Reading Local Seattle

{ Small Press Month }

In the entire month of March, Pilot Books will observe a daily celebration of small and independent presses as part of Small Press Month. For the thirteenth small press month, the The New York Center for Independent Publishing chose Seattle author Sherman Alexie as the face of the small press author. Alexie notes about small presses, “The small presses represent what is most brave, crazy and beautiful about our country and our literature. So let us all sing honor songs for the independent publishers.”

An author take the stage at six o’clock every day. Authors include the likes of CA Conrad, Joshua Beckman, Chelsea Martin, Kevin Sampsell, and Tao Lin to local small press writers such as Sarah Mangold, Carol Guess, Stacey Levine, and Nico Vassilakis. Contributors to Reading Local: Seattle include Matt Briggs, John Olson, and Doug Nufer.

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{ First Book Poetry Contest, Deadline 5/15 }

Exquisite Disarray Publishing, in Tacoma, is asking for submission of poetry manuscripts for its first annual First Book Poetry Contest. Deadline May 15, 2010. The contest will be judged by poet and teacher Kathleen Flenniken. Flenniken is the author of Famous, the winner of the Prairie Schooner Prize in Poetry, and co-editor and president of Floating Bridge Press.

The First Book Poetry Contest will award one Washington State poet a $200 cash prize and publish the winning manuscript as the poet’s first book. The winner will also give a free poetry reading and offer a poetry workshop for the public to enjoy in Tacoma in November 2010—coinciding with “Art at Work” month. In addition to the winning poet’s work being published, a separate contest prize of $100 cash will be awarded to the poetry manuscript submission that contains the best “Tacoma poem.” All poets entering manuscripts in the contest are encouraged to include an original poem about the City of Destiny in their submission.

This contest is open to all Washington State residents 18 years of age and older who have not yet published a full-length book of poetry. Full contest guidelines and editorial contact information can be found at www.exquisitedisarray.org.

The seventh annual Jeanne Lohmann Prize, a poetry contest open to Washington residents has a postmarked deadline of January 31, 2010. Three winners will each receive $200.

Rules on the next page.

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