ANOTHER UPDATE
Thank god- it's closed!
Give us a couple of days. There are a lot of entries to read through and we both have outside priorities. We'll try to get this done by Friday, but no promises.
UPDATE
If you do NOT wish to receive a critique for your piece- DON'T ENTER.
Let me say that again:
IF YOU DO NOT WISH TO RECEIVE A CRITIQUE FOR YOUR PIECE- DON'T ENTER.
We said below that we will be critiquing. That means pointing out what doesn't work as well as what does- and why. If you don't want to hear it- remove your piece or DON'T ENTER.
It's poetry- art with words. That means you MUST have command of language, grammar, spelling. A painter does not paint a masterpiece without learning the difference between oil and water or green and purple.
If you don't want a critique- that's fine. It's perfectly okay to write for yourself or a few friends. In entering this contest, you have read the rules and see that part of it includes critique, regardless of whether or not your box is checked.
So, for the last time:
IF YOU DO NOT WISH TO RECEIVE A CRITIQUE FOR YOUR PIECE- DON'T ENTER.
MSLJ is looking for quality poetry and short stories to publish:
www.morningstarliteraryjournal.com/
We will look at all entries, but we suggest you check out the magazine to get a feel for what we publish before entering.
You may enter only one poem and one short story in the contest. Entries that we don't consider right for our magazine will be removed from the contest to make judging easier.
Before you enter, please read our guidelines:
POEMS THAT TELL RATHER THAN SHOW WILL BE DISQUALIFIED
If you do not know the difference between telling and showing, read this column: allpoetry.com/Column/1209431
Imagery
Imagery is important in poetry. It gives reader a mental picture of what's going on in the piece. You don't have to go overboard with description, but don't be too abstract either. The less we can picture what's happening, the less I can understand it, and the less we understand it, the lower your chances of getting published.
That said, don't make the mistake of using too many adjectives. If you write about the very clear, bright, sleepy, blue, sky with the little, freckled faced, beautiful, innocent ,blond, child looking up at it- that is not imagery, and you won‘t be happy with the critique we give you either. An adjective's job is to tell, but a poet's job is to show.
Be Original
We like things we haven't seen before. People tend to write a lot of pieces about either a grandparent's death or reflections on life while sitting in a coffee shop. It can be the most evocative, well written piece ever written, but if the subject matter is cliché, you are going to lose points. Now, if your grandfather was a zombie who was revived and then killed again by the CIA, well, that is something we don't see every day.
Meaning!
You can't just pour in images for no reason. Everything that's in a piece needs to have a reason for being there, including the piece itself, and make the meaning universal. Something that has personal meaning to you, but makes no sense to anyone else, is not appropriate for this contest.
Getting It
We read each poem more than once, so we don't expect to understand it everything right away, but there should at least be a mood or a vibe that We can pick up right away. If it looks like random words on the page after We've read it to myself and out loud, then We're going to treat it like random words.
Line Breaks
Line breaks are very important. Even freeform poetry has a pattern for line breaks. You can't just hit return whenever your line starts getting too long. If the line breaks are jarring and don't flow, it can ruin the piece.
Trim the Fat
Again, it's about meaning. If you get excessive with your words, you're probably veering off course. We've read pieces where whole stanzas could (and should) have been omitted without any loss to the piece.
You can usually cut out the majority of adjectives and adverbs, conjunctions, present participles, definitive articles, and pronouns. When you have done that, what you have left is the imagery, which should be the backbone of your poem along with strong nouns and verbs.
Rhyme
My first reaction is to groan when we read something that rhymes. Yes, it is a valid feature of some poetry, but in the wrong hands it overpowers a poem and forces the poem to do its bidding, so enter rhyming poems at your own risk.
Antique Language
It never fails to amaze me that some people feel throwing words like thy, thee, and thou into poetry makes it more poetic. People don't talk like that anymore, and so throwing antique language in becomes a mannerism, and that is not what poetry is about.
No Whining
If your dog just died, or you just lost your boyfriend, or your great aunt's second cousin was diagnosed with terminal ugly and you feel like you have to write about it, go right ahead, but don't enter it in this contest. Share it with your friends, your family or your therapist, but we don't want to see it.
Tough Critiques
If you enter this contest, we assume you are prepared for a tough critique of your writing. Every contest we hold, someone gets upset because we tell them how to improve their poem. If you think your poetry is above revision, or you can't handle a tough critique of your poetry, then save yourself the grief of entering this contest.
