We will begin accepting applications for Fall 2013 admission on September 1, 2012. The final deadline is December 1, 2012.Apply online here.
Unique among writing programs, Stanford offers ten two-year fellowships each year, five in fiction and five in poetry. All the fellows in each genre convene weekly in a 3-hour workshop with faculty.
Fellows are regarded as working artists, intent upon practicing and perfecting their craft. There are no curricular requirements other than workshop attendance and writing. The program offers no degree.
In awarding fellowships, we consider the quality of the candidate’s creative work, potential for growth and ability to contribute to and profit from our writing workshops. The Stanford Creative Writing Program’s students are diverse in style and experience, with talent and seriousness the true common denominators.
To be a Stegner Fellow:
we do not require any degrees or tests for admission
no school of writing is favored over any other
chronological age is not a consideration
Fellowships include a living stipend of $26,000 per year. In addition, fellows’ tuition and health insurance are paid for by the Creative Writing Program. The Stegner Fellowship is a full-time academic commitment, and is not intended to be pursued concurrently with another degree program. Fellows must live close enough to Stanford to be able to attend workshops, readings, and events.
How to Apply
We will begin accepting applications for Fall 2013 admission on September 1, 2012. The application deadline is December 1, 2012.
An annual poetry contest. A chance for your poems to be read by Hunger Mountain editors and guest judges!
What will the winner receive?
One first place winner receives $1000 and publication on Hunger Mountain online! (All work published online is also considered for the annual print issue) Two honorable mentions receive $100 and publication on Hunger Mountain online.
Who can enter the contest?
Anyone! Everyone!
Who is this year’s judge?
The 2012 judge is Dorianne Laux, author of The Book of Men, Facts about the Moon, Smoke, What We Carry, and Awake. Read her poems Keats in the Rain and When I Can’t Sleep, originally published on Hunger Mountain.
When is the deadline?
The postmark deadline is December 10th. If you’re entering electronically, you can wait until the last minute of the last hour of December 10. If you’re using snail mail, your entry should be postmarked by December 10.
Where is last year’s winning entry?
Here. Click to read “Third Surgery” by Rochelle Hurt, chosen by Claudia Emerson.
Or here! Click to read “Between Land and Water” by Ashley Seitz Kramer, chosen in 2010 by Matthew Dickman.
Or right here! Click to read “Edges” by David Cooke, chosen in 2009 by Major Jackson.
Does Hunger Mountain accept electronic entries?
Yes! Please enter up to three original unpublished poems. Your name and address should not appear on the poems; we read contest entries blind. Click the link below to access our submission manager. Once in the submission manager, you’ll need to choose “Ruth Stone Poetry Prize.” Pay the $20.00 entry fee and upload your entry: Enter the Ruth Stone Poetry Prize
Does Hunger Mountain still accept entries via snail mail?
Yes! Entries must be postmarked by December 10 and accompanied by your $20.00 entry fee (please send a check or money order made out to Vermont College of Fine Arts). Please send up to three unpublished poems. Your name and address should not appear on the poems; we read contest entries blind. Instead of writing your name on the manuscript, enclose an index card with the poem titles, your name, address, phone number, and email address. If you like, you may also enclose a self-addressed, stamped envelope (SASE) for a list of winners. Entries must be typed and on one side of the paper only. Use a paper clip or send unbound (no staples or binding, please!)
Send entry and $20.00 entry fee to:
RSPP Hunger Mountain Vermont College of Fine Arts 36 College Street Montpelier, VT 05602
Will entries be considered for general publication as well as for the Ruth Stone Poetry Prize?
Yes, they will.
Are simultaneous submissions okay?
Yes, but please let us know right away if your work is accepted elsewhere. And unfortunately we can’t refund entry fees if the work is accepted elsewhere
May I submit more than one poem for the contest?
Yes, please send up to three poems in one entry. If you’d like to enter more than three poems, you’ll need to submit them in a separate entry with its own entry fee. (You may send more than one entry and entry fee in the same envelope if you’re using snail mail.)
What if I have a question that’s not answered here?
Some new info on this documentary film I first profiled last year, directed by Kevin J. Williams, and titled Fear of A Black Republican. The film asks why there aren't many Black Republicans, and how that fact influences/affects the current 2-party political system in the USA.
Timely, considering last night's Election results.
There's a much longer synopsis of the film, which includes talking heads like Cornell West and Tavis Smiley, on its website HERE. While there, you'll also find an FAQ page that answers questions about the film, like how it was financed, what its objective is, the origins of its title, and why its filmmakers are white, given the subject matter.
I received an email alerting me to the fact that the film is now available on DVD and VOD, so those interested in checking it out can do so right now!
I haven't seen it myself, so I can't offer any commentary. However, I'll be recieving a screener, which I'll watch and share my thoughts on here.
The film has screened in Atlanta, GA; Charlotte, NC; Greensboro, NC; Wilmington, DE; Kansas City, MO (Kansas City Urban Film Festival); Buffalo, NY; Rochester, NY; Trenton, NJ; Portland, OR; Washington, D.C.; Philadelphia, PA; Montgomery, AL; Jackson, MS; Dallas, TX; Waco, TX; Tucson, AZ; Albuquerque, NM; and Salina, KS.
You can find it on DVD on Amazon.com. Or VOD on Apple iTunes for Download or Rental. Visit their website for more info, www.fearofablackrepublican.com.
Currently in post-production is Blood & Fire, a feature documentary from Mazibe Media Productions, directed by Charles Khoza, which examines the horrific wave of xenophobia that swept South Africa in 2008.
The documentary will focus on Mozambican Ernesto Nyamuave, who was burned alive in the Ramaphosa informal settlement in Ekurhuleni, east of Johannesburg, in May of 2008; ti will further track Nyamuave’s life to see what made him leave his beloved Mozambique and venture into South Africa, only to be brutally killed.
In recent years, there have been attacks all over South Africa, in clashes usually between the poorest of the poor. Gangs of local black South Africans descend on informal settlements and shanty towns, armed with clubs, machetes and torches, and attack immigrants from neighboring countries.
Locals accuse immigrants of taking jobs away from them, among other grievances. Sound familiar? It's something that happens almost everywhere in the world, again, usually at the bottom of the socio-economic ladder.
How many times have we heard that sentiment against immigrants right here in the USA? So it's certainly not a "South African problem." I just wanted to make that clear.
Dealing with the aftermath of the attacks has become a large problem for South Africa - prosecuting attackers, accommodating refugees, dealing with a labor shortage, political damage control, seeking to address root causes, and some soul-searching are all taking place.
Blood & Fire will be released before the end of the year, in South Africa.
Watch the trailer for Blood & Fire below (h/t Screen Africa):
“As a Black lesbian feminist, I have a particular feeling, knowledge, and understanding for those sisters with whom I have danced hard, played, or even fought. This deep participation has often been the forerunner for joint concerted actions not possible before.”
The short story goes... the question is asked: Who really benefits? A family has been supporting a child in Uganda via a charity for three years. The father and daughter travel from the UK to Uganda to see if their charity really has made any difference in the life of the Ugandan child they've been supporting for the previous 3 years; or if the difference made is in them
Black women around the world and throughout history have fought for their freedom and inclusion in society. In the United States, we are most familiar with the likes of Rosa Parks, Ella Baker and Claudette Colvin – African American women leaders that fought for Civil Rights throughout the 1960s. The struggle for freedom in the Americas actually started much earlier than that. Today marks the anniversary of a Cuban revolution that began nearly a century before Fidel Castro and Che Guevara’s July 26th Movement. Carlota, who predates both Guevara and Castro, was one of several female Africans responsible for leading a string of successful slave uprisings in Cuba from 1843-44. The freedom of her compatriots would eventually cost Carlota her life.
In 1843, Cuba’s Havana-Matanzas region was the country’s sugar plantation capital. On November 5th, a woman and man by the name of Fermina and Evaristo organized a group of slaves to rebel against the overseers and plantation owners. Drums were used as the primary means of communication, sounding the call to action. Drumming was a great tool for the slaves – their African heritage gave the beat meaning while it sounded like ordinary music to the overseers and landlords who remained unaware of the plan to revolt. Over a series of months, many female and male slaves were freed from four different sugar plantations. During one battle, Fermina and some of her fellows were captured and chained. After months of careful planning, an armed Carlota successfully lead her rebel army to free Fermina. Carlota, and later Fermina, were killed in the subsequent response to these successful uprisings.
An 1840 illustration by John W. Barber depicts captive Africans killing Capt. Ferrer and taking control of the slave ship Amistad in 1839. Photo courtesy of the Associated Press.
Carlota and Fermina may have fallen, but they died as heroes in the pursuit of justice and their actions made a huge difference in the lives of their fellow slaves. The uprisings of 1843-44 were not isolated events; Cuba has a long history of rebellion. Earlier, in 1839, slaves aboard the slave ship La Amistad (which departed from Havana) mutinied and – after a long legal battle in New Haven, Connecticut – eventually returned to Africa as free people. The road to freedom, which these brave women helped pave, was long. The first Cuban War of Independence began in 1868 and slavery was officially abolished in Cuba in 1886.
Carlota’s spirit of advocacy and justice is mirrored in the lives and actions of many other Black women in the United States and abroad. Mary McLeod Bethune, the daughter of South Carolinian slaves, overcame the challenges of her time and went to college. In 1904 she started a school for the education of Black women in Florida, the quality and prestige of which rivaled the local White Schools. Eventually the school combined with a school for local African American men and became Bethune-Cookman University. Later, she became an adviser to President Roosevelt as a member and founder of the Black Cabinet. Dame Eugenia Charles became the first female President of Dominica in 1980, and was the first female head of state to hold that office in any of the Americas. She served for 15 years.
These women are just some examples of the intelligent, dedicated, and compassionate individuals who have worked for the freedom of their fellow women and men. They have challenged the status quo and brought about real social change. While the few highlighted above are well-known, there are numerous strong Black female leaders visible in every facet of our lives, whether or not they are recognized as such. Who do you know that channels Carlota’s revolutionary spirit, sense of conviction and fights for social equality?
Labelle is an all female singing group who were a popular vocal group of the 1960s and 1970s. Originally forming as The Ordettes in 1960 by lead singer Patti LaBelle and childhood friend Sandra Tucker who was replaced by Cindy Birdsong in 1961 and with the inclusion of former members of the Philadelphia-based Del Capris, Sarah Dash and Nona Hendryx, they eventually changed their name to The Bluebelles in 1962 after signing their first recording contract. Mixing doo-wop and gospel, they became known for performing renditions of pop standards such as "Over the Rainbow" and "You'll Never Walk Alone".
After Birdsong's departure to join The Supremes in 1967, the group altered their image at least twice in the 1970s and changed their name to Labelle, performing rock-meshed soul and gospel-singing harmonies, under a pro-feminist approach and famously opening for The Who. In 1973, the group adopted a more flamboyant image and music that melded disco, funk and glam rock. This incarnation of group was best known for singing more provocative issues including racism, sexism and eroticism.
The group is most notable for the proto-disco funk classic "Lady Marmalade" and their outlandish space-age costumes and brash incorporation of rock & roll. They're also known for heralded performances at The Apollo Theater and the Metropolitan Opera House, the latter hall where they became the first contemporary pop group and first African American group to perform there. Although they never announced a breakup, after the end of a 1976 tour, each member enjoyed significant amount of solo success including Nona Hendryx, who followed an idiosyncratic muse into her own solo career, which often bordered on the avant-garde and Patti LaBelle, who's enjoyed a very successful Grammy-winning solo career.
