Submitting your poem…

On your mark…get set…

Poems can be submitted to the Sue Boynton Poetry Contest by mail or in person.

Mail poems to
Sue Boynton Poetry Contest
PO Box 1042
Bellingham, WA 98227

OR

Deliver poems to
Mindport Exhibits
210 W. Holly
Bellingham, WA 98225
Please note Mindport hours:
Wednesday through Friday 12-6
Saturday 10-5
Sunday 12-4 (exception: closed Sunday, March 6, 2011)
Closed Monday & Tuesday

Contest submission checklist

The Sue Boynton Poetry Contest will begin accepting submissions on Tuesday, March 1, 2011. Before you send your poem, please review this handy submission checklist:

• I am a resident of Whatcom County, Washington.
• If I am under 18 years of age, my parents know that I am submitting a poem to the contest and they have reviewed the printed guidelines.
• I am submitting three copies of my poem (not stapled).
• One copy has my name and other identifying information (specified in the Sue Boynton Contest ~ 2011 Guidelines) in the upper right-hand corner.
• The other copies have NO identifying information – just the poem and title.
• I have counted the lines, including the title and the blank line below the title, and the total is 27 or fewer.
• I have carefully counted the characters in every line, including all blank spaces and all punctuation, and the total is 55 or fewer per line.
• I understand that poems cannot be considered if they exceed the line-count or character-count specifications.
• I have kept a copy of my poem.
• I understand that if my poem happens to be selected, I’ll be notified by phone by April 20, 2011.
• I have added BoyntonPoetryContest AT hotmail DOT com to my e-mail contacts so I receive important updates about the contest and my submission.
• I have marked my calendar for Wednesday, May 11, 7pm, to attend the contest awards ceremony.
• I understand that poems will not be accepted in person or by mail after 5:00pm, Friday, April 1, 2011.
• I know that if I have questions about the contest, I can probably find the answers on the 2011 contest page or the FAQs page or I can send an e-mail to BoyntonPoetryContest AT hotmail DOT com.

Thanks for participating. We look forward to reading your poem!

King of All Erasers*

By Jose Valenzuala, 5th grade
2010 Merit Award

Why are you
the king?
And why do
You have
A scar
In your eye
Wait
A minute
I
Made you

*Copyright 2010 by Jose Valenzuala. This poem appears in POETRY WALK: Sue C. Boynton Poetry Contest – The First Five Years. Info: Book! Placard design by Egress Studio.

Boynton poets on TV!

Tune in to Bellingham TV Channel 10 (BTV10) these days (and nights) and in between regular programming, you’re likely to see and hear a 2010 Sue Boynton Poetry Contest winner reading his or her winning poem.

BTV10 broadcasts programs of local interest, with subjects including Updates from Olympia, NW Native Culture & News, Schools, Pets, WWU Lectures, Bellingham City Council, League of Women Voters, etc.

The featured poets and poems are:
Abigail Carr ~ Blowing the Lake into Place
David P. Drummond ~ Guillemots
Carla Shafer ~ Migrant
Evan Ingalls ~ Natural Communication
Carolyn McCarthy ~ Wild Orchid
Kevin Murphy ~ The Falling Apart
Ellie Rogers ~ Window Seat
Luke Reinschmidt ~ I Remember
Jo Ann Heydron ~ How to Stay
Paul Piper ~ To a Slug in Winter
Sheila Nickerson ~ In a University Town: September
Kim Roe ~ After Being Called ‘Girlie’ at the Hardware Store

Special thanks to Dal Neitzel, BTV Station Coordinator, and Christine Kendall, contest committee member, for their diligent attention to detail.

Have you made your reservation?

Please join the Sue Boynton Poetry Contest at the 2nd annual
Taste for Poetry
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
at Ciao Thyme in the kitchen
Bellingham, Washington
Featured poet: Kevin Murphy
Delicious!
A few seats still left at the table.
Reserve now: Taste for Poetry 2011

on poetry…

“Poems show us that we are both more and less than human, that we’re part of the cosmos and part of the chaos, and that everything is a part of everything else.” Julia Casterton

Countdown to poetry…

The Sue Boynton Poetry Contest will begin accepting submissions from Whatcom County poets a week from today, Tuesday, March 1.

Submissions close at 5pm on Friday, April 1.

Read all about it: Complete details and printable guidelines on the 2011 contest page. Additional information on the FAQs page.

Poets, on your mark!

poetry workshop added!

This coming Saturday, February 26, treat yourself to a double dose of poetry writing as Lana Hechtman Ayers offers not one but two poetry workshops to benefit the Sue Boynton Poetry Contest! See the complete descriptions on the Events page…and reserve a space while there’s still time!

10:00am-12:30pm: Mouth to Mouth: Breathing Life into Persona Poems

12:30-1:30pm: Lunch break in downtown Bellingham

1:30 to 4:00pm: The List Poem as Expression of Ecstasy and Obsession

See you there!

Spring Fall*

By Johanna Landis
2006 Merit Award

Naïve, pinkly fresh to a fault,
cherry blossoms fluff themselves.

Blinking wide-eyed petals,
they clump together

like high school girls headed
for the bathroom.

Unbeknownst to them,
their bloom will be quick,

their fall in still-early spring.
The prettiest ones

learn best.

*Copyright 2006 by Johanna Landis. This poem appears in POETRY WALK: Sue C. Boynton Poetry Contest – The First Five Years. Info: Book! Placard design by Egress Studio.

quoting the poets…

“Poetry is memory become image,
and image become voice.”
Octavio Paz