CHAPTER NEWS
SPAWN Poetry Slam
Wednesday, August 18, 7 p.m.
All three Chapters of SPAWN will join this month to present a Poetry Slam. And it’s FREE to everyone.
If you write poetry, bring yours to read. There is no entry fee and you might win a cash prize.
If you enjoy poetry, come hear some good works.
If poetry isn’t your thing, you’re still going to find this to be SPAWN’s most entertaining event of the season.
A Poetry Slam is a performance poetry contest. Sign-ups start at 7:00 sharp. Here’s how it works:
- The first 12 poets to sign up will have 3 minutes to read or recite their own original poetry.
- Judges, who will be chosen at random from the audience, will score each poet, Olympic style.
- First, second and third place poets win cash prizes of $50, $25 and $10.
A Poetry Slam is fast-moving and exciting. You’ll laugh and you may even cry, but you’re guaranteed an evening to remember.
Veteran poet and radio show host, Roni Tagliaferri, will host the Slam.
It starts at 7:00 sharp at the Book Mall, 105 S. Oak Street (SW corner of Oak and Santa Clara) in downtown Ventura.
For more information contact:
Patricia Fry at 805-646-3045, e-mail: PLFry@aol.com or
Roni at 805-386-3061, e-mail: RRRRoni@aol.com.
NOTICE: There will be no SPAWN chapter meetings nor workshops in August. Normal schedules will resume in September. Please see next month’s issue of SPAWNews for topics and meeting dates.
The Second Annual SPAWN Poetry Contest
SPAWN is pleased to announce our second poetry contest. Our first one was so successful, with over 70 entries and some really terrific poems, that we’ve decided to do this annually. This year we have an another incentive. In addition to being awarded a certificate and cash prizes, the six winning poems will be published in the first edition of a book of poetry published by Archer Books and SPAWN due to be released in early summer of 2000. The six winners of last year’s poetry contest will be included in the poetry collection as well. All 12 winners will receive a free copy of the book.
The contest is open to all poets. There are two categories: rhyming and non-rhyming poetry. First place prize in each category is $100; 2nd place $50 and 3rd place $25. That’s a total of six prizes! The judges of the contest are nonmembers so that all SPAWN members may participate without any possibility of a conflict of interest.
Every entrant has a chance to be published! Even non-winning poems will be considered for the book of poetry. These additional poems will be chosen by a separate panel of judges selected from SPAWN’s membership and Archer Books. Poets’ participation in the book is on a volunteer basis and there will be no additional prizes or payment. Proceeds from sales of the book of poetry, after expenses, will be donated to SPAWN by Archer Books to help fund SPAWN’s programs to benefit the creative community. SPAWN is a nonprofit organization administered entirely by volunteers.
Here are the rules:
- The poem shall be the original work of the entrant, in good taste and publishable in the SPAWN newsletter and in a book of poetry to be published by Archer Books. Any subject suitable for a general audience is acceptable.
- Poem shall be on 8-1/2” x 11” paper, computer generated in a 12-point font or typed. (No handwritten entries)
- Poem shall be no more than 36 lines long. Only one poem per page.
- Place the letter R for rhyming or N for non-rhyming in the upper right corner of the page.
- Do not put your name or any other information on your entry.
- Enclose a separate sheet of paper with your name, address, telephone number and title of poem on it.
- More than one submission may be made but an entry fee must be paid for each one.
- Enclose a check in the amount of $5 for SPAWN members or $10 for nonmembers for each submission. Make your check payable to SPAWN. Please do not send cash.
- Send the above to SPAWN Poetry Contest II, P.O. Box 2653, Ventura, CA 93002-2653.
- Deadline: entries must be postmarked by December 31, 1999.
Note to entrants: Winners will be notified by phone or mail by March 1, 2000. Winners will be announced in SPAWNews and winners’ poems in each category will be published in SPAWNews and in a book of poetry. Judges’ decisions are final. Submission guidelines will be strictly enforced. No phone calls, please.
Poetry is something more philosophic and of graver import than history, since its statements are of the nature of universals, whereas those of history are singulars.
~Aristotle
Editing Tips -
More misused words
by Mary Embree
In the June issue of SPAWNews, I listed a number of words that are frequently confused or used incorrectly. Here are some more to add to that list:
auger a tool
augur a prophet (noun); to prophesy (verb)
canvas cloth
canvass to examine or seek opinions
continual intermittent; frequent; often repeated
continuous uninterrupted in time; without cessation
councilor member of a council
counselor one who gives advice
criminologist one who studies crime as a social phenomenon
criminalist a forensic investigator
disburse to pay out
disperse to scatter
flaunt to show off
flout to show contempt for
forbear to refrain or abstain from
forebear ancestor; forefather
forego to precede
forgo to relinquish
foreword a short introductory statement; a preface
forward toward what is in front of; an offensive player in sports
gibe to jeer or taunt
jibe to be in agreement; to shift sails
hail to acclaim; to attract: hail a cab; to be from (verb); ice pellets (noun)
hale healthy, robust, vigorous; to compel someone to go: hale a person into court
hoard a stash (noun); to store away (verb)
horde a wandering group or a swarm
imply to indicate
infer to draw a conclusion
mantel a facing or frame around a fireplace; a shelf above
mantle a cloak or cape; something that conceals: mantle of darkness
rack framework (noun); spread out, torture, torment: she racked her brain (verb)
wrack damage or destruction: wrack and ruin (noun); to wreck (verb)
recision an act of canceling or voiding; to cut back
rescission the act of rescinding, invalidating or repealing
Events for Writers
SPAN (Small Publishers Association of North America) is holding their 4th annual Publishing College from October 22-24 in Denver, Colorado. The theme is “Money-Making Marketing Strategies for the Next Millennium.” The event is for small to mid-sized independent presses, self-publishers, authors, publicists and “anyone who wants to accelerate his or her career in publishing.” It is an intensive, results-oriented three days dedicated to helping you discover the fortune that lies hidden in your books.