The group returned with their first new album in 32 years with 2008's Back to Now.
History
The beginning — initial success
In 1960, Nona Hendryx and Sarah Dash of the Del Capris joined Patricia "Patsy" Holte and Sandra Tucker as replacement singers for Holte's singing group, The Ordettes (when Tucker's parents made her leave the group, she was replaced by Cindy Birdsong). During their first audition for Philadelphia-based Newtown Records in 1962, the record label boss initially refused to sign them because he felt lead singer Holte was "too dark and too plain" to be a lead singer of a girl group. However when she began singing during an impromptu audition, the boss changed his mind and signed the group, changing their name to the Bluebelles in the process. Holte had her name changed to Patti LaBelle after the group became The Bluebelles. LaBelle means "the beautiful" in French.
Their first release as a group, "I Sold My Heart to the Junkman" (released as The Bluebelles), was originally recorded and released by another girl group, The Starlets, according to LaBelle in her memoirs, Don't Block the Blessings, saying they didn't perform on the original track. The Starlets were forced to release the single under "The Bluebelles" moniker due to conflict with their own record company and due to a conflicting concert schedule were unable to promote the song. LaBelle said the label boss had the group promote the song and they later recorded the song themselves in the studio. The Bluebelles performed the song on American Bandstand and later performed as an opening act for Murray the K's rock revues. The song eventually rose to number-fifteen on the Billboard Hot 100.
After a manager threatened to sue Newtown Records for usage of the "Bluebelles" name, the name was altered as Patti La Belle and Her Bluebelles. Their first and only album on Newtown was a live album recorded at New York's famed Apollo Theater titled Sweethearts of the Apollo, they also released a Christmas album later that same year. After several releases failed to match the success of "Junkman", the group left Newtown in 1963 and signed with Cameo-Parkway Records, which released the doo-wop ballad, "Down the Aisle (The Wedding Song)". The song featured high whistle register notes from LaBelle near the very end of the song and the single became a Top 40 success reaching number thirty-seven on the Billboard Hot 100 and number fourteen on the Hot R&B Singles chart.
Becoming Patti LaBelle & the Bluebelles - Atlantic Records
The following year, the group recorded their classic version of the pop standard, "You'll Never Walk Alone", which also became a top forty pop single firmly putting La Belle and the Bluebelles on the pop music map. The group dominated the chitlin' circuit during this period winning rave reviews for their emotional live performances. After the modestly successful release of "Danny Boy", the group issued another live album for Cameo-Parkway in 1964 before leaving that label for Atlantic Records in 1965. In 1966, the group recorded their first studio album, Over the Rainbow (under the Patti LaBelle and The Bluebelles moniker), which featured the first recording of what later became a Patti standard, the cover of "Over the Rainbow", and also featured the R&B hit, "All or Nothing" and one of the first recordings of "Groovy Kind of Love". The group discovered a fan base in England where they headlined a tour at in 1966 performing live on the show, Ready Steady Go!, and performed with Elton John's band Bluesology backing them up. During that year, they also contributed background vocals to Wilson Pickett's hit "634-5789 (Soulsville U.S.A.)".
In 1967, they released their second album for Atlantic titled, Dreamer, which featured the Curtis Mayfield-composed hit, "I'm Still Waiting". That same year, however, the group was thrown for a loop when Cindy Birdsong suddenly left the group to join The Supremes after spending months as a stand-in for Supremes founder Florence Ballard. By then the girl group sound had run out of favor with popular audiences having been replaced by psychedelic rock bands such as Sly and the Family Stone and The Jimi Hendrix Experience. In 1970, the group was dropped from Atlantic Records.
Reinvention
Frustrated with their dormant careers, Labelle began performing overseas in 1970 and while in London, they hired British TV producer Vicki Wickham to remake their image. Wickham advised them to change their name to simply Labelle and produced a contemporary rock sound for the group. Though Patti LaBelle admitted later that she was uncomfortable with the changes, she eventually went along with it because she was tired of fighting over it with Wickham.
Ditching their trademark bouffant wigs and dresses, the group adapted Afros and jeans and returned to The United States in 1971 signing with Warner Bros. Records and releasing their debut album, Labelle, notable for the sexually charged rocker, "Morning Much Better", and their covers of Laura Nyro's "Time and Love" and The Rolling Stones' "Wild Horses" and the Hendryx/LaBelle-penned socially conscious composition, "Shades of Difference". That same year, they sung background to Nyro on her acclaimed album, Gonna Take a Miracle, produced by Philadelphia soul stalwarts Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff and also contributed to Nikki Giovanni's Peace Be Still. During recording of the Nyro album, Gamble & Huff approached the group with a song written for them titled "If You Don't Know Me By Now". But due to a conflicting touring schedule the group had, they were unable to record it. Instead, the song was altered to fit a male's point of view and after failing to give it to The Dells ended up releasing it as a single for Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes featuring a young Teddy Pendergrass on lead vocals. LaBelle would tell of the story during her solo live performances from the 1980s onwards. In 1972, the group released their second Warner Bros. release, Moon Shadow, which featured more songwriting from the group members, particularly Nona Hendryx. The album is also notable for their gospel-fueled renditions of folk rocker Cat Stevens' "Moon Shadow" and The Who's "Won't Get Fooled Again". Despite critical raves, neither album did well commercially. With these transitional records, Labelle had become one of the few African American, all-female groups to record socially conscious and sexually potent material later being hailed as female pioneers of the progressive soul movement.
Success
In 1973, following LaBelle's birth of her son Zuri, the group signed an one-off deal with RCA Records and released Pressure Cookin', which, except for a cover of "Something in the Air" segued with Gil Scott Heron's acclaimed "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised" and a song given to them by Stevie Wonder ("Open Your Heart"), featured compositions by Hendryx including the funk rock single "Goin' On a Holiday", the power rock ballad, "(Can I Speak to You Before You Go to) Hollywood" and the Latin rock-flavored "Lemme See You in the Light". That same year, their career got a boost when they opened for The Who during a world tour and again changed their image, now including glam rock elements, which impressed critics who viewed their concerts during this period. In 1974, leaving RCA, CBS Records signed the group to their Epic division and after a two-week recording in New Orleans released the Allen Toussaint-produced Nightbirds album, famed for their first number-one hit, "Lady Marmalade" (famed for its come-hither French chorus, "Voulez-vous coucher avec moi, ce soir?"), and the top fifty politically-conscious funk hit, "What Can I Do for You?" In October of 1974, the group performed at the Metropolitan Opera House becoming the first African American contemporary pop group to do so. As a result of their groundbreaking success between 1974 and 1975, Labelle also made the cover of Rolling Stone magazine in 1975 making them the first African American vocal group to be placed on the cover of the rock magazine. That year, they released the critically successful and modestly commercial hit, Phoenix, which featured more elements of rock with strong glam rock and funk rock elements. The following year, they released another critical hit, 1976's Chameleon, famed for their feminist funk anthem, "Get You Somebody New" and the future Patti LaBelle standard, "Isn't It a Shame", a song that Hendryx and Dash initially disliked. The group's experimental material further set them apart from other black pop groups outside of Parliament-Funkadelic, who recorded similar material.
