Bucks poets vie for top spot in Poet Laureate contest
For local poets participating in one of the area’s longest-running writing contests, it’s no-holds-“bard.”
The 33rd Bucks County Poet Laureate contest, funded by Bucks County Community College, is now accepting entries, said Dr. Allen Hoey, director of the competition and a professor of language and literature at the school.
The contest is open to any Bucks County resident over the age of 18 who has not already served as county laureate. The entry deadline is Sept. 11.
Writers submit 10 poems of original published or unpublished works, Hoey said, and there are no guidelines for style or length.
“Someone could have 10 one-line poems or 10 100-line poems — that’d be a little overwhelming — but there’s no constraint on it,” he said.
The winner will receive a $500 check and a proclamation from the Bucks County Commissioners, and be celebrated at a reception and poetry reading at the college’s Newtown campus.
Works are judged anonymously. Hoey, who compiles the entries and selects 20 finalists, said the process can be arduous.
“If I have 100 manuscripts, I’ll narrow it to 60 or 70 the first time through and try to get to 20 from there,” he said. “Sometimes that can take seven or eight readings through 10 poems each.”
Once the field is narrowed, two nationally recognized poets will judge the finalists’ works. The poets, non-Bucks County residents, are not announced until the winners are, according to Hoey.
While he could not speak for the judges, the professor says he will narrow down entries based on something “fairly intangible” that good poems possess.
“I think I’ve got an eclectic sensibility — I’m not likely to disregard something just because it doesn’t fit into the idea of what it should be,” he said. “I’m really looking for poems that carry off what they’re doing with the maximum amount of craftsmanship, vision and imagination.”
He also will assess the poet laureate hopefuls based on their breadth of work. “Someone might have two of the best poems, but they’re in a group that’s otherwise not as strong,” the director said. “When I’m reading down to the finalists, I’m looking for not only the ability to produce an individual gem, but that ability to sustain.”
When sifting through their work, participants might wonder whether to enter a collection based on a central theme or 10 individual poems, but Hoey says they should focus more on quality.
“Bill Wunder (Bucks County Poet Laureate of 2004) sent in a group of poems from his book, ‘Pointing at the Moon,’ which was a strong, unified group about serving in Vietnam,” said Hoey. “Other winners have been quite varied. There is no right answer; just send along poems that best represent you.”
Many of the contestants are “more advanced in years,” said the director, but the age range “is as varied as the poetry entered.”
The new laureate will take over the reign of Paula Raimondo of Newtown, who was named the 2008 Bucks County Poet Laureate last fall.
Several past poet laureates have gone on to earn national writing distinctions, such as the Guggenheim, Pennsylvania Council on the Arts fellowships, Pennsylvania Professor of the Year and more. Many also have formed lasting bonds, Hoey added. “They keep in touch in one way or another and often see each other at poetry readings,” he said. “There’s a strong sense of camaraderie there.”
The Bucks County Council on the Arts founded the writing contest in 1977. Nine years later, when the council’s activities were about to be subsumed by the Michener Art Center, Bucks County Community College took the lead.
Contest entry forms are available in local bookstores and libraries, by calling the Bucks County Community College Department of Language and Literature at 215-598-8150 or by visiting www.bucks.edu/academics/departments/lang_lit/writcontest.php. Only one poem per page should be submitted. Manuscripts will not be returned.
The 33rd Bucks County Poet Laureate contest, funded by Bucks County Community College, is now accepting entries, said Dr. Allen Hoey, director of the competition and a professor of language and literature at the school.
The contest is open to any Bucks County resident over the age of 18 who has not already served as county laureate. The entry deadline is Sept. 11.
Writers submit 10 poems of original published or unpublished works, Hoey said, and there are no guidelines for style or length.
“Someone could have 10 one-line poems or 10 100-line poems — that’d be a little overwhelming — but there’s no constraint on it,” he said.
The winner will receive a $500 check and a proclamation from the Bucks County Commissioners, and be celebrated at a reception and poetry reading at the college’s Newtown campus.
Works are judged anonymously. Hoey, who compiles the entries and selects 20 finalists, said the process can be arduous.
“If I have 100 manuscripts, I’ll narrow it to 60 or 70 the first time through and try to get to 20 from there,” he said. “Sometimes that can take seven or eight readings through 10 poems each.”
Once the field is narrowed, two nationally recognized poets will judge the finalists’ works. The poets, non-Bucks County residents, are not announced until the winners are, according to Hoey.
While he could not speak for the judges, the professor says he will narrow down entries based on something “fairly intangible” that good poems possess.
“I think I’ve got an eclectic sensibility — I’m not likely to disregard something just because it doesn’t fit into the idea of what it should be,” he said. “I’m really looking for poems that carry off what they’re doing with the maximum amount of craftsmanship, vision and imagination.”
He also will assess the poet laureate hopefuls based on their breadth of work. “Someone might have two of the best poems, but they’re in a group that’s otherwise not as strong,” the director said. “When I’m reading down to the finalists, I’m looking for not only the ability to produce an individual gem, but that ability to sustain.”
When sifting through their work, participants might wonder whether to enter a collection based on a central theme or 10 individual poems, but Hoey says they should focus more on quality.
“Bill Wunder (Bucks County Poet Laureate of 2004) sent in a group of poems from his book, ‘Pointing at the Moon,’ which was a strong, unified group about serving in Vietnam,” said Hoey. “Other winners have been quite varied. There is no right answer; just send along poems that best represent you.”
Many of the contestants are “more advanced in years,” said the director, but the age range “is as varied as the poetry entered.”
The new laureate will take over the reign of Paula Raimondo of Newtown, who was named the 2008 Bucks County Poet Laureate last fall.
Several past poet laureates have gone on to earn national writing distinctions, such as the Guggenheim, Pennsylvania Council on the Arts fellowships, Pennsylvania Professor of the Year and more. Many also have formed lasting bonds, Hoey added. “They keep in touch in one way or another and often see each other at poetry readings,” he said. “There’s a strong sense of camaraderie there.”
The Bucks County Council on the Arts founded the writing contest in 1977. Nine years later, when the council’s activities were about to be subsumed by the Michener Art Center, Bucks County Community College took the lead.
Contest entry forms are available in local bookstores and libraries, by calling the Bucks County Community College Department of Language and Literature at 215-598-8150 or by visiting www.bucks.edu/academics/departments/lang_lit/writcontest.php. Only one poem per page should be submitted. Manuscripts will not be returned.
