Unusual Calls For Submissions

2nd Annual String Poet Prize:
Up to 40 lines, all forms accepted, including free verse.  Contest theme: “Remembrance.” No previously published poems, or poems that have already won prizes.  Winner receives $200 honorarium and performance of an original musical composition inspired by the winning poem as part of the New York Times-featured String Poet Studio Series is offered for the best poem submitted on the theme: "Remembrance." . Our Final Judge is Kim Bridgford; our Composer is Australian Pianist, Barry Tognolini. Winners and Runners-up published in Spring 2012 issue of String Poet are invited to read at the Award Ceremony on May 25th; all contest submissions are considered for publication in journal. All Submissions due February 25, 2012

NoirCon
What is Noir Poetry? Noir Poetry is (1)* Poetry that makes reference to the subject matter, dialog or style of film noir or the hard-boiled detective genre, or, (2)* Poetry that invokes stark urban landscapes and atmosphere, and which either alludes to crime and perilous attachments or else seems to bear dark knowledge of this territory, or (3) Poetry that tells the story of tortured souls—lovers, psychopaths, obsessives—driven down deadly paths, following desperate plans that are doomed to failure. What to Submit: Your entry should be your own original work. You must be the poet of the submitted work(s). Entries must be original and unpublished works (either in print or on-line). Submitted poems should concern the subject of Noir Poetry and not exceed 2000 words. Poets of all nations may enter. However, the poems you submit should be in English. If you have written a poem in another language, you may translate your poem into English and submit the translation. Prizes and Publication: First prize: $250 and a copy of the printed program with the winning poem to be read at the NoirCon 2012 Award Dinner on November 9th, 2012. Second prize: $150 and a printed program. There will also be eight Most Highly Commended Awards winners. They will receive a copy of the NoirCon 2012 printed program and official NoirCon buttons. The top 10 entries will be published in the NoirCon 2012 printed program. The judge of the winning poem will be Robert Polito, Professor of Writing at The New School, New York City, New York. Entry Fee: The fee is $15 for 1 to 3 original, unpublished poems dealing with Noir. Entry fees are not refundable.  All submissions must be postmarked by March 2, 2012. 

The Origami Poems Project
The Origami Poems Project announces its first annual Poetry Month Celebration Contest. Poems selected will be issued in Origami Collaborative micro-chapbooks this spring. There are 2 themes for these books:  Music  -  and  -  Kindness. We will create at least two books of 5 – 6 poems each per theme. There is no fee for this contest but your submission is priceless to us.  Our prize is also priceless - but the selected poets will receive 5 copies of the book in which your poem appears!  Imagine, getting a snail-mail of an Origami book with your poem – very exciting! Submission Guidelines include: 1. Poem should be around 23 lines long, including Title and Spaces. 2.  Poem’s Line Length should be around 47 characters (which includes spaces between letters). 3.  Poet may submit up to three poems per theme in the body of an email.  Please indicate into which category your poem(s) applies. 4. Unpublished and previously published pieces are welcome. If a piece was published elsewhere, ask nicely for the relevant permissions to reprint. For all selected poems, copyright will revert to the authors. 5.  Email must reach us by Saturday, March 10th, with the subject: Poetry Celebration (or some such wording). Our poetry-welcoming email address: <origami.submission(at)gmail.com> (replace (at) with @). 6.  Selected poems will be announced via email, on our website, and our Facebook page, Monday, April 2, 2012.

Fringe seeks submissions for its sixth-anniversary theme issue:
This issues theme is Remnants. Remnants are fragments, scraps, traces of what came before. They’re Sappho’s poems; the crumbling, Gilded Age mansions of Detroit; the still-burning bits of rig from the Deepwater Horizon spill; the vacation train ticket found stashed in your wallet; the love letters scattered by the Joplin tornado. Remnants speak to the whole that has vanished. As always, we invite you submit work that engages the theme topically and/or formally.  Please carefully read the guidelines for the genre you're submitting in, and add “Remnants” to your subject line. We look forward to seeing your work! Fringe Magazine was founded in 2005 by an all-women group of editors dedicated to political and experimental literature. The quarterly online journal has published work by more than 120 writers and artists since its first issue in February 2006. Each month, the magazine receives 13,000+ unique users. Submissions for art are closed as of February 15, 2012. Submissions in all other genres close March 15, 2012.

TallGrass Writers Guild
This issues theme is: 'Deep Waters – Rivers, Lakes and Seas’; direct links to the natural world are fine, but don’t overlook emotional ‘deep waters’; dams; naval warfare; commercial transport; and denizens of the deep. We interpret broadly and are especially interested in poetry. Prizes: $500 each for poetry and prose. Include SASE. Previously published and simultaneously submissions OK (please indicate on entry form). No limit on number of submissions in either category. We accept hard copy only.FOR COMPLETE GUIDELINES with required entry form email: outriderpress(at)sbcglobal.net; or tallgrassguild(at)sbcglobal.net, replacing (at) with @. Telephone: 219-322-7270 or toll-free 866-510-6735. All Submissions must be postmarked by March 30, 2012.