Monday, March 23, 2015

2015 Hessler Street Fair Poetry Anthology and Contest

It's time to submit to the 2015 Hessler Street Fair Poetry Anthology. If your poem gets chosen for the book, you'll be invited to read it 5/13 at Mac's Backs-Books On Coventry. Immediately after the reading, three winners will be selected. Winners receive cash prizes and the opportunity to read live and on the radio during the Fair itself.  But even if you don't wish to compete, you are welcome to submit to the book.



The rest of the story:

Submit up to 5 original poems to hesslerpoetry@crisischronicles.com. Please include your name, street address, city, state, zip code, and telephone number with your submission. (No snail mail entries, please.) Word docx preferred. Otherwise, in the body of the email is acceptable.

Entry deadline is April 20th, 2015. We will let you know by April 30th if your work is accepted for the anthology. On Wednesday May 13th, 2015 at 7pm, a qualifying round of readings by those whose poems have been selected will be held during the book's release at Mac's Backs Books on Coventry. About 20 minutes after all poets have read, prize winners will be announced and prizes will be handed out.

1st Prize $100
2nd Prize $50
3rd Prize $25

Open to ages 14 and up.

Poets published in the book may purchase one contributor's copy of the 2015 Hessler Street Fair Poetry Anthology the evening of the release at Mac's Back's or from the Hessler Street Fair Booth at Hessler Rd. & Hessler Ct. during the days of the 2015 Fair for half price. Full price will be charged for additional copies.

If you have won in the last three years you can submit to the anthology but will not be eligible to win a prize.

Prize winners are also expected to read on the designated day (May 16th or 17th) during the Hessler Street Fair.

Poetry has always been an integral part of the Hessler Street Fair, sometimes having its own stage on the street and sometimes combining with music on the main stage, but always doing something interesting. The top three winners will be given the opportunity to read from the stage at the Hessler Street Fair, simulcast on live radio and the web, during the Fair. Poetry read on air must not include any words designated to be obscene language as stated by the U.S. Federal Communications Commission.

Once again, all entries should be emailed to hesslerpoetry@crisischronicles.com. Happy writing!

1820 Coventry Road
Cleveland Heights, OH 44118
(216) 321-2665

For more about the Hessler Street Fair, established in 1969, please visit hesslerstreetfair.org.

6 comments:

Geoffrey A. Landis said...

This is always a great event.
Check out the Hessler street fair page here: www.hesslerstreetfair.org/?page_id=31

John B. Burroughs said...

Even if you can't be in Cleveland Heights on May 13th to read your poem and compete, I hope you'll still submit to the anthology. This is my first year doing it, and I want to honor the grand tradition established by Daniel Thompson, Joshua Gage and others by making it as good as it can be. But it all depends on you and your poems. I'm so grateful to everyone who has submitted so far. Keep 'em coming!

Janne said...

Hi John, do you accept illustrated poems too? Cheers / Janne K

John B. Burroughs said...

Hi, Janne!

Yes, illustrated poems - and even just illustrations - are welcome. The book will be printed in black and white.

John B. Burroughs said...

Due to the unexpectedly huge volume of submissions (hundreds of poems), I am not yet finished reading and responding (though I'm getting close). If you sent us poems and haven't heard anything back yet, yea or nay, you will for sure on May 1st. I'm going to bed now, but will resume in the morning when I'm fresh. Thanks for your patience! I look forward to the contest reading and anthology launch on May 13th at Mac's Backs-Books On Coventry. Hope to see you there!

Geoffrey A. Landis said...

I might have guessed that-- on April 20, the day of the deadline, the blog got 615 page views. We usually get between 100 and 150 page views on an average day, occasionally as many as 250, but 615 was unusual. I think people were hitting the blog to check the Hessler rules before the deadline!

Cited...

The poet doesn't invent. He listens. ~Jean Cocteau