Story last updated at 1/19/2011 - 12:23 pm
JUNEAU - Poetry OmniBus, together with the Juneau Arts & Humanities Council, Capital Transit, Printing Trade Company, Juneau Libraries, Juneau Jazz & Classics, and UAS are looking for this year's fresh and surprising poems from Juneau locals. Poetry OmniBus wants your original work, which can be submitted in one of two age categories: youth (5-12 grades) or adult.
Poetry OmniBus is changing the contest this year by offering three categories for your original poems: Tweet Category (that's 140 characters, including spaces, and yes, we're counting!), Wish Category, and the Alphabet Category (a poem or stanza of 26 words. It doesn't have to begin with the letter A, but each word must begin with the next letter of the alphabet. Think it's easy? Try it!). While no topic is off-limit, poems must be suitable for a general audience. Also, due to size constraints on the bus placards, poems must be no more than 10 lines. The submission period opened Jan, 15 and closes on March 15. Poems will be selected by a panel of distinguished poets including current Alaska State Laureate Peggy Shumaker; poet and UAS professor Ernestine Hayes; and Master of Cheerful Smiles and author Jeff Brown.
The preferred method for submissions is via an e-mail attachment (in either Adobe PDF or Microsoft Word format) to PoetryOmniBus@hotmail.com. You may also type your poem into the body of your e-mail. If you prefer to submit a paper copy, please bring your submission to the Juneau Arts & Humanities Council offices in the old Armory building. You may submit up to 6 poems - two poems in each category; however, only the first poem is free. After that, it'll cost you $5 to submit the other 5 poems.
If you are not familiar with Poetry Omnibus, hop on any of Juneau's 16 Capital Transit buses and start reading the poems by last year/s winners! You can also find poems in three-ring binders at the reference desk of each Juneau library. An educator's packet is available and can be e-mailed to instructors upon request.
Poets will be invited to read their submissions during Community Day Celebration at UAS on May 21. All poems submitted to Poetry OmniBus are published in the three-ring binders retained by all four of Juneau's libraries.
For more information, e-mail PoetryOmniBus@hotmail.com or contact the Juneau Arts & Humanities Council at 586-2787. Entry forms can be found on Juneau buses, your nearest library, and online at http://jahc.org/concerts-and-events/poetry-omnibus-2. Submit today and maybe your work will inspire Juneau bus riders tomorrow!
