The 2014 November PAD (Poem-A-Day) Chapbook Challenge results are in, and I can’t wait to share the winner. I always shoot for Groundhog Day to make the big announcement, but I don’t always hit that mark. The only reason I’m a day off this time around is that the competition was so fierce.
A little more than 100 chapbook manuscripts were entered, and many of them would’ve been in the running as a finalist in previous years. It made for great reading, but it also made for great anxiety in figuring out finalists–let alone a winner!
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2015 Poet’s Market
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Edited by Robert Lee Brewer, this edition of Poet’s Market includes articles on the craft of poetry, business of poetry, and promotion of poetry. Plus, interviews with poets and original contemporary poems. Oh yeah, and hundreds of poetry publishing opportunities, including book publishers, chapbook publishers, magazines, journals, online publications, contests, and so much more!
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It was tough to pick a winner, but pick a winner I did: A Good Passion, by Barbara Young.
Congratulations, Barbara!
Here are a few poems from A Good Passion:
“About the Language and Inevitable Death,” by Barbara Young
Once upon a time
and this is before you
or I or your mother or
the dry disappearing women
who live under bridges
were born, words –some
words– had different meanings
than today’s.
Night, for instance.
And Alone. Alone, alone
could fill all the space between all the yellow cities
on the map with
hollow, a hollow more empty than the echo
of the emptiest of moved from homes, dust
where the dresser was, a penny, half a toothpick.
But we use ancestors’ words
to name the things we know. And call the yellow
night sky black. And say he died
and went to hell.
“Jericho Road,” by Barbara Young
Blind Bartimaus, they called him
before the miracle.
What was he, to himself, after?
I lost weight once.
Never in my own mind, though.
Gained back more.
And never became that person,
revised, either. Tell me
Blind man, about the aftermath
of your miracle.
“XX,” by Barbara Young
A kiss
so sweet I
hit
repeat
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Again, congratulations, Barbara!
But wait! There’s more!
I have, of course, picked a few other chapbooks to recognize as well. While I could list more than a dozen that gave A Good Passion a run for its money, here are the Top 5 chapbooks, including the winner:
- A Good Passion, by Barbara Young
- A Nest of Shadormas, by William Preston
- The Staircase Before You, by Jess(i)e Marino
- Lives Other Than Our Own, by James Von Hendy
- 1991 Winter, by Marilyn Braendeholm
Congratulations to all the finalists! And to everyone who entered!
I often receive notes of success from poets who’ve entered these challenges and found success with their poems–both individually and as collections–elsewhere. I expect great things from the poems and collections submitted this year!
And remember: the 2015 April PAD Challenge is just around the corner!
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Robert Lee Brewer is Senior Content Editor of the Writer’s Digest Writing Community and author of the poetry collection, Solving the World’s Problems (Press 53). He edits Poet’s Market, Writer’s Market, and Guide to Self-Publishing, in addition to writing a free weekly WritersMarket.com newsletter and poetry column for Writer’s Digest magazine.
He enjoyed the 2014 November PAD Chapbook Challenge, and he is looking forward to the 2015 April PAD Challenge!
Follow him on Twitter @robertleebrewer.
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First off, the final results are not yet finalized for all the days. That’s my fault. While I secured guest judges, I alone took on the burden of whittling down each day’s poems to a short list. Next year, I plan to recruit a team of readers to help with that narrowing.
That said, I do have some final results to share and will update as the rest of the results are returned. I’m going to hold off on sharing Top 10 lists for days that still don’t have a winner–since I want the guest judging to be completely blind.
Here are the April PAD Challenge results for each day:
The winner is highlighted; the top 10 is in no particular order; an asterisk (*) denotes a poem that “almost” won. If you notice any errors (including your byline), please send me an e-mail at [email protected] to get it corrected as soon as possible.
Day 1:
Prompt: Beginnings and/or Endings Poem
Guest Judge: Traci Brimhall
“cathedra,” by Barton Smock
“Learning Italian,” by emmaisanOwl
“When your domesticated coyote,” by Lara Eckener
“Movement Through Spacetime,” by Sara Doyle
“Taking My Time,” by Cati Porter
“I cannot begin to tell you,” by Taylor Mali
“The Truth Itself Takes Care to Make Eyes,” by LGordon
“In Diminuendo,” by Richard Fenwick
“Restoring Beauty,” by James Von Hendy
“Thorn Bones,” by Taylor Graham
Day 2:
Prompt: Voyage Poem
Guest Judge: Neil Aitken
“sedoka,” by Stewart C Baker
“Canada Geese,” by TheFlawlessWord
“Riding the ATV to the Mailbox in Early Spring,” by Kit Cooley
“Midnight Voyage,” by Margie Fuston
“as if the windshield wipers,” by alotus_poetry
“Progress Takes Its Own Voyage,” by Barb Peters
“Georgia O’Keefe Hitches a Ride to Abiquiu,” by susanjer
“Here I Am Holding,” by iris dunkle
“The Journey,” by ehorowitz
“Between Neverland and Oz,” by Walt Wojtanik
Day 3:
Prompt: Message Poem
Guest Judge: Shaindel Beers
“Belle Boyd, Confederate spy, imagines a letter from her Shadow Sister, by Kathryn Stripling Byer
“Message,” by Eleanore D. Trupkiewicz
“Wish You Were Here,” by shethra77
“Large Puddle in the Street…,” by Hannah Gosselin
“The Post,” by Sara Doyle
“for violet,” by brandon speck
“Sticky Note,” by James Brush
“Tell Me Again How Family Is So Important,” by Kelly Ramsdell Fineman
“When Smoke Gets In Your Eyes,” by Kimiko Martinez
“Written in the Wind,” by Emma Hine
Day 4:
Prompt: “Since (blank)” Poem
Guest Judge: Vince Gotera
“Since I Am Taking a Break From Facebook,” by k weber
“Since October,” by Richard Fenwick*
“since you left,” by drwasy
“since the last time i heard your voice,” by Fatima Hirsi
“Since I Gave Myself Permission,” by Elizabeth Weaver-Kreider
“Since the pear I for days let ripen,” by Genevieve Fitzgerald
“Since you split my lip,” by PKP
“Since My Poems Broke Up With Me,” by Jacqueline Hallenbeck
“Since the Last Snow,” by Bruce Niedt
“Since Fukushima,” by Tracy Davidson
Day 5:
Prompt: Discover Something Poem
Guest Judge: Patricia Fargnoli
“Hubris,” by Sharon Fagan McDermott
“Discovery,” by Carol J Carpenter
“Xox,” by hohlwein
“The End of Things Before They Begin,” by David Walker
“Divinum Mysterium,” by Jane Shlensky
“An entomologist after an apocalypse,” by amaranthe
“Attempt #4, Saturday morning,” by Taylor Emily Copeland
“Agate Tides,” by Mokosh28
“Found Alive (Berlin 1945),” by dianemdavis
“Discovery in the Woods,” by Bucky Ignatius
Day 6:
Prompt: Night Poem
Guest Judge: Andrew Hudgins
“how to live in the country dark,” by Barton Smock
“Summer Night,” by mimzy13
“523.4,” by ina
“We Are Brighter in the Dark,” by Lydia Flores
“Night,” by Elizabeth Weaver-Kreider
“Of the Night,” by Mark Windham
“Sea Monkeys Have an Expiration Date,” by iris dunkle
“Moon Monologue,” by David Walker
“Night of the Sea Monkeys,” by Taylor Graham
“Good Night,” by William Preston
Day 7:
Prompt: Self-Portrait Poem
Guest Judge: January Gill O’Neil
“Self-Portrait as the State of Minnesota,” by susanjer
“A Look Inside,” by Scott Jacobson
“In the Louvre with Rembrandt’s Selfie,” by Margie Fuston
“Self-Portrait,” by Linda G Hatton
“My eyes are sunflowers,” by P.A. Beyer
“Self-Portrait,” by Cameron Steele
“April Self Portrait,” by Eileen Moeller
“Self Portrait,” by Roderick Bates
“51,” by Brian Slusher
“I Am a Crazy Quilt,” by Linda Voit
Day 8:
Prompt: Violent and/or Peaceful Poem
Guest Judge: Tom C. Hunley
“A Taste for Pain,” by Yerma Skyflower
“To the Woman Who Called at 7:15 AM to Break Up With Her Man,” by pamelaraw
“The Threat of Butterflies,” by Mokosh28
“The Prisoner’s Dilemma,” by P.A. Beyer
“Broken,” by iris dunkle
“Under A Box of Matches,” by flood
“My Father Kicked Dogs,” by Courtney O’Banion Smith
“This time, he didn’t make it home,” by Kendall A. Bell
“Unreported,” by Taylor Emily Copeland
“Papers on Top of More Papers,” by Bruce Niedt
Day 9:
Prompt: Shelter Poem
Guest Judge: Kelli Russell Agodon
“Shelter,” by Cameron Steele
“Home Before the Tornado Hits,” by drwasy*
“Ocean’s Voice,” by LCaramanna
“The Niche,” by Linda Hatton
“Shelter,” by Roderick Bates
“Surviving the Storm,” by cam45237
“Thin Shelters,” by carolecole66
“Snow Globe,” by beale.alexis
“Sonnet for the Family Living in Their Car,” by C. Lynn Shaffer
“House,” by donaldillich
Day 10:
Prompt: Future Poem
Guest Judge: Nate Pritts
“What Comes,” by alana sherman
“Intrada,” by Khara House
“To shame the orphan,” by J. Lynn Sheridan
“An Affair in Chicago,” by hwerther
“Uneasy Laughter After Dessert,” by Linda Voit
“Futuro,” by Patrick J. Walsh
“Woman Hollering Creek,” by Kathryn Stripling Byer
“kenning,” by Barton Smock
“The Future Without Me,” by C. Lynn Shaffer
“An Unfinished Sentence,” by AleathiaD
Day 11:
Prompt: Make Statement Title of Poem
Guest Judge: Joseph Mills
Results to come.