Solo careers and reunions
By 1976, the strain of performing together and recording material had taken a toll on the group. During recordings of the album, Shaman, neither LaBelle, Dash or Hendryx could agree on a musical direction. Following a December 1976 concert where Hendryx had a nervous breakdown, LaBelle decided the group should go their separate ways, a decision that initially Hendryx and Dash disagreed with but eventually the trio came to terms with the decision and split up in early 1977. The split repaired their friendship, which was tested during the group's post-Nightbirds era. In 1977, both Hendryx and LaBelle released critically successful debut albums, with Hendryx going into a funk rock sound and LaBelle mixing funk, disco and ballads. Dash released her own critically successful debut the following year. Of the three, lead singer LaBelle unsurprisingly became the most successful, becoming a pop star in the mid-1980s thanks to hits such as "If Only You Knew", "New Attitude" and "On My Own". In 1993, LaBelle was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Dash found more success as a session singer and released several dance singles following Labelle's departure while the experimental Hendryx flirted with hard rock, hip-hop, house and new age to critical success. Her 1987 single, "Why Should I Cry?" became her biggest solo hit. In 1991, after years of recording together sporadically on their solo efforts, Labelle reunited to record the song, "Release Yourself", which was featured on LaBelle's hit 1991 album, Burnin'. The group later reunited to perform the song live at The Apollo Theater during LaBelle's sold-out gig there, later broadcasted for television. Four years later, in 1995, the band reunited again for the dance hit, "Turn It Out", which hit number-one on Billboard's dance singles chart, and was featured off the soundtrack to the film, To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything Julie Newmar. In 1999, the group was given a Lifetime Achievement Award at the R&B Foundation Awards (as Patti LaBelle and the Bluebelles) and reunited with Cindy Birdsong 32 years after she departed from the group. Another reunion occurred in 2001 where the band performed live during a tribute to Patti on BET; Birdsong also appeared on the show. In 2005, Labelle performed on the song "Preaching to the Choir", the title track of a movie in which Patti co-starred in. Footage of the group recording the song and another song, the Rosa Parks tribute song, "Dear Rosa", was shown on Patti's style show, Living It Up with Patti LaBelle. In 2008, Labelle signed with Verve Records and released their first album in 32 years with the critically successful Back to Now, which featured the R&B ballad "Superlover", their first charted success since "Turn It Out". The album was produced by Lenny Kravitz, Kenny Gamble & Leon Huff and Wyclef Jean and featured a song from the Labelle archives of the 1970s, a 1971 remake of the Cole Porter standard, "Miss Otis Regrets". That year, the trio went back on tour together which carried through the spring of 2009. In an interview with the Toronto Star Patti LaBelle explained why she, Dash and Hendryx waited over 32 years to record a full length album: "You don't want to half-step something this important....it was about finding the right time and place. We were never ones to do anything on anyone else's time anyway; we were always unconventional. I still have my glitter boots to prove it."
The group performed a triumphant show at the Apollo Theatre in New York City on December 19, 2008.
Legacy and influence
Years after their departure in 1976, Labelle's influence has been reflected by groups such as En Vogue, Destiny's Child and The Pussycat Dolls, who recorded the Labelle hit, "Far As We Felt Like Goin'" from the Phoenix album. Their biggest hit, "Lady Marmalade" continues to be covered, with its successful covers being renditions by All Saints and the Grammy-winning number-one hit collaboration between singers Christina Aguilera, Pink and M?a and rapper Lil' Kim in 2001. The latter song recorded for the Moulin Rouge! soundtrack. The song was also covered by Madchester-era indie group The Happy Mondays, who spliced it with "Kinky Afro". The group's 1960s hit, "You'll Never Walk Alone", was sampled by Kanye West in an early version of his song, "Homecoming" (which sampled the group's "walk on" intro) while their 1970s hit, "Isn't It a Shame" was sampled by Nelly on his song, "My Place". Their 1973 single, "Goin' On a Holiday", was also sampled in several hip-hop songs (sampling the group's vocal bridge, "goin', goin', goin', goin'...on...").
Labelle has been called musical pioneers for their experimental material in the 1970s and for mixing sounds of glam rock, funk and soul. The group has also been called pioneers of the disco movement for the proto-disco singles "Lady Marmalade" and "Messin' With My Mind". In turn, "Lady Marmalade" has been also called one of the first mainstream disco hits (Jones and Kantonen, 1999). Hailed as pioneers of the progressive soul movement of the 1970s, they were also one of the first African American female groups to write and arrange their own material and were one of the few groups to record under a socially conscious slant. As "Patti LaBelle and the Bluebelles", the group has been called one of the greatest girl groups of the era and as Labelle, they have been called the best female group of the 1970s. Besides Tina Turner and Betty Davis, Labelle were one of the few black groups to successfully adapt rock elements into their soul style. In 2003, "Lady Marmalade" was inducted to the Grammy Hall of Fame.
