The Department of English at Southern Illinois University Carbondale and GRASSROOTS, SIUC’s undergraduate literary magazine, are pleased to announce the 2010 Devil’s Kitchen Reading Awards. One book of poetry and one book of prose (novel, short fiction, or literary nonfiction) will be selected from submissions of titles published in 2009, and the winning authors will receive an honorarium of $1000 and will present a public reading and participate in panels at the Devil’s Kitchen Fall Literary Festival at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, Illinois. The dates for the 2010 festival are yet to be determined, but usually takes place in late October/early November. Travel and accommodations will be provided for the two winners.

Entries may be submitted by either author or publisher, and must include a copy of the book, a cover letter, a brief biography of the author including previous publications, and a $15.00 entry fee made out to “SIUC – Dept. of English.” Entries must be postmarked December 1, 2009 – February 1, 2010. Materials postmarked after February 1 will be returned unopened. Because we cannot guarantee their return, all entries will become the property of the SIUC Department of English. Entrants wishing acknowledgment of receipt of materials must include a self-addressed stamped postcard.

In each category, $1,000 and publication in the CSU Poetry Series is offered for the best full-length volume of original poetry in English submitted between November 1, 2009 and February 16, 2010 (postmark deadline).

The 2010 First Book Competition will be judged by Rae Armantrout. For more than two decades, Armantrout has taught Poetry and Poetics at the University of California at San Diego. She is the author of ten books of poetry, including Versed (Wesleyan, 2009), Next Life (Wesleyan, 2007), Up to Speed (Wesleyan, 2004), and Veil: New and Selected Poems (Wesleyan, 2001).

The 2010 Open Book Competition will be juried by an Editorial Committee comprised of Kazim Ali, Mary Biddinger, Michael Dumanis, and Sarah Gridley.

A prize of $1,000 and publication for a chapbook-length poetry collection.
Open to women who have never before published a full-length poetry collection.
Previous chapbook publication does not disqualify.

International entries are welcome. Multiple submissions are accepted.

Leah Maines will final judge.
All entries will be considered for publication. The top-ten finalists will be offered publication.
Submit up to 26 pages of poetry, PLUS bio, acknowledgments, SASE and cover letter with a

$15 entry fee (pay by check, money order or pay online to pay using your credit card)

The Colorado Prize for Poetry is an international literary contest started in 1995. Since the contest began, over 5,000 book-length poetry manuscripts have been entered. Each year’s prizewinner receives a $1,500 honorarium and publication of his or her book by the Center for Literary Publishing.

The Colorado Prize for Poetry adheres to the following Contest Code of Ethics, as adopted by the Council of Literary Presses and Magazines, of which the Center for Literary Publishing is a longtime member: “CLMP’s community of independent literary publishers believes that ethical contests serve our shared goal: to connect writers and readers by publishing exceptional writing. We believe that intent to act ethically, clarity of guidelines, and transparency of process form the foundation of an ethical contest. To that end, we agree to 1) conduct our contests as ethically as possible and to address any unethical behavior on the part of our readers, judges, or editors; 2) to provide clear and specific contest guidelines — defining conflict of interest for all parties involved; and 3) to make the mechanics of our selection process available to the public. This Code recognizes that different contest models produce different results, but that each model can be run ethically. We have adopted this Code to reinforce our integrity and dedication as a publishing community and to ensure that our contests contribute to a vibrant literary heritage.”

The 2010 Editors’ Prize Contest

We’re excited to announce that we are now accepting entries for the 2010 Editors’ Prize Contests in Fiction and Poetry. Deadline December 15, 2009.

For a $16 entry fee, you receive a chance at a $1,000 prize. The fee will also cover a one-year subscription to Meridian (entries from outside the U.S. will receive only the prize issue due to additional mailing costs.)

We expect to announce winners in early March 2010.

All submissions will be considered for standard publication in Meridian.

Fiction writers may submit one story of 10,000 words or fewer. Poets may submit up to 4 poems.

You may enter more than one time; however, in the past, entering multiple times has not significantly increased a contestant’s odds.

Submit your work through ManuscriptHub.com. Make sure that your account includes a working e-mail (one valid through March of 2010). It’s the only way for us to contact you.

Best of luck!

My life as a poet changed dramatically in 1999 when Psychiatric Times founder John L. Schwartz, MD, and editor Christine Potvin decided to include my poems as a monthly column in Psychiatric Times. With the creation of “Poetry of the Times,” I experienced a tremendous jolt of artistic energy, a sense of affirmation, and a huge boost in confidence. Writing the column continues to propel my poetry 10 years later.

But I did have one moment of doubt. . . .

On the eve of publication of the first poem, I realized that more than 43,000 colleagues in psychiatry and the allied mental health professions would be able to read my poetry and consider whatever the poems might reveal about me. As you might imagine, I felt exposed and vulnerable. Fortunately, my anxiety was unnecessary; your support and resonance with the poems has been one of the most gratifying aspects of the column. Over the years, your e-mails, letters, and personal words of encouragement have been heartwarming, and knowing that the poems touch your personal and professional lives in a meaningful way continues to be an important source of motivation for me. I have also appreciated the many opportunities you have created for me to speak at medical school grand rounds, literary events, and psychiatric residency training programs around the country. It has been a pleasure to meet so many wonderful colleagues and to have the opportunity to learn more about the poems as you share your insights with me.

Knowing I would have a column to fill each month provided a huge motivation to be disciplined about my writing. Over time, I produced a body of work, and in 2002 my first collection of poems, How JFK Killed My Father, won the Pearl Poetry Prize and was published by Pearl Editions—a literary press. The poems explore my relationship with my father, who suffered with chronic autoimmune disease, and how his illness affected him, our family, and my career as a physician. To continue to honor my father’s memory and to encourage the creative efforts of young writers the way Psychiatric Times had fostered my own writing, I used the Pearl Poetry Prize money to establish and fund the Gerald F. Berlin Creative Writing Prize for medical students, residents, nursing students, and graduate students at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. The award is designed to stimulate our colleagues in training to reflect on their experiences by writing poetry and essays. The award process also encourages student writers to try on the identity of poet and writer. Their stunning poems and essays are available on my Web site www.richardmberlin.com.