presented by The Bear Deluxe Magazine

Attn: Emerging* Oregon poets focused on a “sense of place”

Deadline: January 13, 2014 (email or postmark).
Submissions are now closed.

Continue reading for complete guidelines and details.

Not a famous poet yet? You can be declared a Bard Deluxe by submitting up to 3 unpublished, place-based poems to The Bear Deluxe Magazine (beardeluxe@orlo.org or see mailing address). To enter this free contest, judged by Oregon Poet Laureate Paulann Petersen, you must be a current or former Oregonian. Winners will receive publication, reach our 44,000 readers and be invited to perform their work.

The magazine seeks new, unpublished verse to include in its special “EcoLith” issue (spring 2014). Eighteen to 22 emerging poets will be selected for publication and declared a “Bard Deluxe.”

Submission Guidelines and Details

• Eligibility: The Bard Deluxe Awards are open to emerging* poets who are current or former Oregonians. Poets currently associated with Orlo or The Bear Deluxe Magazine are ineligible to enter award. (see below for discussion of “emerging”)
• Deadline: January 13 (email or postmark)
• Details: Send 1-3 original, unpublished poems that address a “sense of place,” however broadly defined. No simultaneous submissions. Note: submitted poems do not necessarily need to address Oregon places or themes.
• Awards/benefits: The Bear Deluxe Magazine anticipates selecting 18-22 for publication and special designation as a “Bard Deluxe.” Poets will be honored at a reading and reception during National Poetry Month in April 2013, will have at least one poem nationally published in The Bear Deluxe Magazine #36 (EcoLith: Oregon’s Poetry of Place), will receive a magazine subscription and $50 stipend per published poem and will be invited to additional readings and events throughout the year.
• Submission address: Mail or email submissions to Orlo/Bear Deluxe, see mailing address, or beardeluxe@orlo.org  Include “Bard Deluxe Awards” on cover envelope or subject line.
• Submission fee: Free
• Judging: The judging panel will include Paulann Petersen, Oregon’s Poet Laureate.
• Formatting: Send all submission materials as .pdf files. Include two cover pages: one cover page with your name, address, email, phone number, poem titles and a short bio describing your publishing background (75 words max); and one additional cover page with only your poem titles. Include one poem per page, typeset on 8½ by 11 paper. Include an SASE to receive an awards notification. Submissions themselves will not be returned.
• Copyright: Upon selection of Bard Deluxe Award Finalists, Orlo and The Bear Deluxe Magazine reserve one-time print publishing rights and 12-month online publishing rights for those selected poems.
• Determinations of award judges are final.
• The Bear Deluxe Magazine is published by Orlo, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization using the creative art to explore place-based themes. The Bear Deluxe has been recognized by the Oregon Arts Commission, Literary Arts, the Oregon Cultural Trust and the Regional Arts Council for editorial and design excellence.

ADDITIONAL CONTEXT

*Who is an “emerging” poet? 

“Emerging” is a term generally used to describe someone who has made inroads into their creative practice yet who has yet to establish a national or regional reputation for their work. With the Bard Deluxe Awards, the award judges are keeping submission eligibility broadly open. This said, a poet who has published works in various national journals, or who has published a collection through a national publisher or a major regional publisher, or who makes a living teaching or writing poetry, is likely not an “emerging” poet. On the other hand, an aspiring poet who has yet to be published or who has not read their work before the public, is likely not “emerging” either. The Bard Deluxe Awards are intended to celebrate those poets who have established an arc to their creative practice and who would benefit most from recognition as a Bard Deluxe.

Place-Based Writing in the Pacific Northwest

Place-based writing has deep roots in the Pacific Northwest and is vitally expressed in the work of Fisherman poets, Lumberjack poets, Cowboy poets, Fireside poets and even Gardner poets. The Bard Deluxe Awards will recognize these poetic traditions while promoting the next generation of place-based poets.

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