Calling all poets: Tampa-based YellowJacket Press has announced it will start accepting poems for the Peter Meinke Prize on June 15. The Peter Meinke Prize, which YJP started awarding in 2011, "honors Meinke’s enduring work and generous contributions to the writers and literary landscape of Florida," according to a YJP press release.
Entrants should submit between 18 and 20 pages of poetry (more detail in the rules, below).
Peter Meinke, Florida's Poet Laureate, has published more than a dozen books, some poetry but others fiction and nonfiction books. He also pens "Poet's Notebook," a bi-weekly column that uses poetry as political commentary, for CL.
Melissa Carroll for The Karma Machine; J.D. Scott for Night Errands; George Bishop for Following Myself Home; and Aliesa Zoecklein for At Each Moment, Air are all previous winners.
YJP will announce the winner on or before Sept. 10. They'll award the winning poet $500, publish a book of their poems (and give them 50 copies of the book) and invite the winner to read alongside other YJP poets at the Other Words conference this October in Tampa.
The rules:
- Any US citizen may enter. Send 18-20 pages of poetry, a title page, table of content and acknowledgments (no more than 24 pages total). Please make sure your name appears nowhere on this manuscript.
- YJP will accept submissions starting at 9 a.m. on June 15 and ending when it receives 200 submissions or at midnight on June 30, whichever comes first.
- YJP will only accept submissions through its submission portal; mailed and emailed poems will not get considered.
- The contest has a $12 entry fee.
- YJP will judge submissions anonymously
- Submit your work here.
- Want more information? Email them here.
