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Thursday, November 20, 2008

Poetry and Poetry Contests

Above all, keep in mind that poetry collections must be novelistically structured. Before Emily Dickinson’s heap of 1,775 untitled poems could be competitive she would have to discard 1,700 of them, give each of the remaining 75 a title, sort them into three thematic batches, each with a section title and epigraph, and come up with a catchy “umbrella” title (Wild Nights might be a hit with student-screeners). This procedure is so de rigueur these days it’s as if there were a bumper sticker slapped on every collection, boasting: “My other book is a novella.”

Some interesting advice from contest winner and publisher David Alpaugh.

To read the entire article click HERE

Trinity Rep Radio Theater: feature a program of stories and poems that explore the relationship between mothers and daughters. [MP3] —

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