Time to Get Poetic

Think you have a way with words? Compete in the 2012 Statewide Poetry Contest to win bragging rights and a $500 first prize.

No one said it would be easy. The annual competition, sponsored by NC State’s Creative Writing Program through the Barnhardt Family Fund, attracted 400 entrants last year.

So head to your desk and let the inspiration flow. March 1 is the deadline for submissions.

The contest, open to North Carolina residents, is one of the largest free literary competitions in the South.

Although there’s only one cash prize, awards will be given for honorable mention, finalists and undergraduate and graduate student winners.

Barbara Ras, poet and editorial director of Trinity University Press, will serve as this year’s guest judge. Ras’ first collection of poetry, Bite Every Sorrow, won the 1997 Walt Whitman Award and the Kate Tufts Discovery Award. Her other works include One Hidden Stuff (2006) and The Last Skin (2010). She will announce the contest winners during a reading on April 11 at 7:30 p.m. in the Caldwell Hall lounge.

For more info, including competition guidelines and rules, visit the Creative Writing Program site.