Personnel
Labelle (aka The Bluebelles, Patti LaBelle and Her Bluebelles, Patti LaBelle and the Bluebelles)
For 40+ years, the Rance Allen Group has crossed many boundaries, influenced countless artists and made musical history with their lives and music.
In celebration of their life and career, Tyscot Music & Entertainment presents Amazing Grace, an audio and visual collection that showcases their music from the past 4 decades. This project features brand new music and a few cover tunes including an unforgettable rendition of the world-renowned hymn, Amazing Grace.
The Visual collection includes the never-before-seen Rance Allen Group documentary Music Majors, featuring rare interviews with Kirk Franklin, James Fortune, Isaac Caree, Dorinda Clark-Cole, Keith "Wonderboy" Johnson, Paul Porter and more.
These phenomenal artists came together to express their love for The Rance Allen Group and how they influenced their lives and music.
The documentary takes fans on a journey through the life of Rance, Tom and Steve Allen from their early days in Monroe, OH to becoming Grammy Award nominees and performing on BET’s Celebration of Gospel.
The trio of brothers were gospel & soul music groundbreakers in the ‘70s and continue to influence countless artists of all genres to this day. Even so, there has yet to be definitive album that truly showcases their body of work since joining forces with Tyscot Music & Entertainment. Their upcoming release, Amazing Grace, does just that.
The Rance Allen Group’s new 2-disc set CD/DVD project, Amazing Grace, will be available in stores and online November 27th. Check out the preview below:
Manuscripts are judged anonymously. Codhill Press will consider all finalists for publication. Please see our Chapbook Award 2011 page for a list of last year's winner and finalists.
Guidelines
The competition is open to any poet who writes in English. Previously published poems with proper acknowledgement are acceptable. Translations and previously self-published books are not eligible.
Poets should submit twenty to thirty pages (no more than one poem per page) plus SASE for contest results and $25 reading fee. Manuscripts should be on good quality white paper, paginated consecutively, with a table of contents and acknowledgements and bound with a clip. Include two cover pages, one with the title of the manuscript alone, and a second with your name, address, phone number, and email address, together with the title. Your name must not appear anywhere else on the manuscript.
Entries must be postmarked by December 10, 2012.
No UPS or FedEx. You may include a SASE postcard for confirmation. Manuscripts will not be returned. Simultaneous submissions to other publishers are permitted, but Codhill Press must be notified immediately if the manuscript is accepted elsewhere.
Mail manuscript and entry fee to:
Pauline Uchmanowicz Codhill Poetry Chapbook Award P.O. Box 280 Bloomington, NY 12411-0280
Contest Procedures and Ethical Concerns.
Codhill Press is committed to safeguarding the integrity of its contest. You should not enter if you have studied with the judge or received her help in shaping a manuscript. Similarly, in order to avoid any impropriety, the judge is instructed to set aside any manuscript she has had a hand in creating. Codhill subscribes to the CLMP contest code of ethics, and agrees to
1. conduct our contest as ethically as possible and to address any unethical behavior on the part of our readers, judges, or editors;
2. provide clear and specific contest guidelines--defining conflict of interest for all parties involved; and
3. make the mechanics of the selection process available to the public.
Additional considerations.
Before you submit a manuscript to the Codhill competition, please read the work of the poets we publish. We publish a diversity of approaches, from the formal to the openly experimental. Codhill has published books by poets in academe and by poets having no connection to academics. We have published books that are accessible and ones that are abstract and demanding--and the range between. All publications rely on vivid language use, a musicality, technique, importance of content, and a willingness to take risks.
Who is this year’s judge?
