Crab Orchard Review and Southern Illinois University Press are pleased to announce the selection of last year's competition. Our final judge, Lynne McMahon, selected Sean Nevin's OBLIVIO GATE as the winner of the 2007 Crab Orchard Series in Poetry First Book Award. OBLIVIO GATE will be published by Southern Illinois University Press in October 2008.
Below are the guidelines for the 2008 Crab Orchard Series in Poetry First Book Award:
--DO NOT SEND MANUSCRIPTS FOR THIS COMPETITION AFTER JULY 1, 2008.--
A first book of poems will be selected for publication from an open competition of manuscripts POSTMARKED MAY 15, 2008 through JULY 1, 2008. (Since this is a postmark deadline, there is no need to send Express Mail, Fedex, or UPS. First Class or Priority Mail are preferred.) Manuscripts should be 50-75 pages of original poetry, in English, by a U.S. citizen or permanent resident who has neither published, nor committed to publish, a volume of poetry 48 pages or more in length in an edition of over 500 copies* (individual poems may have been previously published). (*Current students and employees of Southern Illinois University and authors published by Southern Illinois University Press are not eligible.) For questions about judging, please visit http://www.siuc.edu/~crborchd/conpo3.html.)
The winner will receive a publication contract with Southern Illinois University Press, and will be awarded a $1000 prize. The winner will also receive $1500 as an honorarium for a reading at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale.
Manuscripts should be typewritten, single-spaced. No more than one poem should appear on a page. Dot-matrix printing that is not letter-quality is not acceptable. A clean photocopy is recommended. Please do not send your only copy of the manuscript since manuscripts will not be returned, and please do not include illustrations. CRAB ORCHARD REVIEW and Southern Illinois University Press assume no responsibility for damaged or lost manuscripts. All submissions must be accompanied by a $25 entry fee. Please make your check out to "Crab Orchard Series in Poetry." All entrants will receive the 2009 Winter/Spring CRAB ORCHARD REVIEW.
Submit two title pages for the collection. The author's name, address, and daytime phone number should appear on the first title page only. The author's name should appear nowhere else in the manuscript. An acknowledgments page listing poems previously published in magazines, journals, or anthologies should be placed after the second title page.
Include a self-addressed, stamped envelope for notification of contest results. If you would like confirmation that the manuscript has been received, please include a self-addressed, stamped postcard as well. Manuscripts may be under consideration elsewhere, but the series editor must be informed immediately if a collection is accepted for publication.
CRAB ORCHARD SERIES IN POETRY FIRST BOOK AWARD WINNERS:
IF YOU DON'T FIND THE INFORMATION YOU'RE LOOKING FOR ON OUR WEBSITE, WE CAN ALWAYS BE REACHED FOR INFORMATION ABOUT SUBSCRIPTIONS, CURRENT GUIDELINES, UPCOMING THEMES, OR CONTESTS BY SENDING A SELF-ADDRESSED STAMPED ENVELOPE TO: