“My current definition of poetry...is that a poem is the artifact or the trace that is left behind and created through the poet’s movement of mind over a problem or a situation,” says Kiki Petrosino in “Between Worlds,” an interview by India Gonzalez for Poets & Writers. “When we think about these problems, language is generated, and what we are left with is a poem.” Think of a problem or issue you have been struggling with—practically or emotionally—and write a poem inspired by this idea that poetry is language left behind by work done in the mind. How do these trace words combine to form a portrayal of your concerns?

“However it is encountered, beauty is always an exception, always in despite of. This is why it moves us,” writes John Berger in “The White Bird,” his 1985 essay on aesthetics. Write a personal essay that examines a moment or particular object that you found beautiful during a difficult time in your life. What was this beauty in despite of? Describe the physical and emotional environment that surrounded this object or incident. How did this beauty change your perspective on your situation or on what was going on in the wider world?
 

The deadline is just around the corner for this year’s Auburn Witness Poetry Prize. Named for the late poet Jake Adam York and sponsored by Southern Humanities Review, the prize is given annually for a “poem of witness.” The winner of the prize will receive $1,000 and publication in Southern Humanities Review, as well as travel expenses to give a reading at Auburn University in October. This year’s judge is Paisley Rekdal.

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Using only the online submission system, submit up to three poems with an entry fee of $15 by May 8. The entry fee includes a copy of the magazine. All entries are considered for publication. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

The Auburn Witness Poetry Prize was established after Jake Adam York’s untimely death in 2012. York, an alumni of Auburn University whose writing flourished during his time as a student, “went on to write poems that, with both love and anguish, examined race relations in the South, celebrating the triumphs of the Civil Rights movement and questioning, as a native son of the South, his own complicity in its tragedies.” The award celebrates this work and his legacy. Previous winners of the prize include Teresa Dzieglewicz, Amanda Gunn, and Laura Sobbott Ross.

“You know who I imagine? The narrator. I imagine the narrator as an actual reader, reading what I’ve written and commenting to me about the voice and point of view,” writes Lorrie Moore in a New Yorker interview by Deborah Treisman, about the reader she imagines when writing. “You have to be true to your narrator. The narrator is the supreme reader. And narrators may quibble with the narration you’ve created for them.” Write a new version of an old story, or perhaps one you never finished, while imagining that the narrator has objections about how they are portrayed. Adjust the voice to be true to your narrator’s new needs. 

As we enter into a new month of the coronavirus pandemic, we are in a new phase of transition as some states are reopening businesses and outdoor spaces. In Houston, there are some restaurants open with limited capacity and the Galleria mall even opened with limited hours. All this change can leave us feeling turned around and unsure. But one thing is for sure, the literary community is here for us and there are plenty of things to do online to keep us busy and provide some calm in these times.

Here is my countdown of five Houston-based virtual literary activities for you:

5. Feel like listening to a literary podcast? No sweat. Ink Well: A Tintero Projects & Inprint Podcast just released three new episodes (one with Carolyn Forché), all recorded just before the lockdown.

4. Have kids at home and you want them to get into some writing? Check out Writers In the Schools’ website for Quick WITS, fifteen-minute mini-workshops for K-5 grade students.

3. Want to check out some readings by some of your favorite authors? Head over to Inprint where they keep a full collection of readings from both the Margarett Root Brown and Cool Brains! Inprint Readings for Young People series.

2. Do you want to hear from authors in Spanish? Then check out Literal magazine’s YouTube channel, where they keep a series of interviews with writers from Mexico, Central America, and South America.

1. Lastly, make sure you register for Glass Mountain’s Strikethrough, a four-day virtual writing workshop for emerging writers from May 25 to 28, which is in lieu of their annual Boldface writing conference.

Enjoy and let me know what caught your attention. Hit me up on Twitter, @houstonpworg.

