MANY CONTEST OPS!!! ===========================================================================******CONGRATULATIONS TO BEN V: He was recognized at the FCTE (English Teachers Conference) on October 16th. He won the state writing contest for his short story entitled "RailTracers." Ben also won the NCTE National Writing awards for his timed writing and submitted piece of writing last spring. We congratulate Ben for his successful winning of 2 huge contests!
==================================================================== EDITORIAL INFO: CATEGORIES: Awards will be presented in three categories – High School (9- 12), Middle School (6-8), and Elementary School (K-5). AWARDS: Cash prizes and plaques will go to the top three entries in each category. The three first-place winners will each receive a $250 award, the three second-place winners each will receive a $200 award and the three third- place winners each will receive a $150 award. PUBLICATION: The nine winning student editorials will be announced and published on The Ledger’s Op-Ed Page on the tentative dates of DECEMBER 9, 10 and 11, along with photographs of the three first-place winners and the names of their teachers. As many as 10 runners-up in each category will be announced. ONLINE POSTING: TheLedger.com will post the winners as outlined in “Publication” above. Additionally, videos of the three first-place winners reading their editorials will be taken by The Ledger and posted on TheLedger.com. LENGTH: Editorials in the Elementary School category MUST be from 100 to 150 words. Editorials in the Middle School and High School categories MUST be from 300 to 400 words. Limits on length will be enforced. JUDGING: Entries will be screened by the Communications Department at Florida Southern College. Winners will be selected by editors of The Ledger. ========================================================POLK COUNTY POETRY CONTEST
WHAT IS GOOD POETRY? Laurence Perrine, writing in Sound and Sense (Harcourt, 1973), lists the following as qualities of good poetry. Please use these as you direct and oversee your students writing for the district contest. SIX STANDARDS FOR EXCELLENCE: 1. The good poem contains no excess words, no words that do not bear their full weight in contributing to the total meaning, and no words used merely to fill out the meter. *2. In the good poem, each word is the best word for expressing meaning; there are no inexact or inappropriate words chosen merely for the sake of rhyme. 3. The word order in a good poem is the best order for expressing the author's meaning: distortions or departures from normal word order are for emphasis or some other meaningful purpose. Again, word order is not distorted for the purpose of filling out meter or producing rhyme. *4. In a good poem, the diction (word choice), the images, and the figures of speech are fresh, not trite. There should be specific, concrete images and/or figures of speech, not a jumble of abstract words. 5. There are no clashes between the sound of a good poem and its meaning, or its form and its content: in general, the poet uses both sound and pattern in such a way as to support his meaning. *6. The good poem should be in some sense a "new" poem; it must elicit a fresh response from the reader. It will not be merely imitative of previous literature, nor will it appeal to stock, pre-established ways of thinking that are automatically stimulated in some readers by words like "mother," "home," "freedom," "country," "faith," "God," "America," much as a coin put into a slot always gets an expected reaction. Please use the above standards of good poetry, generally accepted by literary critics, as guidelines when teaching poetry writing and when judging the poems submitted at your school. *Standards 2, 4, and 6 are particularly important. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- STYLES TO AVOID: Perrine also discusses several kinds of inferior poems which, he says, frequently fool poor readers (and occasionally a few good ones) into thinking that they are good. Among these inferior poems are two kinds worth mentioning: 1. The sentimental poem: Perrine defines the sentimental poem as one that "aims primarily at stimulating the emotions directly rather than at communicating experience truly and freshly; it depends on trite and well- tried formulas for exciting emotion; it revels in old oaken buckets, rocking chairs, mother love, and the pitter-patter of little feet; it oversimplifies; it is unfaithful to the complexity of human experience." 2. The didactic poem: Perrine defines this as the poem that "has as its primary purpose to teach or preach." It is recognizable, he says, by the flatness of its diction, the triteness of its imagery and figurative language, its emphasis on moral platitudes, and its general lack of poetic freshness. In short, its teaching/preaching purpose has entirely superseded its poetic purpose. While our contest is one for young amateurs, still we should endeavor to develop their ability to write good poetry - poetry that adheres, to some degree, to the standards described above. ======================================================================== POETRY CONTEST GUIDELINES: No more than 25 lines, minimum 6 lines (no contest poem has ever been short, however). Experiment with style and form. Use a thesaurus and limit your words to the bare minimum. NO LARD in poetry! Create metaphors, imagery, sound repetition, etc. You know the drill. Posted below will be some samples from the past (not all winners)! I will change them frequently. If the format doesn't come out right, I'll post them as downloads. Make sure it is YOUR WORK.!!! We check carefully and deal with any sort of PLAGIARISM as a crime. Once I have told you that I will submit your poem for the school's selection process, you must download both poetry sheets from the download site. One is to copy and paste your poem WITHOUT YOUR NAME. The other is to fill out for the contest--information and attesting that you have not plagiarized. Both forms must be sent to me online as rich text attachments, and both must be turned into me (HARD COPY). ====================================================================== WINNING POEM 2009 SAMPLES KATIE K's POEM that won OVERALL (COVER) BEST--the ROBERT J. FISHER WINNER: Crayola Cavort Supple colors, step up--it’s a dance jamboree. Navy Blue and Tickle-Me-Pink onstage first-- a smooth waltz, executed with perfect form, gliding gracefully, creating velvety textures on canvas. Intertwined like spaghetti, they now are Purple Heart-- maracas click, the melody transforms into a tantalizing tango, sssssss Now dancing is Torch Red with Outrageous Orange-- passionate emotions cascading, creating Sunglow scuffmarks. Vivid Tangerine and Sunset Orange cannot be contained on this 22” by 28”-- they fly, staining my new leather couch. The dance stops, a lonely Mango Tango lingers… be-bop-be-do! One more dance, ladies and gents! Purple Pizzazz and Razzmatazz tonight performing a jumpin’ jive-- they jitterbug and boogie to that “Bugle Boy” beat. Pink Flamingo and Razzle Dazzle Rose splatter, Jazzberry Jam twists and shouts-- Tappin' toes cease syncopations, swingin' soles off my easel, with Screamin' Green splotches striking the maestro finale. SARAH A's POEM that won FIRST PLACE for 11th grade: The Place in Between In this unparalleled haze, I finally attain Not only courage abundant, I conquer the lions. Fighting the seemingly impossible, I am Alexander’s soldier, Ruthless to establish my empire. Featherlike, I whisk onward, Through further anomalous scenes, A scallywag of Blackbeard, A loathsome terror at sea, Battling with cannons and rum-covered lips. Brimming chagrin on a scaffold with Marie, No more kind-tasting cake. Promenade the crimson carpet, Radiant bulbs flaming, orchestrating, Personifying glamour with an incomparable glow, I saunter right beside Ms. Marilyn Monroe, Arising with a effortless glance in the mirror, Only to perceive a reflection of me. HONORABLE MENTIONS for 11th grade: CAMILA A's POEM Flashback The opened album launched sunlight into our remembrance, With memories rising and surging like tidal waves, Every edge worn like saggy limbs after tempests, Pictures illuminating tales of triumphs and failures, Some exuding complexity, others quietly black and white, And some that caused lighting strikes and shattered senses. A few brought petals to droop, Two sparked fireworks by the glow of faces, And one garnered grief by its wiry angle. As we reached the last leaves, raindrops splattered lightly, Then ventured into a torrent of closure. Once the memories reached the end of the waterfall, Our empty river glistened, waiting for new memories to swim within, For even tenacious storms render the brightest rainbows. BEN V's POEM: Messier Object –16 Eighty-six thousand pass over this earth, and beneath them, I watch the heavens in awe. As ages turn to eons, the river that once glided over my feet has dried, and my mouth, in its slack-jawed bearing, has long since petrified. Stealthy fingers of moss and vines creep up the stone wall of my back which has bowed over the years into a skewed, decaying curvature. I was once alive! A living, breathing, animate being! But now, even the land is dead, and I have become a slovenly, eroded relic of a once-immovable species. My rigid arms fossilized outstretched, grasping desperately for the sun; who reaches, in turn, back for me as it capsizes ad infinitum below the horizon, sailing along its preset course. Alone in the Universe. Two glassy planets stare dispassionately up into the stark and frigid vault of the sky, seeking any other creature such as I; aged and stagnant and unable to die. My granite head lolls above the clouds, scraping gracefully at the final frontier. Having calcified, my massive skeleton seems only another Everest for man to conquer. But it is I who have survived! So let them come! Let them come and try! Eighty-six thousand have left me behind, now, and my eyes ascend heavenward to count them. I, the dead Colossus, remain comatose and stationary, anchored to the earth, bound by the gravity of my mortal soul; while they, the radiant Ethereals, glide in pleasing arcs across the plane of my awareness, leaving shining trails of light imprinted into my eyes. Even now! Even now I can see them! One day, I believe, when the weary earth has grown cold and still, they will carry me away from here— so I may witness the rest of the universe DANIEL C's POEM: Emissary I slept for eons, Sliding through time without a tether— In this formless gulf, Bright eyes stare from all directions. Where up and down are vaguely defined And men hung their myths, I made a game of connecting the dots— But that was long ago. They told me I was donated to A good cause-- that when I Get to where I’m going, I will have fulfilled my purpose. I don’t think they wanted me. The scientists surely have passed— Else the fuzzy fighting of the radio would fade, And some human voice would soothe me. I won’t be subtle, and I won’t lie— It gets very lonely here. The machine performs its calculations-- I’ll rest my head and sleep. POEMS THAT WON FROM THE PAST: Illuminated (This one was centered in the middle of the page) Gazing down on bustling boulevards And treading indigo skies, The fiery sun casts its luminous stare Upon expanses of besmirched concrete. The hectic day wanes, Brilliant tints of deep oranges and purples Careen jubilantly across the sky, Beckoning nightlife to commence. Various scents waft from vendors, Comforting wisps of warm coffee, Pungent tufts of sizzling onions, Abrasive stenches pouring from crevices of tiny bistros, Dripping off patrons’ heavy coats. Restless automobiles’ piercing squeals Echo through narrow blocks, Distorting the deep roar of chitchat Reverberating between adjacent buildings. Swarms of people buzz up and down energetic sidewalks, Basking beneath the fluorescent glow of proud neon lights; Twisting, Gliding, Twirling their way through illuminated avenues. The Court Dancer She stands before a flock of tunics and turbans, untouched by the chaos, With onyx eyes demurely lowered, masking the glitter of challenge. Pounding of drums and wailing of flutes Melt her wooden limbs into supple submission. The dance has begun. Her lithe figure leaps and spins, leaving clouds of fuchsia in its wake. As the smooth planes of her stomach Ripple and crash like waves upon the shores, Her hands clap in driving rhythm, Jangling from the bangles clasped about weightless arms. Their eyes devour each movement, utterly mesmerized, Powerless to resist her intoxicating spell. Through the haze of shimmering heat and smoky incense, She is no longer mere Woman, but Goddess. Dusky skin flushed, she slowly ends her incantation of writhing limbs. Throwing a triumphant glance across the crowd, She knows she holds a captive audience. Power courses through her veins in such moments. Though the morrow will bring a cup filled with Bitter humiliation, pain, and anger, She chooses to feast instead on the nectar of Dreams of the never-ending dance. Thread of the fates (This one was centered, sort of drifted diagonally) Three Sisters hard at work--- a task never completed. Clotho spins my thread with detachment. Atropos busily snips, releasing spirits with relish Lachesis, remaining silent, determines the thread’s length, a secret not even her sisters know. At last I am unleashed, Mingling shamelessly with other threads, Admiring the designs and shapes that I effortlessly create, not even considering foreign powers Watching, Calculating. Farther along in my trek, frivolity becomes meaningless. Sometimes surrounded by greens, sometimes red, sometimes purple? What color am I? Weakening every moment, I wane, voyage ending, Accomplishment? Triumph? Fulfillment? Purpose blurred and cloudy. Epiphany: Together we have woven one gigantic shape, continuously morphing as filaments are sheared, embedded. Before discovering this generation’s handiwork, Lachesis mutters to her sister---Atropos smiles eagerly, and my thread snaps, as I flutter out of existence. ====================================================================== SPRING: FLORIDA COUNCIL TEACHERS OF ENGLISH WRITING CONTEST. If you want to enter this contest, you have to fill out forms for each of 3 pieces of selected prose or poetry!! ==========================================================================