Ohio Poetry Association Blog

The Ohio Poetry Association is now accepting submissions for its annual High School Contests. For more information, visit the OPA website at www.ohiopoetryassn.org or click here for a flyer with complete details. Please spread the word to any Ohio high school English teachers you may know. While we have about 200 schools on our mailing list, we know this is only a small number of those that might want to participate. The more schools, the more entries. And the more entries, the better quality of submissions. Ten winners from Ohio will have their poems sent on to the National Federation of State Poetry Societies annual Manningham Trust Youth Poetry Competition. In recent years, young Ohio poets have done very well. In fact last year's Ohio winner, Erica Sallee of Briggs HS (Columbus), took second place at the national competition. We look forward to reading more great poems this year from Ohio's young poets!

ATTENTION OPA MEMBERS! Standing Rock Cultural Arts (SRCA), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit cultural arts and education organization in Kent, Ohio, is holding its third annual SRCA POETRY CHAPBOOK COMPETITION. Details: Entry Fee: $9 per manuscript (via Submishmash) to defray expenses and support poetry programming. ALL ENTRANTS RECEIVE A COPY OF THE WINNING CHAPBOOK. Contest open to U.S. residents only. WINNER RECEIVES 25 COPIES AND $50 MINIMUM CASH PRIZE. Submissions accepted July 1-October 31, 2012. Electronic as well as mailed entries are accepted; electronic preferred. Guest judges will be Lynne Albert, John Dorsey , and Allen Hines. Editor Tina Puckett may judge in the finalist round. Entries are blind and the guest judges will be blind judging entries. The editor will see entries only if there is an issue with a submission at the time of receipt. See http://standingrock.net/LiterarySeries.htm for full submission guidelines, rights, judge bios, and to read about our previous winn...

As reported in the most recent edition of Workshopping Our Words,  several months of hard work by the OPA team has paid off in the form of a Community Arts Fund grant from The Columbus Foundation (TCF). After painstakingly updating the OPA profile, submitting applications, and patiently awaiting a response, the Association was awarded a grant of $500 this past summer. These funds will be used to help produce the forthcoming OPA anthology. The OPA first established a profile with TCF two years ago under the guidance of then-OPA President Doug Rutledge. The profile is part of the TCF PowerPhilanthropy program and was originally established in an effort to improve OPA's ability to secure funding via charitable giving. The first success of these efforts was achieved last fall, when OPA raised over $700 during the TCF “The Big Give” campaign. Since that time, OPA officers have steadfastly sought other avenues of fundraising. Those interested in donating to OPA may ...

Ohio Poetry Association Annual Picnic Saturday, July 21, 2012 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Dairy Lane Park, Dairy Lane, Athens, Ohio   The OPA Annual Picnic will be held at the Dairy Lane Park shelter house. The site is reserved for the entire day, so people can arrive any time from 10 A.M. on. Lunch begins about 12:30. Electricity, running water, miniature golf, and cornhole targets are available. Alcohol is not permitted. The park closes at dark. Bring your own plates, tableware, and a dish to share. Susan Glassmeyer (Cincinnati) will be our featured poet and we will have an open-mic period following the feature. Directions to Dairy Lane Park Coming from or through Columbus: Follow U.S. 33 East. At Lancaster, take the by-pass, not the business route. Stay on U.S. 33 through Nelsonville, then take the Route 682/ The Plains exit. Turn right onto OH 682 , through The Plains. After you cross Route 56, take the first right, onto N. Ridge Road. Bear right at the Yield s...

Th e Ohi o P oetr y Associatio n presents: A n Afternoo n o f All-Stars Susa n Glassm e y er Cincinnat i Susa n ha s dedicate d muc h o f he r lif e t o writing an d p r omotin g th e ar t o f poetr y , i n particular th r oug h events , classe s an d workshop s a t Little Pocke t Poetr y . Recentl y chose n b y poe t Marge Pie r c y t o atten d a weeklon g poetr y intensiv e this summe r o n Cap e Cod , Susa n ha s tw o published chapbooks : Bod y Matter s (2010) , an d Cook ’ s Luc k (2011). Mar k Sebastia n J ordan Lucas Mar k Sebastia n Jo r da n i s a n awa r d-winnin g poet, livin g i n th e centra l highland s r egio n o f Ohio . His publication s includ e th e book s 177 6 & Al l That , Phoebe , an d Th e Boo k o f Jobs . Hi s wor k has appea r e d i n Puddin g Magazine , Cas e Reserve Revie w , Li t Bits , Kenyo n Alumn i Bulletin , High Fidelit y Revie w ...

