The Portlandia Group is looking for the finest poetry being written in English. Both free verse and formal verse will be considered. To obtain a copy of a sample winning chapbook, please send $8 to the address below and we will send you one of our previous winners. If you know which one you want, please specify.
In this competition, chapbook manuscripts are judged anonymously by a panel of judges, most with advanced degrees in literature or writing and all of whom are published poets themselves. Previous winners and finalists of this contest have gone on to publish full-length books and achieved national recognition. Although your willingness to give poetry readings is not considered in deciding this competition, it is important for you to realize that if you win, you will need to give readings in order for your chapbook to achieve any readership.
No past or present students or writing group associates of the publisher/founding editor, poet Karen Braucher, may enter this competition, in an effort to avoid any possible conflict of interest or appearance of conflict of interest.
Your poetry must be original and in English. You may have published a book or chapbook elsewhere and still enter this contest. The poet who is selected must be willing to work with the press in terms of proofreading the final typeset version and collaborating on cover design. Your book will have an ISBN number and will therefore be available through Books in Print. Ten review copies may also be sent to editors if you wish, and a flyer with order form will be sent to a mailing list of your choice. As the winner you will receive $200.00 and 30 free copies of your chapbook. You also may obtain additional chapbooks to sell at readings at 50% of retail price.
MANUSCRIPT GUIDELINES
1. Submit up to 24 pages of poetry along with a title page, acknowledgments (publication credits), table of contents, and a brief bio (one paragraph) on a separate page. Manuscript must be typed. Pages should be numbered. If you feel you need to furnish the press with some background notes concerning your poems, please feel free to do so but do not exceed 1 page. On your acknowledgments page, please list individual poem titles and where they have been published. It is unlikely that you will win this competition unless some of your poems have appeared in journals or magazines.
2. Manuscripts will be judged anonymously. Therefore, provide two title pages. On the first title page, include the title of your manuscript, your name, mailing address, phone number, and email address (if you have one). On the second title page, state only the title of your manuscript. Your name should not appear anywhere else on the manuscript but on your first title page.
3. The manuscript should be printed on a letter-quality or laser printer. Xeroxed copies are permissible.
4. Include a $12.00 check made out to The Portlandia Group. This includes a copy of the winning chapbook. Also include SASE for contest results.
5. Do not bind your manuscript and do not staple checks to anything. Just put everything in a manila envelope and mail it. A cover letter is not necessary and will not be considered in the judging. You are free to submit your chapbook manuscript to other competitions simultaneously but if you win, please let us know immediately. This has happened in the past and changed our results.
6. Postmark deadline is MARCH 1, 2008. No manuscripts will be returned. DO NOT INCLUDE RETURN POSTAGE.
7. Mail your manuscript to:
The Portlandia Group
PMB 225
6663 SW Beaverton-Hillsdale Highway
Portland, OR 97225.
PORTLANDIA CHAPBOOKS
see Portlandia Chapbooks/Ordering Info for more information
1999 BURNING by Judith Taylor of Los Angeles, Calif.
2000 I KNOW YOUR HEART, HIERONYMUS BOSCH
by Kurt S. Olsson of Maryland
2001 FAMILIA by Elisa A. Garza of Houston, Texas
(we had two winners in 2002)
2002 FIVE-HUNDRED WIDOWERS IN A FIELD OF CHAMOMILE
by John Surowiecki of Connecticut
2002 PILGRIMS & BEGGARS by David Biespiel of Portland, Oregon
2003 No competition
2004 WHY I KICK AT NIGHT by Ron Drummond of New York City
2005 No competition
2006 WHEN, BY THE TITANIC by John Pursley III of Alabama
2007 No competition
2008 Competition underway. Entry deadline: March 1, 2008.