The Friends of the Orange Public Libraries has announce the start of the Seventh Annual Robert P Collén Poetry Competition. Anyone who is interested is welcome to enter the competition; this year’s theme will be ‘road trip.’ The submission guidelines are as follows:
Writers may submit a maximum of three poems about the theme of ‘road trip’ as it’s individually defined. Only unpublished poems will be accepted. Please submit all poems on white 8.5-by-11-inch paper, typed in a plain font. Do not place any personal information on the side of the paper where the poems appear. All personal information including name, address, phone and email should go on the reverse side of the paper. The notification that the poem has been entered into the contest will be sent either through email or by phone. All poems submitted will not be returned, please make copies for yourself if you wish to keep your poems. The top 10 finalists will be chosen to compete for prize money on Tuesday, Oct. 27. First prize for the competition is $100, second prize is $50, and third prize is $25.
All poems being submitted by mail must be postmarked by the submission deadline date: Saturday, Oct. 11. If you are mailing your submissions please send them to: Robert P Collén Poetry Competition, Wheeler Memorial Library, 49 East Main St., Orange, MA 01364.
Everyone who knew poet Bob Collén was well aware of his affection for his hometown of Orange. His most celebrated poem, “The Town and the River,” is a love song to the place of his birth and the inspiration behind this competition.
Last year’s winners are as follows: 1st place: Michael R. Young for their poem “Early March” (pantoum); 2nd place: Amy Gordon for their poem “Bequest“; 3rd place: Stephanie B. Shafran for their poem “After Since Unfinished by Richard Blanco.”
The Robert P Collén Poetry Competition is being sponsored by the Friends of the Orange Public Libraries. For more information about the competition please call the Wheeler Memorial Library at 978-544-2495 ext. 100 or 102 during the library’s open hours or email Todd Ladeau at tladeau@orangelib.org.