FARMINGTON — Literacy Volunteers of Franklin and Somerset Counties has opened the 10th annual Franklin County Poetry Contest, a free, all-ages contest, to all residents of Franklin County. First-, second- and third-place winners will be selected in six categories; Ages 0-7, 8-12, 13-17, 18-25, 26 and older, and Literacy Volunteers students.
First-place winners will receive cash prizes of $25; second place, two movie tickets; and third place, five Literacy Bucks. All winners will be invited to read at an awards ceremony at the Farmington Public Library on Wednesday, May 13, and will have their poems printed in the program.
To enter, submit one poem to the Farmington Public Library, 117 Academy St., Farmington, Maine 04938, or email Literacyvolunteersfs@gmail.com, by Friday, April 3, with a cover letter listing the poet’s name, category, contact information and the title of the poem. Cover letters need not include biographical information. Only submissions that follow this criteria and are submitted by April 3 will be considered.
All poems must be original and previously unpublished. Poems will not be returned, so do not send originals or a SASE. Simultaneous submissions are accepted; note on the cover letter and notify the Literacy Volunteers immediately of acceptance elsewhere.
Literacy Volunteers of Franklin and Somerset Counties will process all poems and send them, anonymized and with identifying information removed, to an out-of-county judge, Poet Laine Kuehn, who will select the winners in each category. Kuehn graduated from Denver School of the Arts in 2010 as a creative writing major and has recently earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in creative writing from the University of Maine in Farmington. Kuehn, a 2013 and 2014 intern with the Beloit Poetry Journal, serves on the steering committee for the annual Belfast Poetry Festival and resides in Belfast.
Finalists will be notified by May 1; other confirmation of receipt should not be expected.
For more information about the contest guidelines, visit westernmaineliteracy.org or call 207-778-4312.
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