Day 12:
Prompt: City Poem
Guest Judge: Victoria Chang
Results to come.
Day 13:
Prompt: Animal Poem
Guest Judge: Daniel Nester
Results to come.
Day 14:
Prompt: “If I Were (blank)” Poem
Guest Judge: Jericho Brown
Results to come.
Day 15:
Prompt: Love and/or Anti-Love Poem
Guest Judge: Barbara Hamby
Results to come.
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At the moment, this book can be had for more than 70% off retail in the Writer’s Digest Shop for only $7.99!
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Day 16:
Prompt: Elegy Poem
Guest Judge: Bob Hicok
Results to come.
Day 17:
Prompt: Pop Culture Poem
Guest Judge: Mary Biddinger
Results to come.
Day 18:
Prompt: Weather Poem
Guest Judge: Nin Andrews
Results to come.
Day 19:
Prompt: Pick Color, Make Title of Poem
Guest Judge: Thomas Lux
“Aubergine,” by Sara Doyle
“Violet,” by Julie Germain
“Orange,” by Brian Slusher
“Prussian Blue,” by Joanne M. Clarkson
“Vermilion,” by Jerry Walraven
“White,” by G. Smith
“Yellow,” by susanjer
“Burnt Umber,” by Eibhlin
“Mandarin Orange,” by pamela raw
“Gray Matter,” by James Von Hendy
Day 20:
Prompt: Family Poem
Guest Judge: Scott Owens
Results to come.
Day 21:
Prompt: Back to Basics Poem
Guest Judge: Deborah Ager
Results to come.
Day 22:
Prompt: Optimistic and/or Pessimistic Poem
Guest Judge: Lawrence Schimel
Results to come.
Day 23:
Prompt: Location Poem
Guest Judge: Erika Meitner
Results to come.
Day 24:
Prompt: “Tell It to the (blank)” Poem
Guest Judge: Kristina Marie Darling
Results to come.
Day 25:
Prompt: The Last Straw Poem
Guest Judge: Erica Wright
Results to come.
Day 26:
Prompt: Water Poem
Guest Judge: Amy King
“Fair Enough,” by k weber
“Ice,” by uneven steven*
“Housewife,” by Amy
“Seasick,” by Dana A. Campbell
“Swamp Water,” by Daniel Roessler
“Thirst,” by De Jackson
“Memento Mori,” by carolecole66
“Water,” by Daniel Paicopulos
“One Hydrogen, Two Oxygen,” by Phil Boiarski
“Dirty laundry needs to soak,” by Kimmy Sophia
Day 27:
Prompt: Monster Poem
Guest Judge: Jeannine Hall Gailey
Results to come.
Day 28:
Prompt: Settled Poem
Guest Judge: Sandra Beasley
Results to come.
Day 29:
Prompt: Realist and/or Magical Poem
Guest Judge: Adam Fitzgerald
Results to come.
Day 30:
Prompt: Calling It a Day Poem
Guest Judge: Jillian Weise
Results to come.
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Whew! I know the results are still coming in, but the poets who’ve made those top 10 lists should be extremely happy with their work. I read through more than 21,000 comments and 5,600 pages of poems and encouragement.
Only 300 of those made the top 10 lists–or less than 1.4%. In other words, around 1 poem for every 100 comments. That’s crazy!
To be named winner, of course, is barely one-tenth of one percent.
In other words, people who made the lists above should be happy-happy-happy. Poets who didn’t make the lists should still feel happy as well. Beyond the subjectivity of the judges (especially me), there’s just the sheer numbers.
Many great poems made it past the first cut only to be trimmed before the top 10 lists were finalized. And well, the goal of this challenge isn’t making a list or being named winner: It’s to create 30 new poems!