Naturally you're thinking, that this is just our personal taste. You bet. All editors have their own personal opinions of what they want to see. We'ew no different. If you don't like it, submit it to another magazine. Better yet, start one of your own. You'll soon see you're no different.
If you don't follow the rules, your poem will be removed from the contest.
A note from NoUseForAName
This contest is for 300 points. We will award points to 2nd, 3rd, or other as we see fit.
If your poem is removed, you are still welcome to revise it and submit it directly to the magazine. The link is on the top of this page, and is also on both of our author pages.
We will try to comment on everything, but are not making promises.
All entries are for the contest only. This is NOT an open submission. You will have to submit manually to the website in order to be published in the next edition.
If you have any questions, please get send an IM to Danna or me.
Above all- have fun.
Thank god- it's closed!
Give us a couple of days. There are a lot of entries to read through and we both have outside priorities. We'll try to get this done by Friday, but no promises. UPDATE
If you do NOT wish to receive a critique for your piece- DON'T ENTER.
Let me say that again:
IF YOU DO NOT WISH TO RECEIVE A CRITIQUE FOR YOUR PIECE- DON'T ENTER.
We said below that we will be critiquing. That means pointing out what doesn't work as well as what does- and why. If you don't want to hear it- remove your piece or DON'T ENTER.
It's poetry- art with words. That means you MUST have command of language, grammar, spelling. A painter does not paint a masterpiece without learning the difference between oil and water or green and purple.
If you don't want a critique- that's fine. It's perfectly okay to write for yourself or a few friends. In entering this contest, you have read the rules and see that part of it includes critique, regardless of whether or not your box is checked.
So, for the last time:
IF YOU DO NOT WISH TO RECEIVE A CRITIQUE FOR YOUR PIECE- DON'T ENTER.
MSLJ is looking for quality poetry and short stories to publish:
www.morningstarliteraryjournal.com/
We will look at all entries, but we suggest you check out the magazine to get a feel for what we publish before entering.
You may enter only one poem and one short story in the contest. Entries that we don't consider right for our magazine will be removed from the contest to make judging easier.
Before you enter, please read our guidelines:
POEMS THAT TELL RATHER THAN SHOW WILL BE DISQUALIFIED
If you do not know the difference between telling and showing, read this column: allpoetry.com/Column/1209431
Imagery
Imagery is important in poetry. It gives reader a mental picture of what's going on in the piece. You don't have to go overboard with description, but don't be too abstract either. The less we can picture what's happening, the less I can understand it, and the less we understand it, the lower your chances of getting published.
That said, don't make the mistake of using too many adjectives. If you write about the very clear, bright, sleepy, blue, sky with the little, freckled faced, beautiful, innocent ,blond, child looking up at it- that is not imagery, and you won‘t be happy with the critique we give you either. An adjective's job is to tell, but a poet's job is to show.
Be Original
We like things we haven't seen before. People tend to write a lot of pieces about either a grandparent's death or reflections on life while sitting in a coffee shop. It can be the most evocative, well written piece ever written, but if the subject matter is cliché, you are going to lose points. Now, if your grandfather was a zombie who was revived and then killed again by the CIA, well, that is something we don't see every day.
Meaning!
You can't just pour in images for no reason. Everything that's in a piece needs to have a reason for being there, including the piece itself, and make the meaning universal. Something that has personal meaning to you, but makes no sense to anyone else, is not appropriate for this contest.
Getting It
We read each poem more than once, so we don't expect to understand it everything right away, but there should at least be a mood or a vibe that We can pick up right away. If it looks like random words on the page after We've read it to myself and out loud, then We're going to treat it like random words.
Line Breaks
Line breaks are very important. Even freeform poetry has a pattern for line breaks. You can't just hit return whenever your line starts getting too long. If the line breaks are jarring and don't flow, it can ruin the piece.
Trim the Fat
Again, it's about meaning. If you get excessive with your words, you're probably veering off course. We've read pieces where whole stanzas could (and should) have been omitted without any loss to the piece.
You can usually cut out the majority of adjectives and adverbs, conjunctions, present participles, definitive articles, and pronouns. When you have done that, what you have left is the imagery, which should be the backbone of your poem along with strong nouns and verbs.
Rhyme
My first reaction is to groan when we read something that rhymes. Yes, it is a valid feature of some poetry, but in the wrong hands it overpowers a poem and forces the poem to do its bidding, so enter rhyming poems at your own risk.
Antique Language
It never fails to amaze me that some people feel throwing words like thy, thee, and thou into poetry makes it more poetic. People don't talk like that anymore, and so throwing antique language in becomes a mannerism, and that is not what poetry is about.