Get face-to-face with the nation’s leading book marketing experts. There will be 17 book sessions and dozens of vendors on hand.
For full details, pick up a copy of their brochure at a SPAWN chapter meeting or get info through:
http://www.SPANnet.org/SPAN99/
email to Lurina@SPANnet.org
phone (719) 395-4790
fax (7190 395-8374
- - -
International Imitation Raymond Chandler Writing Competition
- sponsored by the La Jolla Library. Can you imitate/parody the hard-boiled school of mystery writing? This contest just may be down your dark, dank, crime-sodden alley. Deadline: September 1. Cash prizes are $500, $300, and $200. For more information, call (619) 552-1657.
Read the article on Internet Discussion Lists by Virginia Lawrence.
NEW COPYRIGHT FEE
It now costs $30 to register your copyright. Since 1991 it has been $20 but if you still have some forms with that amount on them, they are now obsolete.
Authors will need Form TX, for “nondramatic literary works including fiction, nonfiction, poetry, contributions to collective works, compilations, directories, catalogs, dissertations, theses, reports, pamphlets, brochures” and so forth.
There is also a Short Form TX which you may use if:
- you are the only author and copyright owner of the work
- the work was not made for hire
- the work is completely new
- you are not registering under a pen name or pseudonym
You may get new forms by calling the Copyright Office’s Forms and Publications Hotline at (202) 707-9100 and leaving a message as to which forms you need and where to send them. They do not fax forms as the quality is often poor.
You may also download forms by going to their website which is http://www.loc.gov/copyright. Any copies you print out must look like the original; that is, of good quality and printed back to back and head to head.
Although a copyright registration is not required by law, a mandatory deposit is. If you are about to self-publish your book, you may want to wait for the book to be printed so that you can register your copyright at the same time that you send your mandatory deposit.
In this case, you would send two copies of the “best edition” of your book, the completed Form TX and your check for the $30 filing fee to:
Library of Congress
Register of Copyrights
Attn: 407 Deposits
101 Independence Ave., S.E.
Washington, DC 20559-6000
If you have any questions, you may call the Copyright Public Information Office at (202) 707-3000.
~M.E.
MEMBER NEWS
Santa Barbara County Chapter’s Tana Sommer’s oil paintings were included in the French Art Show at Borders during July in conjunction with the French Festival and will be in the Italian Art Show at Borders for the Italian Festival. Borders is at 900 State Street in Santa Barbara.
Dan Poynter is inviting authors and publishers to list their books FREE on his Website. It sounds like a wonderful opportunity. Here’s his offer:
“Now you can list your book(s), describe it, include your e-mail address and URL so interested parties can click directly back to you. There is NO charge (but it is self-service).
“Go to http://ParaPublishing.com. Click on the publishing icon. See the left-hand bar and click on ‘Success Stories.’ Check out the existing list and then go back to the top and click on ‘Click here’ to list your book.
“You may use the space to describe your book, repeat testimonials and quote reviews. This service is completely free - there is nothing to lose.”
MEMBERS: Have you had an article or book published lately? Are you having a book signing, an art exhibit, or anything else of interest? Send in your news. We want to know about it!
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SPAWNews is published by
Small Publishers, Artists & Writers Network
P.O. Box 2653, Ventura, CA 93002
Website: http://www.spawn.org
Telephone & Fax: 805-646-3045
Mary Embree
Executive Director
e-mail: embreelitservice@aol.com
Hal Ranzenhofer
Editor, SPAWNews
Telephone: 805/984-3216
e-mail: halrider@aol.com
Virginia Lawrence
SPAWN Webmaster
e-mail: virginia@cognitext.com
Dallas Glenn
President, Santa Barbara County Chapter.
e-mail: dallas@silcom.com
Carol Doering
President, Ventura County Chapter.
e-mail: rdoering@msn.com
Advisory Council
Patricia Fry
Author, Publisher
Rosalie Heacock
Literary Agent
Andora Hodgin
Writer, Editor, Publicist
Irwin Zucker
Book Publicist
Board of Directors
Mary Embree
Author, Editor, Literary Consultant
Founder and President of SPAWN
Jim Lane
Writer, Publisher
Vice President of SPAWN
Virginia Lawrence, PhD
Writer, Editor, Webmaster
Secretary of SPAWN
John C. Woodward, Esq.
Attorney at Law
Treasurer of SPAWN
Frances Halpern
Author, Columnist, Talk-show Host
Marsha Karpeles
Executive Director, Manuscript Libraries
Richard F.X. O'Connor
Author, Publisher, Editor, Consultant
Marcia Grad-Powers
Author, Senior Editor, Publishing
Melvin Powers
Author, Publisher
MISSION STATEMENT To provide education, information, resources and a supportive networking environment for artists, writers, and other creative people interested in the publishing process. |
