Calling All Poets of the Regional District of Nanaimo

Our Nanaimo Daily News Column has finished, but we would still like to receive poems with a Nanaimo theme for them to be considered for the Poet Laureate’s Nanaimo City poetry map. The link is www.nanaimo.ca/goto/PoetryMap A pair of anonymous poet judges will look through the submissions and choose site-specific poems.

The rules are simple:

1. You should be a resident of the Greater Nanaimo area;

2. The poem should be solely written by you (If your poem is selected you will be asked to sign a declaration that the poem is your work alone and that you have the rights to it. Submissions from people under 18 will require a parent’s signature)

3. The poem must be about site-specific Nanaimo places and should be no more than 30 lines (200 words).  The places we need for the poetry map at the moment include: Newcastle Island, Protection Island, Mt. Benson, Westwood Lake Park, Bowen Park, Beban Park, Buttertubs Marsh, Cathers Lake, Bird Sanctuary, Piper’s Lagoon Park, Shipyard, Morrell Sanctuary, Duke Point, Churches, Railway Bridge, Cable Bay, ENR station, schools, Vancouver Island University, the malls.

4. The poems can be touching, funny, insightful, bitingly witty or angry, but will not be considered if they contain obscenities or promote hatred or prejudice

5. E-mail two copies of your poem as a pdf attachment (in Times New Roman, 12 point). One copy should have your name, address, e-mail, and phone # written above the poem; the other should contain only the poem

6. Send them to callingallpoets@nanaimo.ca with the words “poetry map” in the subject line

7. There is no deadline, so just keep those Nanaimo poems coming in whenever creativity strikes.

8 We will be using the poem for one-time. If we need it for other places, we will, of course, contact you for permission. The rights stay with you.

We thank all poets in advance for their submissions, but only those poets whose poems have been selected will be contacted. Keep a copy of your submission as it will not be returned to you. So calling all Nanaimo poets – Let’s celebrate poetry. Let’s hear your voices. Get creative about Nanaimo and send us your results.