Are the you the next American…poet?
Contestants in the Village of Great Neck Plaza’s 5th Annual Poetry Contest will find out if they are at least among the best in Nassau County, Suffolk County, Queens and Brooklyn on March 31 when the village announces the results of their contest.
“It was just something to support the arts,” Brian Hetey, the Village of Great Neck Plaza mayor’s assistant, said of the contest. “Poetry is very popular – there are a lot of poetry groups around, so we like to do our part in the Plaza and have our own little poetry reading.”
Hetey said the contest is an opportunity to for people who don’t publish professionally to get some recognition for their talent.
Hetey said the contest, which is being held in conjunction with Long Island Traditions, will be accepting submissions until the end of January. The contest is open to anyone 18 years old or older in Nassau County, Suffolk County, Queens and Brooklyn. Submissions can be sent to the Village of Great Neck Plaza, 2 Gussack Plaza, P.O. Box 440, Great Neck, NY, 11022, Attn: Poetry Contest.
Hetey said the village typically receives about 50 submissions a cycle, and that the Village likes to make the contest as competitive as possible, hence the inclusion of all of Long Island in the submission scope.
“If there are talented people…we figured why shorten it to people only from here,” Hetey said. “Everyone wins when good poetry is on display.”
Contestants can send in three unpublished poems on whatever subject they like that do not exceed 30 lines, according to a release from the village. The poems must be single-space typed and have a title.
Two copies of each submission should be sent in – one that is anonymous and one with the name and address of the poet, the release said. A cover sheet should also be given with the name, address, phone number and email address of the poem, along with the title of each poem submitted, the release said.
This year, noted poet Joshua Mehigan will judge the contest, Hetey said. Mehigan’s first book, “The Optimist,” won the Hollis Summers Poetry Prize and his second book “Accepting the Disaster,” was published in July.
“He’s very well known in the city,” Hetey said. “He’s very well know in the poetry and we’re lucky to have someone of his status judge the submissions.”
Winners of the contest will be announced on March 31 on the village website, according to the release. They will also get to ready their poems aloud at the Great Neck Plaza courtroom on April 19 at 2 p.m..
The first place winner will receive $150 and a 20-minute reading on awards day, while the second place winner will receive $74 and a 10-minute reading and the third place winner will get $50 and a five-minute reading, according to the release. There will also be two honorable mentions, who will be invited as well to read their poetry.
The top three poems will also be placed throughout the village, such as Village Hall and the Great Neck Long Island Rail Road station waiting room, for a month.
