2010 Lester M. Wolfson Poetry Award / Deadline March 1, 2010.
Judge: David Dodd Lee, Series Editor
Wolfson Press. For the most updated information, go to the Wolfson Press 42 Miles Poetry blog.
The Lester M. Wolfson Poetry Award is being created in an effort
to bring fresh and original voices to the poetry reading public.
The prize will be offered annually to any poet writing in English,
including poets who have never published a full length book as well
as poets who have published several. New and Selected collections
of poems are also welcome. The winning poet will receive $1,000 and
publication of his or her book. The winner will also be invited to give
a reading at Indiana University South Bend as part of the release of
the book. Finalists, other than the prize-winning manuscript, will be
considered for publication. The final selection will be made by the
Series Editor. Suggested length: no fewer than 48 pages. 100 pages
maximum for a one time collection, no page limit for Selected poems
collections. Current or former students or employees of Indiana
University South Bend, as well as friends of the Series Editor, are not
eligible for the prize. There is a $25, non-refundable, entry fee, made
payable to Indiana University. There is no limit on the number of entries
an author may submit. Simultaneous submissions are fine, in fact
they are encouraged, just please withdraw your manuscript if it
gets taken for publication elsewhere. Please include a SASE with
each entry. Please include a self-addressed postage paid postcard
if you desire confirmation of manuscript receipt. No manuscripts will
be returned. Entries sent by e-mail or fax are not permitted; they will
be disqualified. On your cover sheet include name, address, phone number,
and e-mail. The manuscript should be paginated and include a table of
contents and acknowledgments page. Manuscripts will be accepted
starting December 1, 2009, and ending deadline will be March 1, 2010.
Manuscripts received prior to December 1, or postmarked after March 1,
will be recycled and the entry fee returned. The winner will receive 50
copies of his or her book. With questions e-mail Davdlee@iusb.edu.
Mail manuscripts to:
Lester M. Wolfson Poetry Award
Indiana University South Bend
Department of English
1700 Mishawaka Avenue
P. O. Box 7111
South Bend, IN 46634-7111
Manuscripts submitted for the Lester M. Wolfson Poetry Award
should exhibit an awareness of the contemporary “voice” in American
poetry, an awareness of our moment in time as poets. We are excited
to receive poetry that is experimental as well as work of a more
formalist bent, as long as it reflects a complexity and sophistication of
thought and language. Urgency, yes; melodrama, not so much. Winners
will be announced via this website, as well as through the mail. We will
also announce the winner in major magazines (Poets & Writers) and
blogs, including this one. The winning book, and any others chosen
from the pool of entries, will be published in 2011.