What comes to mind when you think of indoor activities versus outdoor activities? As the weeks of the coronavirus pandemic lockdown wear on, many have found it necessary to reconsider the traditional boundaries of these divisions. A recent New York Times article featured Michael Ortiz, a “financial executive and recreational endurance athlete” who has been running hundred-mile marathons inside his 960-square-foot apartment in Brooklyn, first running 13,200 laps around his living room rugs in sixty hours, and then on a treadmill. Write a pair of poems; one that focuses on an indoor activity, and one on an outdoor activity. How has your notion of those designations been transformed since the pandemic? Are there new designations you’ve created?

Get a head start this month by submitting to contests with a deadline of May 15. These poetry, fiction, and nonfiction awards include several contests for emerging writers and a prize for a documentary project that features both images and text. All offer a prize of $1,000 or more.

Academy of American Poets James Laughlin Award: A prize of $5,000 is given annually for a second book of poetry by a living poet to be published in the coming calendar year. The winner also receives an all-expenses paid weeklong residency at the Betsy Hotel in Miami Beach, Florida. Copies of the winning book are purchased and distributed to members of the Academy of American Poets. Rick Barot, Gabrielle Calvocoressi, and Honorée Jeffers will judge. Entry fee: none.

Academy of American Poets Lenore Marshall Poetry Prize: A prize of $25,000 is given annually for a poetry collection by a living poet published in the United States during the previous year. The winner also receives an all-expenses paid ten-day residency at Glen Hollow in Naples, New York. Copies of the winning book are purchased and distributed to members of the Academy of American Poets. Garrett Hongo, Carol Muske-Dukes, and Tim Seibles will judge. Entry fee: $75.

American Poetry Review Stanley Kunitz Memorial Prize: A prize of $1,000 and publication in American Poetry Review is given annually for a single poem by a poet under the age of 40. The editors will judge. Entry fee: $15 (includes a copy of the prize issue).

Carve Raymond Carver Short Story Contest: A prize of $2,000 and publication in Carve is given annually for a short story. The winning story will also be read by three literary agents. Pam Houston will judge. Entry fee: $15 ($17 for electronic submissions).

Center for Documentary Studies Dorothea Lange–Paul Taylor Prize: A prize of $10,000 and publication in the Center for Documentary Studies digital periodical is given annually for a documentary project that incorporates images and text in any genre. The winning piece will also be placed in the Archive of Documentary Arts at Duke University’s Rubinstein Library. Independent and collaborative fieldwork projects are eligible. Entry fee: $60.

Gaudy Boy Press Poetry Book Prize: A prize of $1,000 and publication by Gaudy Boy Press, an imprint of the literary nonprofit Singapore Unbound, is given annually for a poetry collection by an Asian writer. Cyril Wong will judge. Entry fee: $10.

Lost Horse Press Idaho Prize for Poetry: A prize of $1,000, publication by Lost Horse Press, and 20 author copies is given annually for a poetry collection by a U.S poet. Entry fee: $28.

Pittsburg State University Cow Creek Chapbook Contest: A prize of $1,000, publication by Pittsburg State University, and 25 author copies is given annually for a poetry chapbook. Marcus Wicker will judge. Entry fee: $15.

Ploughshares Emerging Writer’s Contest: Three prizes of $2,000 each and publication in Ploughshares are given annually for a poem or group of poems, a short story, and an essay. Each winner also receives a consultation with the literary agency Aevitas. Writers who have not published a book or chapbook are eligible. Ilya Kaminsky, Kirstin Valdez Quade, and Esmé Weijun Wang will judge for poetry, fiction, and nonfiction, respectively. Entry fee: $24 (includes subscription).

Ruminate Janet B. McCabe Poetry Prize: A prize of $1,500 and publication in Ruminate is given annually for a single poem. Katie Peterson will judge. Entry fee: $20 (includes a digital copy of Ruminate).

University of Nebraska Press Backwaters Prize: A prize of $2,000, publication by University of Nebraska Press, and 20 author copies is given annually for a poetry collection. An honorable mention prize of $1,000 and publication by University of Nebraska Press will also be given. Matt Mason will judge. Entry fee: $30.

Visit the contest websites for complete guidelines, and check out the Grants & Awards database and Submission Calendar for more contests in poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction.