Dallas Poets Community’s
Annual Chapbook Competition
is now accepting entries
Win $200
& 30 copies
Send 18 to 24 pages of poetry with 2 title pages: one with contact information and one with title only along with a $15 reading fee to:
DPC Chapbook contest
P.O. Box 700865, Dallas, TX 75370
Postmark Deadline:
July 15, 2010
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 | Workshop Ethics
The Dallas Poets Community believes above all else that the poet is solely responsible for the direction or his or her poem. Our workshop exists only to provide feedback, suggestions, and dialog about poetics.
Our process is easy. We ask the poet to bring a poem that takes a risk, that pushes a personal limit and tries something new. The poet reads the poem and then remains quiet as the members of the workshop discuss the piece. The members of the workshop are trying to answer four basic questions.
1. What is happening in the poem? Many times the poet has a clear intent about the narrative but the poem may not convey that clearly, or the wording may suggest alternatives that the poet had not considered.
2. What elements of the poem are working the best? Maybe its the subject matter. Perhaps it's the form or the images. We're looking for what sets the poem apart
3. What elements of the poem are not working as well? We're looking for places were maybe the tone of the poem shifts dramatically or where the wording seem awkward or archaic.
4. Is there a place where the poem could be expanded or another poem could be started? Many times we encode or abbreviate something that might be beneficial to the poem or might bring the key necessary for the reader to unlock a deeper meaning to the poem.
After the workshop members discuss these questions the poet is asked to provide feed back and speak to the issues that were raised.
We've been successful if the poet comes away from the experience with a new perspective of the poem and a better understanding of how the poem can be received by other people. The poet has absolutely no obligation to accept any of the suggestions offered or to change any of the elements of the poem. The poet's only obligation is to then participate openly and honestly as everyone else's poem is workshopped.
Our Open Mic Readings are held on the FIRST FRIDAY of every month at 7:00 pm and our Poetry Workshops are held on the SECOND WEDNESDAY of every month at 7:00 pm and on the FOURTH WEDNESDAY of every month at 7:00 pm. All events are held at Half Price Books (Northwest Highway just east of Central). All events are FREES |
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