No Whining
If your dog just died, or you just lost your boyfriend, or your great aunt's second cousin was diagnosed with terminal ugly and you feel like you have to write about it, go right ahead, but don't enter it in this contest. Share it with your friends, your family or your therapist, but we don't want to see it.
Tough Critiques
If you enter this contest, we assume you are prepared for a tough critique of your writing. Every contest we hold, someone gets upset because we tell them how to improve their poem. If you think your poetry is above revision, or you can't handle a tough critique of your poetry, then save yourself the grief of entering this contest.
Naturally you're thinking, that this is just our personal taste. You bet. All editors have their own personal opinions of what they want to see. We'ew no different. If you don't like it, submit it to another magazine. Better yet, start one of your own. You'll soon see you're no different.
If you don't follow the rules, your poem will be removed from the contest.
A note from NoUseForAName
This contest is for 300 points. We will award points to 2nd, 3rd, or other as we see fit.
If your poem is removed, you are still welcome to revise it and submit it directly to the magazine. The link is on the top of this page, and is also on both of our author pages.
We will try to comment on everything, but are not making promises.
All entries are for the contest only. This is NOT an open submission. You will have to submit manually to the website in order to be published in the next edition.
If you have any questions, please get send an IM to Danna or me.
Above all- have fun.
Contest is Over
- Contest was judged on November 7, 2006
- Rewards: Gold: 300
- Final notes: I want to thank everybody for entering. There were a lot of wonderful entries. It was very hard to pick the finalists and the winners. Those who are among the finalists and winners still need to submit their poetry or stories to MSLJ in order to be published in next month's edition. The website address is: http://www.morningstarliteraryjournal.com/
Thanks again for entering.
Contest Winners
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by Annalise 86 lines, 26 comments, on Nov 3 2:53 AM 2006. In Personal, Contemporary
Gold trophy winner
• Commented on by judge. [remove] -
the smell of loss stretches
without pause; it resonates• Commented on by judge. [remove] -
by Long Road Home 49 lines, 12 comments, on Dec 16 6:42 AM 2005. In Contemporary
Bronze trophy winner
• Commented on by judge. [remove] -
Sitting among lotus blossoms
as• Commented on by judge. [remove] -
Call the jury,
three stern bearded men• Commented on by judge. [remove]
Silver trophy winner
Entries [49]
1 - 49 of 49
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Wildflowers of purple and red
danced merrily upon the sun bleached rock• Commented on by judge. -
A light dew hits my face
I look up at the skyby LadyOfFate 34 lines, 4 comments, on Feb 17 10:00 PM 2005. In Nature• Commented on by judge. -
It was a disaster, plain and simple. Sitting there in her white, beautiful wedding dress, she couldn’t believe it. Her hands were stuck in her lap, as though he• Commented on by judge.
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<SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 20pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-• Commented on by judge.
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You remind me of me
as a naive flower• Commented on by judge. -
Beyond the realm of reason,
A teardrop falls to Earth.by Jadestone Doll 7 lines, 9 comments, on Nov 9 1:42 AM 2005. In Love• Commented on by judge. -
Dear Sir, I beg thee a moment of your time
And let my words take you to another place and time.• Commented on by judge. -
nothing just thought of all the things most lesbians struggling and thinks ofby SuiCiDaLKiSs 60 lines, 7 comments, on Jan 12 12:26 AM 2006. In Love• Commented on by judge.
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So where do we go from here?
When there's no where else to go• Commented on by judge. -
Chains of life hold me
down, I drown in the watersby NeanderthalMan 21 lines, 4 comments, on Apr 5 10:16 AM 2006. In Dark• Commented on by judge. -
i used to think that memories were caskets that we buried with emotion as the corpse• Commented on by judge.
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A old doll sits
on top of a shelf,by lauren nicole 29 lines, 1 comment, on May 1 2:23 PM 2006. In Dark• Commented on by judge. -
Tiles uplifted, cracked and broken
Deserted toy, forgotten token• Commented on by judge. -
From his vantage point the warrior looked down over the vast expanse of dunes that rose and fell like a monstrous sandy ocean.• Commented on by judge.
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For the sixth time this week
He hangs by his heels at her window• Commented on by judge. -
His rump was catawumpus,by Hoosierpoet 103 lines, 47 comments, on Aug 15 4:54 PM 2006. In Humor• Commented on by judge.
