USC’s Poetry Initiative is partnering with the University’s Office for Sexual Health and Violence Prevention in promoting a theme driven poetry contest that centers on domestic violence.
The contest is connected to the organization’s Silent Witness Project, and the focus of submitted poems should relate to the theme: “Relationship Violence Leaves a Deafening Silence: The Silence Ends Today.”
All poems submitted to the contest must include a component that connects with some form of abuse as it relates to relationships. The word “relationships” may be interpreted in its broadest context. Recreating the violent moment in the form of a poem will honor the criterion The Silence Ends Today.”
USC’s Distinguished Poet-in-Residence and English professor Kwame Dawes will judge the contest. From the contest submissions, awards will be given to the three best entries.
Guidelines are:
- Submission of a maximum of three poems per individual
- Poems should be no more than 24 lines long
- There must be two title pages for each submitted poem: one with the title of the poem, plus the poet’s name, address, and e-mail address; the second page should be identical but should NOT include the poet’s name or address (i.e., the poet’s name must not appear on the second title page of each submitted poem)
- The poet must own the copyright to the work
- A self-addressed, stamped envelope (SASE), for notification only, must be included with submission; Poems will not be returned.
- Entries will be accepted between Oct. 13 and Oct. 25
- The winners will be announced at an award ceremony at 8 p.m. Nov. 11 in the Russell House Theatre.
- The awards ceremony will be held in conjunction with a reading by writer and activist against child abuse Cindy Nord; Nord is the author of The Nickel Run.
E-mail submissions will not be accepted. Mail submissions with SASE (notification only, manuscripts will be recycled) to: S.C. Poetry Initiative, USC Department of English, Columbia, SC 29208.
The S.C. Poetry Initiative is in its third year and has become one of the state's premiere organizations devoted to the art of writing, reading, and hearing poetry. Dawes is the director of the initiative.
For more information, call Charlene Spearen, assistant director of the S.C. Poetry Initiative, at 7-2230 or e-mail her at CMSPEARE@gwm.sc.edu.
10/05
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