Welcome to the J.Mark Press
Poetry Contests
Online.
Ongoing.
No Deadline.
This "poetry contest," is our way of discovering deserving new poets
to fill our fabulous hard cover poetry anthologies.
Our guidelines have changed.
You'll be able to enter one poem that conforms to our
publishing requirements below.
If it doesn't conform to our simple requirements,
it means you came here to waste our editor's
limited time and create a nuisance
(such as not checking your spelling,
grammar, line length, etc.)
Your e-mail address will be permanently barred
without warning or further discussion. The same applies
to nagging about when we are publishing.
If your poem is accepted for
publication you will be notified by e-mail
when we are ready to publish the
next anthology. It could be a week or a year
away depending on how long it takes to find
enough worthy poets.
J.Mark Press is one of the top publishers of
quality poetry in America for 43 years.
This contest is for the enjoyment, stimulation,
and recognition of sincere poets of our time.
We have guidelines to help you write appealingly for an audience that doesn't "know" you personally. If you are not entering to show an
audience writing they'll want to read again and show to others, please don't enter our stage.
We don't waste your time by sending you junk to read. We demand the same respect from you.
You can read wondrous poems on this web site to know what good poetry is. You have no excuse for sending junk.
First Place Prizes
Online poetry contest winners
will be published in our upcoming exquisite
hard cover anthology on your own illustrated
full-page on the first poetry page,
and receive free copy of the book and
award certificate.
Once published in an anthology
you're eligible for reader-voted prizes.
"Poets of the year" win your poem on its own
illustrated page, one of our custom Keepsakes,
or $25, $50, $100, possibly a grant toward publishing
your own hard cover book of poetry by J. Mark Press.
Prizes are based on what budget permits.
Come join the fun...
But before you
enter our poetry contests
we strongly urge you to "r-e-a-d"
great, time-enduring, classic poetry and
our prior poetry contest winners
if you hope to get a poem accepted here.
Adhere to each rule! The rules are here for a
purpose. If you skip one, your poem will be
deleted and so will your e-mail access, permanently!
How To Send Poetry to our Online,
Monthly Poetry Contests
Send ONE poem, 3 to 16 lines
traditional 12 pt. typeface.
(Never script, italic, or fancy or all capital letters.)
Single space your lines.
(Max. 3 blank lines between stanzas.)
Type within 45 keystrokes wide.
First check your poem
against these Guidelines
listed below.
1. Type your (poignant) poem, (Look up "poignant")
in proper upper and lower case letters, not fancy or all capitals.
up to 16 lines.
2. Single space the lines. Skip a Maximum of 3 (blank lines)
between stanzas.
3. Maximum width - 45 keystrokes per line.
WIDER LINES ARE ANNOYING TO READERS.
(So are serious Typo's and too many skipped lines between
lines). They're disqualified.
4. N-E-V-E-R USE:
ALL CAPS, or lower case " i " or "&" instead of and
or lite, nite, or thru, or mis-spellings. They're disqualified.
Don't copy bad/wrong grammar used by TV celebrities,
and bad rhymes from songs.
Let "them" look bad, not you and J. Mark Press.
You've got to learn the English language to be an American poet.
(Otherwise, write for your native country). Poetry is "the
highest use of a language, anyone's."
5. DON'T USE:
slang, vulgarity, archaic words
like "doth, o'er, ne'er, nary, whence, 'tis, hast, thee" etc.
dumb spelling like nite, and thru. Alright is NOT a word!
All right is the word. Already is a word.
6. DON'T USE:
colloquialisms, (street language, "yeah," etc.) and old familiar
clichés such as: it's true, so true, they say, my friend, a stitch in time, each and every," and everything else you've heard too often, or even a take off on it. (Never use "Each and every." It is used too often, even by respected writers and TV reporters who should know better.
It is improper English.)
7. Don't Use
Unnecessary, colorless words just to show off your vocabulary,
like: extemporization, and other rare words we can't visualize.
Poetry is about imagery...visualization from use of words,
said in a way we can see or feel with our mind's eye and our senses..
8. NEVER distort a sentence to create a rhyme.
POETRY DOESN'T NEED TO RHYME!
("the brother I knew never"
instead of "the brother I never knew."
Don't copy bad rhyme from pop songs.
Your lines are not "required" to rhyme. You should learn
to use rhyme intelligently and effectively, read Poetry
Self-Taught by our editor Barbara Morris Fischer.
9. Wait...
We allow One poem entry per-poet.