Only Six Days Left to Enter! Click Here to Submit Online 2012 Stan and Tom Wick Poetry Prize $2,500 for a First Book of Poems This prize is offered annually to a poet who has not previously published a full-length collection of poems. The prize awards the winner with $2,500 and publication of his or her first full-length book of poetry by the Kent State University Press. The winner and the competition's judge will give a reading together on the Kent State campus. The 2011 winner was Wet by Carolyn Creedon, chosen by Edward Hirsch; the 2012 winner will be chosen by Dorianne Laux. Entry requirements: The competition is open to poets writing in English who have not yet published a full-length collection of poems (a volume of 50 or more pages published in an edition of 500 or more copies). There is a $25 reading fee. Checks should be made payable to the Wick Poetry Center. Submissions must consist of 50 to 70 pages of poetry, typed o...

From Steve Abbott: The Poetry Forum is pleased to announce the winners of the 2012 William Redding Competition: First Place: Ellie Swenson, Columbus Second Place: David Nichols, Columbus Third Place: Rachel Wiley, Columbus Winners were selected in a blind process by Poetry Forum coordinators Rose Smith, Connie Everett, and Steve Abbott. Ellie Swenson will receive $100 and be the featured reader at The Poetry Forum's final reading of the season on May 7 at 7 PM at Rumba Cafe, 2507 Summit Street (at Hudson) in Columbus. Dave Nichols will receive his choice of a $50 bookstore gift certificate or a seat in Columbus Salon, the monthly poetry workshop hosted by Rose Smith. He will read a mini-set at the May 7 reading. Rachel Wiley will receive a $25 bookstore gift certificate. She will read a mini-set at the May 7 reading. We thank everyone who submitted work. We received submissions for across the state, and overall quality of work was impress...

The Ohio Poetry Association presents: Spring Writers' Retreat at Malabar Farm State Park, Lucas, Ohio Saturday/Sunday, April 14-15, 2012 Overnight stay with Sunday breakfast at the Malabar Farm Hostel, only $35 Featuring workshops led by Jeff Gundy For reservations, please call 419-892-2055. Make checks payable to H. I. Malabar Farm. Spaces available on a first-come/first-served basis.  Hostelling International Malabar Farm 3954 Bromfield Rd Lucas OH 44843

In our 75th year, Ohio Poetry Day offers a competition for the Diamond Webb chapbook award in lieu of our usual Poet of the Year. Open to Ohio natives or residents who have never been named Poet of the Year, the award is publication of a 36-page chapbook to be produced in time for Poetry Day, October 19–20. Manuscript must be submitted on standard 8½ x 11 paper, but the book will be printed in the usual 5½ x 8½ size, so be aware of format. Individual poems may have been previously published, but not the manuscript in its entirety, nor may it be under consideration elsewhere. The award will consist of 75 books to the winner, a plaque as the Poet of the Year and an invitation to speak at the Ohio Poetry Day luncheon, as other Poets of the Year have done. Manuscript must be sent with two title pages, one with no poet identification, the other with name, address, and phone number (e-mail will not help the submission process, though it may assist in publication of the win...

This year's high school winners are in, and they are an amazing set. 1. Whoppers, spons. by Springfield Writers Club: 1st - Griff Bludworth, Purcell Marian HS 2nd - Lou Suer, Purcell Marian HS 3rd - Mike Gilb, Purcell Marian HS HM - Eloydia Garza, Ashley Billings, Benjamin Perlmutter, Faymiette Lee, Matthew Troemner – Sylvania Southview HS; Rachel Hunt, Megan Hustmyer, Dustin Joosten – Purcell Marian HS. 2. Fantasy, spons. by Catherine Callaghan: 1st - Mike Gilb, Purcell Marian HS 2nd - Griff Bludworth, Purcell Marian HS 3rd - Rachel Hunt, Purcell Marian HS HM - Elijah Davis, Purcell Marian HS 3. Jailhouse Talk, spons by Laura Hilton Memorial Fund: 1st - Megan Hustmyer, Purcell Marian HS 2nd - Mike Gilb, Purcell Marian HS 3rd - Sheila Shahri, Sylvania Southview HS HM - Brandon Sinram, Scott Gaither, Jessica Miksanek, Smitri Gupta, Niket Parikh, Mackenzie Pickering, & Faymiette Lee – Sylvania Southview HS; Cassandra Feher – St...