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Yesterday, rummaging through an old drawer,
I found a black and white photograph:• Commented on by judge. -
It seems the same sun shone
bright, like it did yesterdayby Rita Krocha 35 lines, 16 comments, on Aug 29 7:39 AM 2006. In Personal• Commented on by judge. -
Come see the silver apple, you will need to see more
She comes in many sections, is magic to the core• Commented on by judge. -
Her life is blank, like a dial tone,
endless and infuriating...by DarkenedAuras 29 lines, 3 comments, on Sep 21 11:28 PM 2006. In Dark• Commented on by judge. -
I've seen you vunerable, exposed,
and the depth of your sorrow astounded me.• Commented on by judge. -
by VampireShadow 22 lines, 13 comments, on Oct 12 4:04 PM 2006. In Other, Humor, Dark, Out of the Box• Commented on by judge.
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• Commented on by judge.
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It is our mother,the universal motherhood,
In her lap there is no distance of years,• Commented on by judge. -
River of life ever flowing
Brilliant colors that you bestow• Commented on by judge. -
I'm isolated in the light when i venture beyond the door
in darkness I find peaceby BlakDeath015 24 lines, 6 comments, on Oct 26 8:10 PM 2006. In Dark• Commented on by judge. -
I give him another wanting look. Wishing he would just give me an answer. He’s been thinking for way too long.by Thedragonisgone 17 lines, 6 comments, on Oct 30 3:41 AM 2006. In Other• Commented on by judge.
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by Glenda L Hand 17 lines, 7 comments, on Oct 30 2:47 PM 2006. In Contemporary• Commented on by judge.
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In the harsh voice of one unaccustomed to talking much, he sings along to the hymns at the Salvation Army shelter, then waits through the sermoby Glenda L Hand 231 lines, 5 comments, on Oct 30 2:56 PM 2006. In Contemporary• Commented on by judge.
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In ancient times, on a planet much like our own there lived a peculiar man and his name was Genfr. He lived a secluded life for the most part or at l• Commented on by judge. -
We stood tall,
leaf against leaf,• Commented on by judge. -
The highway doesn't have much Hi's
but has a communication of we're hurrying.by PetrifiedAfforded 466 lines, 2 comments, on Nov 4 7:26 PM 2006. In Contemporary• Commented on by judge. -
The stage is lit and aqua light is set on.
A Ballet For The Sand.• Commented on by judge. -
April 11, 20061
The elevator doors opened. My legs refused to budge. My heart felt as if it was being squeezed inside of me. Suddenly I• Commented on by judge. -
The Last Dozen Oysters on Duval• Commented on by judge.
-
and there she stood
like the sun was about to set• Commented on by judge. -
brought tranquil days to our welcoming world, and all came
to Nature's home to walk fields of friendship together• Commented on by judge. -
Living on this joyous isle
From reality I release.by whatamanycando 93 lines, 7 comments, on Sep 17 8:55 PM 2006. In Other• Commented on by judge. -
The sun also in love, spreads diamonds at Liberty’s feet
but she refuses, already engaged in her enemies defeat• Commented on by judge.
Add a comment
Comments
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I think pre-writes defiantly should be allowed in a situation like this. To me, it seems that your asking for the best we can possibly put forth. Some of us may very well be able to just spit out a masterpiece on whim, but I personally(along with most other poets I know) cant. It seems rather unfair that pre-writes arn't allowed. then again, im sure you have a reason for doing so.
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They are allowed. I just forgot to click the little box for them. I will fix it in a minute, but you might think about asking next time before you get on your soap box.
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Donna,
Sorry, pressed the wrong button Please delete 'To Maria'
Shenton -
hey this is a great contest, i like how you very neatly, organized everything and made it clear of what you wanted...being in the magazine thingy would be nice but i just hope to get some good feedback on my work, even if it is critisim, any critizism is constructive. thanks for hosting this!