Congratulations to everyone who participated and worked toward the goal of creating new poems!
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As many poets who’ve participated in the April PAD Challenge in the past know, I like to hand out a few extra awards, including the Poet Laureate of the Poetic Asides blog. So let’s start with that…
This year’s Poetic Asides Poet Laureate is the first ever repeat laureate. That’s right, William Preston has been named to his second consecutive term as the Poetic Asides Poet Laureate. He’s not only a wonderful poet, but he’s a constant source of inspiration and encouragement in April and throughout the year. In fact, he was still commenting on April poems well into May after the dust had settled on the challenge.
Congratulations, William!
I want to award a Top April Poet award (separate of the Poet Laureate honor), but there are a few that seem to be leading the pack. So I’m going to wait for the final results to all make it in before naming one (or maybe even a tie).
Look for updates over the next couple weeks, and I’ll be sure to publish a notification post when everything is set in stone.
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Poem Your Heart Out
Poems, Prompts & Room to Add Your Own for the 2014 April PAD Challenge!
Words Dance Publishing is offering 20% off pre-orders for the Poem Your Heart Out anthology until August 1st! If you’d like to learn a bit more about our vision for the book, when it will be published, among other details.
Click to continue.
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Robert Lee Brewer is Senior Content Editor of the Writer’s Digest Writing Community and author of Solving the World’s Problems. Every day, he was amazed at the talent, creativity, and energy poets brought to the table in April. Follow him on Twitter @robertleebrewer.
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Find More Poetic Goodies Here:
I originally posted this information on the WritersMarket.com blog
, but since this one covers poetry exclusively, why not re-post here? If you have a great idea for an article pitch, I’d love to hear it. If not, you should at least be able to submit some poems for consideration.
Running until 11:59 p.m. (Atlanta, Georgia time) on September 27, 2013, I’ll be accepting pitches for articles and poems in the 2015 Poet’s Market. Sometime in the middle of October, I’ll start making assignments. If you’re interested in pitching an article idea or three (or a poem!), read on.
What I Like
For the Poet’s Market book, I’m interested in instructional articles for the following three categories:
- Craft of Poetry. Articles on creation, revision, meter, etc.
- Business of Poetry. Articles on submitting poems, reading poems, etc.
- Promotion of Poetry. Articles on finding and connecting with readers.
If you have something outside these areas, feel free to pitch. If interested, I’m sure I can slot it into one of these sections. Feel encouraged to take chances.
One note: I’m not interested in folks pitching interviews with poets (unless you’re pitching an interview with a super high profile poet). The reason for this is that I often interview poets myself.
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Publish your poetry!
Learn how to get your poetry published with the 2014 Poet’s Market
. It provides articles on the craft, business, and promotion of poetry–not to mention hundreds of listings for book publishers, journals, contests, and more!
Click to continue
.
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How to Submit Articles
Here are some guidelines on submitting articles (guidelines for poems are below):
- Submit your pitch via e-mail in the body of the e-mail. I don’t like attachments.
- Send your pitch to [email protected]
with the subject line:
2015 Poet’s Market PitchBegin with your pitch (or pitches) before introducing yourself through your bio. While you may have an impressive bio, I’m most interested in your article idea(s).If you have more than one pitch, include them all in one e-mail. My inbox is crowded; please avoid sending me several e-mail messages.Deadline: September 27, 2013–11:59 p.m. (Atlanta, GA time).How to Submit Poems
Here are guidelines for submitting poems:
- Submit your poems in the body of the e-mail (unless there is some formatting issue). In instances that formatting is a concern, use a common file type (doc, txt, pdf) and explain your reasoning.
- Submit up to 5 poems.
- Submit the poems to [email protected]
with the subject line:
Poems for Poet’s MarketInclude your name, a brief bio note (up to 50 words), and your e-mail.Deadline: September 27, 2013–11:59 p.m. (Atlanta, GA time).*****
Robert Lee Brewer
Robert Lee Brewer is Senior Content Editor of the Writer’s Digest Writing Community. In addition to editing Writer’s Market, Poet’s Market, and the forthcoming Guide to Self-Publishing, he creates blog posts, writes a column for Writer’s Digest magazine, edits a free weekly newsletter, and more fun stuff. Voted Poet Laureate of the Blogosphere in 2010, his debut full-length poetry collection, Solving the World’s Problems, is out from Press 53 (learn more
). He’s married to the poet Tammy Foster Brewer, who helps him keep track of their five little poets (four boys and one princess). Follow him on Twitter @
robertleebrewer.
