Dark poetry contest: Light up the Dark. Share your dark poems. Shadows. Fears. Rising up from the ashes. What is shared in the dark, brings truth to light.
Theme: Dark winter
Winning prize: $100
Winners, Honourable mentions, and Finalists of our Dark poetry contest will be promoted on our social media platform and their work will be published in Print! Both paperback and eBook. Our books include a small bio-statement about each poet along with their poem.
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Deadline: 30th October 2021
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How do we decide which poems we select for this publication?
In this dark poetry contest, poems will be evaluated on how they fit the theme as well as creativity, narrative, & craftsmanship. We love bright bursts of surprise, metaphor, color, surrealism, accidental form, setting, and narrative voice. No name or other identifying info must be included in your submission manuscript text so that your work is read by our judges anonymously.
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Judges: Ruchi Acharya
Ruchi Acharya is a Business Analyst by profession. She is an Oxford University summer graduate in English Literature. She has been a contributor to multiple writing platforms such as The Pangolin Review, Overachiever magazine, Rigorous Magazine, Detester magazine, Loose Tooth Magazine, Rhodora, Beast Journal, Muddy River Poetry, Sea Glass literary review, Borderless Journal, and Mulberry Literary review among 50 others.
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Rules:
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Submissions are now open. We read submissions on a rolling basis. We are not a paying market.
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Submit previously unpublished work only. Please do not send us work that has appeared elsewhere on the internet or in print.
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Send us no more than one poem, either pasted in the body of an email or in .doc, .docx, .pdf format, preceded by a short-bio (max 150 words). Please include the bio written in the third person.
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Please indicate ’Contest_name’ on your subject line if you’re sending your submission via email i.e., submit@winglessdreamer.com
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If your work is accepted elsewhere please inform us immediately. No multiple submissions are allowed.
December 17, 2021 | Wingless Dreamer | Announcements
We are like a snowflake, all different in our own way. Celebrating the same spirit this holiday season, Wingless Dreamer’s publisher organized two contests on the theme of winter- the dark Snow Poetry Contest and the General Winter poetry contest. These included the concepts like solitude, despair, pin and also beauty, holidays, and snowflakes.
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We received overwhelming responses from all around the world. With so many submissions we thought it best to merge the two contests into one. Not only their amalgamation produced a gorgeous compilation of mixed emotions that winter brings but it also yielded a spectacular compilation of picturesque!
Our judges and editors were in awe while reading all the beautiful entries. We have compiled the best of works in our anthology- Snowflakes and Mistletoes.
There has been enough suspense, so let’s announce the winner before you run out of patience. Wingless Dreamer Publisher is proud to announce the winner of the Winter poetry contest 2021.
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The grand winner of the winning honorarium of $100 is:
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VASEEM THABREZ – THE FACADE OF LOVE
Vassem Thabrez is a passionate person who spends his time touring the forests of Tamil Nadu and works at Apple to fund his conquests. He is a poet, pianist, adventure seeker, gym freak, and food lover. He speaks Tamil, English, and Hindi. Currently, he lives in India with his green buddies. Instagram: rezcraze
The first runner-up is:
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ERIK DIONNE – THE WINTER DUSKING
Erik Dionne is a musician and high school English teacher living alongside his wife, Jane, in St. Mary’s County, Maryland.
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The second runner-up is:
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JENNIFER MARIANI – THE LIGHT WAS LEAVING
Jennifer Mariani was born in Zimbabwe. Her work has appeared in Mosi oa Tunya Literary Review, Uproar, Off-Topic Publishing, and The League of Canadian Poets. She has been a guest poetry judge for Off-Topic Publishing’s poetry contest. Jennifer resides in Calgary with her daughters where she teaches ballet.
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Drum roll for our top finalists:
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DR. KHALIL ELAYAN – THE SWARM
Dr. Khalil Elayan is a Senior Lecturer of English at Kennesaw State University, teaching mostly World and African American Literature. His other interests include finishing his book on heroes and spending time in nature on his farm in north Georgia. Khalil’s poems have been published in A Gathering of the Tribes magazine, Dime Show Review, About Place Journal, and The Esthetic Apostle. Khalil has also published creative nonfiction, with his most recent essay appearing in Talking Writing.
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STUART FORREST – HOMELESS HEARTLAND 1913
I was born in Omaha, Nebraska in 1951. I took writing courses at Stanford University Continuing Studies and began writing poetry in 2012.
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THOMAS PENN JOHNSON – ANOTHER DREAM
“Another Dream” is submitted by Thomas Penn Johnson who was born on August 22nd, 1943 in Greensboro, North Carolina. In 1966 he received a B.A. in Classical Studies from then-Concordia Senior College in Fort Wayne, Indiana; in 1968 he received an M.A. in English from UNC-G, and he continued graduate studies in English literature and history at Syracuse and Wake Forest Universities. In 1992 he published a collection of poems entitled “If Rainbows Promise Not in Vain.” In 2009 he retired from then-Edison State College in Fort Myers, Florida after serving for 26 years as an instructor of English and humanities.
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ROBIN WEISER – THE HEART CRAWLS BACK HOME
Robin has returned to her city roots after living in New York’s Shawangunk Mountain Ridge for many years. She is a returning student and writer of poetry, and is very, very happy not to have to carry firewood or clear snow any longer.
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HUGH FINDLAY – AFTER THE D&C
Hugh Findlay’s writing and photography have been published in numerous magazines and anthologies, in print and online. He is in the third trimester of life. Instagram & Twitter: @hughmanfindlay
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JORDAN BRIGGS – FOR ME
Jordan Briggs is an entrepreneur and attorney. His left brain gets to have all of the fun, so occasionally he writes so that his right brain does not melt and seep out of his ear.
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RC DEWINTER – ADVENT
RC deWinter’s poetry is widely anthologized, notably in New York City Haiku (Universe/NY Times, 2/2017), New Contexts 2 (Coverstory Books, 9/2021) Now We Heal: An Anthology of Hope, (Wellworth Publishing, 12/2020) in print in 2River, Event Magazine, Gargoyle Magazine, Genre Urban Arts, Meat For Tea: The Valley Review, the minnesota review, Night Picnic Journal, Plainsongs, Prairie Schooner, San Antonio Review, The Ogham Stone, Southword, Twelve Mile Review, Yellow Arrow Journal, The York Literary Review among others and appears in numerous online literary journals. She’s also a one of winners of the 2021 Connecticut Shakespeare Festival Sonnet Contest, anthology publication forthcoming.
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EVA MARIE – ROOTS
Eva-Marie is a writer and performer based in London. She initially moved to the UK to pursue acting and has been working in the film and theatre industry for over ten years. Her poetry is deeply romantic and often tragic, sprinkled with self-aware comedy and artistic references. Her work is mainly driven by a sense of Hiraeth that came from a multi-national background and a nature-based childhood contrasted with years of living in the city. This constant search for belonging, whether physical or emotional, is the root of her work.
