There are just a few days left to submit poems to the Heroes’ Voices third annual National Veterans Poetry Contest. The number of this year’s entries far exceeds the last two years with more than 160 entries from 30 different states. This represents an increase of more than 50% from 2018! We anticipate a final rush of entries during this last week and we are excited to pass along the semi-finalists to our distinguished panel of judges.
We recently received the beautiful chapbook from last year’s contest, published by our partners George Mason University and the Hylton Performing Arts Center in Virginia. We have passed them along to all our 2018 semi-finalists and winners and to our principal supporters including the Rotary Club of San Francisco. This year’s semi-finalists and finalists will also be published in our 2019 chapbook and at http://heroesvoices.org/poetry.
For the first time this year, we asked for comments from poets who enter the contest:
- A proud Navy Veteran and wife, who misses the sea, and longs to remember those who have gone before. These words are personal, this place real.
- I am a husband, father of two, and a soon-to-be retired Army officer. I write to make sense of my experiences, and I continue to be amazed at the healing power of language.
- I began writing on board the USS Cape Cod on the Aft Deck 800 miles out to sea. Writing was my escape because when you are out to sea for weeks to months on end or in a different Country feeling all alone ...you really do need to get into a frame of mind to cope.
Heroes’ Voices will present the culminating event of this project, “The Soldier’s Journey”, on June 23, at Calvary Presbyterian Church in San Francisco. Calvary Presbyterian Church is one of the premiere performance venues in San Francisco and has hosted some of the area’s greatest artists and ensembles for generations. “The Soldier’s Journey” will feature music and poetry that reflects the experiences of those who have bravely served their country, including the winning poems from our national contest. Free tickets to this performance are available at http://heroesvoices.org/tickets.
Please alert any veteran poets you know to submit their poetry to the Heroes’ Voices National Veterans Poetry Contest without delay! The first prize is $1,000 and the deadline is April 20 th.
More information about the contest, including instructions for submitting poems, is available at http://heroesvoices.org/contest/. |
