macmillan started life in Britain even though it’s now controlled by Germans. Its British roots go to the very heart of their negotiations with Amazon. In America, books have always been available at a discount – with book stores relatively free to set prices as they wished. Of course, publishers still choose their wholesale price, but there’s nothing to stop, say, Borders from heavily discounting bestsellers to get people through the door. Publishers didn’t necessarily like this as it led to booksellers demanding more aggressive discounting (sometimes more than 60% off the cover price), but they didn’t have much of a choice but to accept. The fact is that publishers couldn’t justify opening up their own stores, so if they wanted readers to be able to actually read their books, they had to keep bookstores happy.
But that’s not how things used to work in the UK.
In the UK, way back in 1900, publishers corralled retailers into the Net Book Agreement
(NBA); an agreement between British publishers and booksellers that books would be sold at the price specified on the cover. If a bookseller offered so much as a penny discount, then the publisher would simply withdraw all of their books from that bookseller and encourage other publishers to do the same. The arrangement suited everyone; book shops were the only place to buy new books and the NBA meant they didn’t have to worry about rivals undercutting them; this particularly benefited independent bookshops. For their part, publishers knew exactly how much they’d be getting for each title and authors knew how much of that would form their royalty.
It took until the late 90s for the Restrictive Practices Court to declare that the Net Book Agreement was anti-competitive and should be scrapped. Shortly afterwards, Borders entered the UK market, hundreds of UK independent bookshops went bankrupt and publishers decided to change their contracts with authors. Now, instead of being based on the cover price of a book, the author’s royalty would be based on ‘net receipts’, which is to say the price that publishers actually received from bookshops.
Since 1997, that’s how things have stayed. Authors learned to adjust pretty quickly, especially as fewer than 20% of titles actually ever earn back their advance and start paying royalties. But publishers have remained annoyed. Deep discounting cuts directly into their profits. There was one area, though, where publishers could still make a killing on every sale: hardback books. The fact is that printing a hardback book, as opposed to a paperback, costs a matter of pennies more. But there is a perception amongst book buyers that they are far more expensive, a perception that it has been in no one’s interest to correct as it allows them to be sold for twice the price of paperbacks. Even with booksellers demanding deep discounts, the publishers still make a ton of profit on each hardback sale. By releasing the hardback book months before the paperback, publishers can subsidise a huge amount of their business from hardback sales, while booksellers can still discount highly to get people through the door.
And then along came the Kindle
and everything went to hell.
Before e-readers, publishers didn’t care about ebooks. You could tell this by the fact that they gave authors really generous royalties on their electronic sales. It was an easy item to appear generous over – so they could fuck you on the paperback royalty. No one read books on their computer so it was no huge loss. For the same reason, publishers were happy to release ebooks at the same time as hardbacks – it wasn’t like the sales of the former were cannibalizing the latter.
But now, with ebook sales soaring, and with the iPad
looking to make them soar even higher, publishers are panicking. Thanks in part to deep ebook discounting by Amazon, but also because the same people who can afford hardback books are the same people who can afford e-readers, people are starting to buy ebooks where they once bought hardbacks. The only cash-cow remaining in publishing is disappearing, like CD sales for music, and DVD sales for movies.
The publishers’ answer to this? A de facto return to the Net Book Agreement, for the whole world. Publishers don’t need booksellers as much as they used to. If an ebook isn’t available from one place – Amazon, say – it will be from somewhere that’s just a click away. Amazon on the other hand, can’t sell Kindles if a huge chunk of popular books aren’t available on it. Furthermore, thanks to the ease of distributing an ebook directly to the customer, there’s nothing stopping a publisher – or group of publishers – from creating their own store. Most sell ebooks directly online already. The balance of power has swung back to publishers, and they’re making the most of it, especially when then know they can play Amazon off against Apple.
For the first time in the UK since 1997, and ever in the US, publishers are able to set – and enforce- their own prices on ebooks. And they will; not to make a fair return on ebooks but rather to cripple their sales in order to protect early hardback book sales. They’ve admitted as much themselves, saying that prices will start high on hardback release, before dropping steadily over time.
The idea that this benefits anyone, least of all authors, is laughable. Every day, thousands more book lovers move to ebooks. These are people who devour books, and who are attracted by the convenience of getting new releases delivered instantly. Yes, there’s a chance that they’ll keep buying hardback books if ebooks go up in price. But now they’ve already invested in ereaders so there’s even more of a chance that they’ll simply turn to piracy to get their fix. It’s like if record labels had tried to encourage people to keep buying CDs by raising the price of mp3 downloads (or slapping restrictive DRM on them). All that would likely have done is drive even more people to Limewire.
Piracy isn’t an industry-killing problem for publishers yet, and if they can keep prices low enough and delivery mechanisms convenient enough, it could even stay that way. Macmillan’s attempt to bring back the NBA though, while it might result in a few more hardback sales in the short term, can only end in disaster for everyone concerned.
As an author, I don’t see a pricing strategy that encourages piracy as a victory. I see it as a backwards-looking quick fix that will do far more long-term harm than short-term good.
Youa culpa, Macmillan.
via techcrunch.com
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>http://www.techcrunch.com/2010/02/07/its-nsfw-because-the-word-fuck-is-in-the...