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Read more poetry-related posts here:
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WD Poetic Form Challenge: Lai.
WD Poetic Form Challenge: Gwawdodyn Winner.
Loved the interview! Thank you both for your insights.
Yowza--I learned so much! Thanks, both of you!
Yes, poets should get into as many schools as they can. This was some kids wrote after my last visit...“I like your books. I love your poems. I think they are very good and funny. I also like your vest that your wife made. Also I like your hat. I would love it if you made more poems.—Brandon
“You gave us the funnest day of our lives. You taught me a lot of things about poetry.”—Austin
“I loved your poems. They were so good that I remember them. You coming to our class made everything better that day. You are a person I will always remember. When I grow up, my second option is being a poet just like you!”—Bryhanna...
Joe Silly Sottile at www.joe-sottile.com
Poets are in schools. I'm a school librarian, a writer and book reviewer (I reviewed The City I Love for School Library Journal and got a thank you note from Lee --XOXOXO). When I have any free time I write:
http://writtenforchildren.blogspot.com
and more recently
http://hiroshigehaiku.wordpress.com
I've lost interest in publishing -- and I don't think I'm alone. So I'm getting the work out there, letting it go. My living doesn't require that my poetry be valued on an economic level. There are incredible poets writing online these days. A great community.
Thank you, Sylvia and Lee, for this thoughtful conversation. Our publishing world is in such flux; I'm just grateful to be along for the ride. We know how children embrace and revel in poetry at "hello," and are lucky that the two of you are tireless and joyful masters at making the introduction.
I think it's a great time for poets, in terms of being able to get their work seen and heard. As Lee notes, new technology will make (and already does make!) that easier. I share Lee's concern about compensation, but I think that we'll find new ways for that, as well, both within and outside of traditional publishing. It's gonna take out of the box thinking... but then again, I don't think people who are compelled to write poetry and share it with children are particularly "in the box" thinkers anyway!
Thanks for sharing the interview, Sylvia and Lee. It's the curse of living in interesting times, indeed.
Sylvia and Lee, Thank you for this interview. I learned a lot, and I'm thinking we should form a band of poetry pirates to ensure that poetic voices are represented at all children's literature,kidlit blogger, and teacher conferences. Too, what can we do in our own locales to promote and celebrate children's poetry? Again, many thanks. A.
Lee & Sylvia, I am very grateful to you both for all you have done, and continue to do, to promote the pleasures of poetry! Also, please add Lee's own wonderful book, PASS THE POETRY, PLEASE!, to that list of must-haves. When I do school visits, I see firsthand how much children enjoy poetry, how it helps them see the world in a new way and inspires their creativity.
JBG
I talk with my writing students at Vermont College of Fine Arts all the time about reading Peter and Iona Opie's wonderful books about playground poems and rhymes, and I encourage people who want to write for children to go out and listen to how much kids love poetry. I also wonder, along with my students, what happens along the way to make that initial love diminish and die out...and I think it has to do with being made to feel there are "wrong" answers and "right" answers about what a poem "means." My hope is that kids will be allowed to love poetry for the pure joy of how it sounds! Many nursery rhymes make no sense, and kids love no(n)sense. Once sense is more important, the love will deepen - meanwhile, I just hope the music of poetry will continue to wash across kids as they grow.
Thanks for the thought-provoking interview, Sylvia.
Thank you both for the insights. The fate of the anthology surprises me. With the ever-growing expectation from publishers that their authors be deeply involved in the promotion of their works, I would think publishers would jump at the opportunity to release anthologies. If a collection has 40 contributors, they have 40 writers actively supporting that title.
This thoughtful conversation and the comments about children loving poetry should give us all hope, because poetry will prevail. It is just so nourishing and so good. I see opportunities for poets, both online and in strong collections, as Lee points out. The grounds may be shifting, but the form will find a new way.
As this was posted, I was at the SCBWI conference in NYC, where poetry was never mentioned. Not in the main talks, not in the breakouts. (And there were poets on the panels!) But there was a lot of talk about making our work strong, not worrying about trends, drawing from within, polishing and loving what we write, and all this holds true for poetry, too. Maybe this is naive, but I have faith that if poets work hard and write well, publishers will come back.
Thank you, Lee and Sylvia, for this interview.
Thanks, Lee and Sylvia, for this conversation (and everyone who's commented so far). I swing wildly between dejection over the struggle of publishing poetry and joy over the thrill of writing it. I'm thankful poetry has the two of you as ambassadors, and I know how much my life has been enriched by poetry, poetry lovers, and poets. I hold on to that even while trying to figure out how to spread the poetry love:>)