Bards Initiative poetry reading this Wednesday, and a contest!

Okay, to kick things off, I'll just remind everyone that this Wednesday is the first reading in the Bards Initiative poetry reading series at . Get there at 6 p.m. to sign up for the open mic: everyone on the list is guaranteed a chance to read! This time around, our features are Long Island poets Vicki Iorio, Peter Dugan, Judy (J R) Turek, James (Ishwa) Wagner, and your ever-magnificent host, me. The open reading will follow the features, but the list is closed after the first feature goes up, so don't be too late!

Next, since the weather's been so nice, and I just plain feel like it, I'm announcing the first Glen Cove Patch Blog poetry contest. The way these contests work is fairly simple. I give you a theme, and sometimes a few special restrictions, and if you want to enter, you email me a poem that matches it all (limit two per person), along with your name and a mini-bio. I then go through all the entries after the deadline, and pick one or two that I believe are the winner(s), then post them in a blog entry where I announce it. I don't care if it's been previously-published, as long as YOU are the one who wrote it, and retain the rights to it (it would be nice if you could list previous publications for a poem below the poem itself, though).

The first contest has no rules, no themes, and no limits (as much as I love the dirty ones, please keep it clean enough that I can publish it here without getting in trouble!). Send me your best, your worst, your anything (as long as it's poetry), to marc.rosen88@gmail.com with the subject line "Glen Cove Patch poetry contest" by midnight on Saturday, May 28. Winner(s) will be announced as soon as a decision is reached.