take care and be well,
♥ lynn -
I shall bookmark this as I welcome constructive critique. I shouls also be grateful of publishing tips. I was in contact with an established American author who contacted me after a mutual friend told her about me.I read her several pieces of work over the 'phone,she was very complimentry and enthusiastic,asked my permission to include two of the pieces in the present book she was working on and offered to accredit me and give a motivational talk to the organization of my choice.She asked me to recommend certain people that would help with her research for her next project and to put her in touch with PR reps to promote here in the UK.I faxed her my work,contacted PR reps and instigated contact and found excellent resources for her next project and instigated that contact.I learned how naive I was in believing that because she was published and well known that I would be treated fairly.Once I had met all her requirements she was always too busy/going on vacation/book tour/ always avoiding my request for time for a discussion re promised motivational talk and for a copy of the book which I had hoped to proudly show my children.My work was not returned either.The whole experience has left me very wary of who to approach and trust and copyright issues seem to differ either side of the pond.Apparently my verbal agreement gave her permission to use my work and yet her verbal agreement to accredit me cannot be enforced.I would like to trust everyone implicitly but feel a written agreement must be paramount for any foundation of trust to be built upon.Good luck with your contest,love and light,Yvette
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It's always worth the try
and ooh honest comments
Good luck to all and in judging
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Hi Danna, lately I have been trying my hand at free verse, and decided why not put one in to your comp,lol, I did enjoy doing this poem as it is on the subjects I study,all the best with your comp, hugs, Di
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cant wait to see who is going to be cream of the crop. will check this out a bit more but nevertheless, have fun
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About 95% of my works are of a rhyming nature. Simple pieces actually. Yet an honest critique would be welcome so I shall look for what I feel as one of my best, that has not yet won a trophy here, to submit. Thank you for the opportunity for this critique.
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I agree with your notice about Tough Critiques. As a magazine editor I know how that looks like. As you said: All editors have their own personal opinions of what they want to see.
Tha t's mostly the only truth, except of poetry quality.
~Sonja~
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I confess myself a little afraid of the outcome of this contest..
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unique
I would do this contest, however you've already got bunches of awesome poems and I'm backing out. The best of luck to you with judging.
Kari
PS. I love the website. I went and joined! -
No- don't back out! Part of why we're doing this is because we're looking for things for the site. Enter!!
I'm glad you like the website. The forums are pretty dead, but we're working on it. If you have any questions for how to navigate around- feel free to drop me a line. (I say me, not Danna, because I do the technical stuff w. the site). -
I sent a message to the owners of the site telling how I liked it there
Alright. I looked around earlier..I was surprised it was kind of down some. Hopefully this will help birth some life to it! Maybe get some cool subjects flowing on the forums
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I am the owner of the site. I haven't read my mail for it today- but I'll definately check it out. Thanks for sending me input for it, I'm always looking for people to tell me what needs work on the site.
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Oh lol I didn't know that 
ooo it wasn't imput just saying how much I liked it lol but if you ever need imput feel free to IM me here
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I'll mark this and be back
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Good, tough critiques are hard to come by, and that's why this contest interested me so much despite the large number of entries already. I'd look forward to any suggestions you can give me, although with so many pieces to comment on I'll understand if you can't/don't comment. Thank you so much for this opportunity and best of luck finding what you're looking for.
~J. -
There are two of us critiquing, so we will try and give everyone a constructive crit.
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hey danna
its a wonderful contest and i have some my favourte poems...well iam not sure that my poems are publishing type but i still took a shot..so i have added many pre writes..
hope u get wht ur looking for
warm regards
abuyi -
very good
This is great wish I was up to be publish still have not found a mentor I had a few set backs with a head injury still looking for a mentor to help me have not found one maybe someday I will be ready looks like a great contest and you have many poems wish you the best of luck take care -
I entered three poems, which I know go against the rules, but I personally wish to recieve good critiques. If this isn't satisfactory, then I will withdraw two of them by your request.
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Why would you enter a contest and purposely not follow the rules?
If you want a good critique- send the links through IM. -
I would love the opertunity. Thanks for holding a contest like this.
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Get over yourself. It's a contest. On a website. Our critiques are based on our opinion of what makes a good piece of writing. There's even a disclaimer about it in the rules section. It's not a personal attack, it's about the writing. Thanks for saving us the time of removing your piece and doing it for us.
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How's it coming with the judging of this contest?
-Curtis Meyer -
If you do NOT wish to receive a critique for your piece- DON'T ENTER.
Let me say that again:
IF YOU DO NOT WISH TO RECEIVE A CRITIQUE FOR YOUR PIECE- DON'T ENTER.
looks like i didnt get the memo. good luck. -
Thank you! 
I honestly love these contests. Not because I have won some (though it is a nice perk) but because I value both of your opinions.
Congrats to Nicolette and LongRoadHome, and to everyone that made the finalist cut.
Thank you.
(and wow! You two had lots and lots of entries. My hat off to both of you. You guys must have the patience of saints.) -
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Yay meli!! i told you
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Thank you for awarding me the silver - wow - that is just incredible!! Congratulations to Annalise and LongRoadHome - wonderful! Thank you so much for this contest and this opportunity. Best wishes to you all.
~ Nicolette
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Congratulations to all winners! Great done!
~Sonja~
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