2014
Poetry
Challenge
Amateur, semi-professional and professional poets of all ages are
invited to submit original poetry in response to the 2014 Poetry
Challenge. This year Highland Park Poetry challenges poets to write
a response to one of the following prompts:
 Colors
 Fairy Tales & Legends
 Cinquain (see attached outline of this poetic form)
Poetry submissions will be selected by a guest judge for a local exhibition throughout April 2014.
Selected adult poets will be invited to read their poems at The Art Center of Highland Park (1957
Sheridan Road) on Friday, April 18 at 8:00 p.m. Selected student poets will be invited to read their
poems at the Highland Park Public Library Auditorium (494 Laurel Avenue) on Wednesday, April __ at
7:00 p.m. Selected poetry will also be featured on the Muses’ Gallery of Highland Park Poetry website
throughout April 2014.
Categories: Poems will be chosen in each of the following categories: grades K – 5, 6 – 8, 9 – 12,
College/University, Adult Highland Park resident and Adult non-resident.
Deadline: Monday, March 3, 2014 at 5:00 p.m. is the deadline for receipt of electronic submissions.
Submissions sent via US Mail must be postmarked by that date.
Number of Submissions: There is no reading fee to submit one (1) poem. To submit additional poems,
there is a reading fee of $3 per additional poem; limit 5 poems. Check or Money Order payable to
Highland Park Poetry.
Electronic Submission of poem(s) is preferred: Send poem(s) as text in the body of an e-mail to:
[email protected]. Please put “2014 Poetry Challenge” in the subject line of your e-mail.
You may attach a scanned copy of the completed Entry/Release form or send form + any applicable
reading fee to U.S. mailing address below.
Submissions by U.S. Mail: Send poem(s), completed/signed Entry/Release Form and reading fee (if
applicable) to: Highland Park Poetry c/o Jennifer Dotson, 376 Park Avenue, Highland Park, IL 60035.
Notification will be made to those whose work is selection for exhibition, publication and reading no later
than March 21, 2014.
Request for art work. Photographers and visual artists are encouraged to submit works related to the
2014 Challenge to be displayed at our local display and on www.highlandparkpoetry.org.
For further information regarding the poetry challenge, contact: [email protected]
Highland Park Poetry’s 2014 Poetry Challenge Entry Form (may be copied if needed)
Poet’s Name _________________________________________________________________________
Mailing Address ______________________________________________________________________
Phone ___________________________
Poet Category: K – 5 _____
College/University _____
E-mail ______________________________________
Grades 6 – 8 _____
Grades 9 – 12 _____
Adult – HP Resident ______
Adult – Non-Resident _____
Title(s) ______________________________________________________________________________
Has work been previously published? ____ Yes _____ No
If Yes,
please indicate where & when ____________________________________________________________
There is no reading fee to submit one (1) poem. To submit additional poems, there is a reading fee
of $3 per additional poem. Check or Money Order payable to Highland Park Poetry.
How many poems are you submitting? __________________
Fee enclosed? ____________________
Eligibility: Amateur, semi-professional and professional poets of all ages.
Submissions:
 Should express the writer’s experiences, thoughts or wishes related to colors or fairy tales
& legends or should be written in the form of a cinquain.
 Previously published poems are accepted but please indicate where and when the work appeared.
 Original poetry of 30 lines or fewer.
Release Form: Submissions must include a copy of the following completed form indicating your acknowledgement
that (1) your submission is original and is not a copy or derivative of any other work and (2) Highland Park Poetry’s
2014 Poetry Challenge has your irrevocable permission, without restriction, to use your work in original form or
reproduction for exhibition, advertising, educational and promotional materials for this event as well as other events
as Highland Park Poetry may determine in its sole and absolute discretion. Reasonable care will be taken in
handling submissions but Highland Park Poetry is not responsible for accidental damage or loss.
PLEASE PRINT
Poet’s Name: _________________________________________________________________________
Poet’s Signature: ____________________________________________ Date: ____________________
School / Grade / Teacher Name (if applicable) _______________________________________________
For Parents of Minors: I have signed the above Release on behalf of myself and my minor child
Parent’s Name (printed)_________________________________________________________________
Parent’s Signature ___________________________________________ Date: ____________________
A cinquain is a five‐line poem that was invented by Adelaide Crapsey, an American poet who took her inspiration from Japanese haiku and tanka. A collection of poems, titled Verse, was published in 1915 and included 28 cinquains. Cinquains are particularly vivid in their imagery and are meant to convey a certain mood or emotion. Because Adelaide Crapsey created the cinquain as a poetic form, the best example of a cinquain is a poem that she wrote titled “Snow” (source: http://www.cinquain.org) Look up… From bleakening hills Blows down the light, first breath Of wintry wind…look up, and scent The snow! Originally, Crapsey created the form for the American cinquain with five lines.1 Following the invention of this form, Crapsey made changes to the form and included a certain number of syllables per line. 
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Line one had two syllables. Line two had four syllables. Line three had six syllables. Line four had eight syllables. Line five had two syllables. Popular Cinquain Forms There have been many variations of the cinquain since its invention. To fully understand Cinquains, here are descriptions of two of the more popular forms along with examples. Cinquain Form #1 ‐ Didactic Cinquain This is a very popular form of the cinquain because of its simplicity. Instead of incorporating stress and syllables, it uses words. The first line is one word which is the title of the poem. The second line contains two words which are adjectives that describe the title. The third line has three words that tell the reader more about the subject of the poem or shows action. Many times these words are gerunds that end with “ing.” The fourth line has four words that show emotions about the subject of the poem and may be individual words or a phrase. The fifth line is one word that is a synonym of the title or is very similar to it. Here are some examples of this form of cinquain: Watermelon Watermelon Juicy, sweet Dripping, slurping, smacking So messy to eat Yummy 1
Even though iambic feet were typically used in these cinquains, it is not a requirement of the structure.
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Snow Snow Lovely, white Falling, dancing, drifting Covering everything it touches Blanket Castle Castle Strong, beautiful Imposing, protecting, watching Symbolizes wealth and power Fortress Cinquain Form #2 This form is just slightly different from the first form in that the fourth line is a complete sentence and may have more than four words. The first line is one word. The second line contains two adjectives. The third line has three words ending in “ing.” The fourth line has four or more words that make a complete sentence. The fifth line is one word. Here are a few examples of this form of cinquain: Acrobats Acrobats Flexible, amusing Flipping, twirling, jumping They make me laugh Performers Star Star Hot, radiant Shining, burning, exploding It gives life to everything Sun Penguins Penguins White, black Waddling, swimming, eating They are playing in the water Emperors