If your entry is accepted for publication, you
will have a chance to pay a small fee to place
an extra meaningful poem in the book.
10. If you sound like you're talking to yourself, you're
out of here, permanently, and without a reply.
Read
excellent, delightful, poetry before you enter.
Know what poetry is or don't enter.
www.Poetry1.com
J.Mark Press Monthly Contest.
Box 24-3474,
Boynton Beach, FL 33424
If you're a novice, please study before you enter.
Is that too much to ask?
READ our various winners and workshop articles. Read "POETRY SELF-TAUGHT,"
Get it at your library or from us below. J. Mark Press is concerned with only sincere, dedicated poets.
- We want to see every budding poet grow to delight
us and the world with genuine accomplishment.
To limit entries to serious poems, and to help assure meaningful readership for all our published poets, you'll need to buy the anthology to be published in it. The overhead is enormous to publish hard cover books for a limited audience. If you aren't concerned, you needn't occupy space that others can use.
Who'd want to be in a book
that no one reads?
At J.Mark Press you know your poetry is READ and
thought about because included poets vote for prizes!
Unlike other poetry contests, the poets included in our
anthologies vote for 10 favorite poems.
This guarantees poets an audience. The most voted for
published poets of the year win $50, $100, and $300
or book printing.
To get news of our upcoming anthologies
click here for our home page and contents
www.jmcutlery.com/jmark.htm
"Poetry Self-Taught"
Your shortcut to success...
by Barbara Morris Fischer -
If you believe you have a God-given
talent for poetry, please understand
that God only gave you talent.
You are supposed
to use it to get knowledge.
God didn't teach you to read or write. He
supplied you with eyes and a brain and the ability to learn
to use them.
If you know you are untrained in poetry, please don't drown in the
praise of well-meaning friends and "vanity" publishers.
People say "You ought to get this published," to hide their
ignorance. They think that sounds intelligent. Vanity publishers
praise every word on paper to create a product quickly to sell
to unknowing novices.
Don't be tricked into wasting years on mediocre poetry. Take the
shortcut. Here is how to perfect everything you've written. When
you "know" what good is, you won't be tricked.
Now you can have an experienced mentor by your side
and learn how to put magical qualities into everything
you've written or will write.
Ask your librarian for the best book available on
how to perfect your poems:
"Poetry Self-Taught"
by our award-winning editor, teacher,
Hallmark poet: Barbara Morris Fischer
ISBN 0-912658-63-0 Library Bound $24.95.
Special price to poets
Now available in Spiral cover $19.95 ppd
Now you can order online
When you know in your heart your poem is worthy
of being read by our audience,
and it does not exceed 16 single-spaced lines or 4
stanzas or 45 characters wide,
and it complies with our requirements above,
enter it here.
These poems must be copied exactly, and published. We can't accept or correct errors.This is your sworn statement of good faith:
I have familiarized myself with your guidelines.
I have checked my poem for typographical, spelling
and grammatical errors,
lower case " i " and archaic words like o're, nary,
whence, etc.,
and sentences twisted, distorted to make a rhyme.
Hard cover Book Printing,
for self-publishing poets and writers,
or hard cover book binding
for your own printed pages
Poetry Contest - winners' poems from Notable American Poets Anthology
Please Click here and read some prior winners before you enter! Poetry Contests - List of All Winners' Names from all J. Mark Press anthologies. Hard cover book publishing & Book Printing, for self-publishing poets and writers. OR
Hard cover book binding for your own printed pages
Poetry Contest
Winning Poems of
these books:
Helping Hand, Bright Horizon, Sunlit Path.
Next page: Guest Register plus monthly poetry
contests and interesting tid bits."J. Mark Press
Prize-winning
published poets
of 2000.this page is
[Monthly poetry contests]VISIT OUR "POETRY WORKSHOP"
How To sound like a seasoned pro.
[workshop 2]
Article
"Promoting Yourself"
How to get Your
own web page for
authors on our
top ranking site
See some excellent poetry samples from our editor:
"A Backpack of Milestones" by Barbara Morris Fischer
J. Mark Press
"Poet of The Year"
Sean Young
we'd like you to read this page to understand the meaning
of fresh use of imagery and the English language.
[Guest Register & Drawing] [ Poetry Contents Home page]
(We are also publishers printers and binders of hard cover books for self-publishing authors and of genealogies since 1963. Check out our "bindery" details. (We can hard cover your already-printed pages of a genealogy or other books.)
