If the first round of judging has begun without your work–we still really want it!
I wish we could transmit the joy and wonder of reading these varied voices of Canada. Every kind of poetry is coming in, haiku to song lyrics, sonnets to free verse. The final judges will have an embarrassment of riches from which to choose just 49 pieces that, fitted together, will give President Obama the experience of meeting the complete Canadian.
The first question judges will be asking themselves for each poem is, “If I were Obama, what would this poem tell me about Canada or being a Canadian?” The next question will be, “Is this a good poem?” The final consideration will be how each poem fits with the next in the jigsaw puzzle picture of Canada we are putting together.
Thus far, the shortest submission is a couplet and the longest is a six-part six-pager. The oldest poem was written forty years ago; the newest was hot off the ballpoint seconds before submission. Some metaphorically, obliquely, or plainly touch on Canadian issues; others focus on personal life. The fattening file contains lyrics, profanity, philosophy, passion, and (really weird) punctuation. You’ll fit right in.
What does matters is that you have the rights to publish the poem(s), and that it says something, however subtly, about your experience as a Canadian.
Mr. Obama is visiting Canada February 19 and we would like to send him at least a foretaste of the final collection before his trip. The actual book will be published first as a paperback with a low or no eco-footprint and along the principles of community sustainability. A special handmade edition is being considered. Stay tuned.
Refresh your memory about this project, and let us have it (your work, that is)!
-Kaimana Wolff
