* Download guidelines in printable .pdf form

 

Judges: Peter Cook and Kenny Lerner of The Flying Words Project

 
 

Deadline: April 30, 2003

 

Prize: $200 plus publication in Slope

 

 

COMPLETE GUIDELINES

 

The winning poet will receive $200 and have his or her poetry displayed in the forthcoming ASL Poetry Feature in Slope, one of the first online poetry journals to be anthologized in the prestigious The Best American Poetry series.  Finalists may also be selected to appear in Slope. 

 

Eligibility:

 

* Contestants must be at least 18 years old.

* Poems must be in American Sign Language. 

* Poems written in English are not eligible. 

 

Formal Requirements:

 

None. The subject and form are open and unrestricted, allowing for a range of originality and poetic diversity.  Feel free to bend or break linguistic rules.  Our goal is to establish a home for ASL poetry on the Internet.

 

Suggested length per poem is approximately two minutes or shorter.

 

How to Enter the Contest:

 

Poems must be submitted in one of the following formats:

 

* videotape (VHS or VHS adaptable)

* digital formats on disc, CD-R, or CD-RW (.mpg or .mov / suggested max resolution is 320x240)

 

Submission of more than one poem is acceptable and encouraged, and all may be included on the same videotape or disc.

 

Submissions must be accompanied by a brief biography of the poet, including name, mailing address, and email address.

 

Send submissions to:

 

                National ASL Poetry Prize

                c/o Slope

                74 High St.  #6

                Greenfield, MA 01301

 

Deadline:

 

Submissions must be postmarked no later than April 30, 2003.  No electronic submissions.

 

Notification:

 

To receive confirmation that Slope has received your entry, include a self-addressed, stamped postcard with your submission.  

 

About the Judges:

 

Peter Cook and Kenny Lerner have performed as The Flying Words Project at the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, Harvard University, The Nuyorican Cafe, Theatre de Lucernaire in Paris, and many places in between.  They have received grants from the NYSCA, the NEA, and the Puffin Foundation.  Flying Words has also been active in promoting ASL poetry around the country through workshops and by organizing the First National ASL Literature Conference (1991).  Robert Koehler of the Los Angeles Times calls the work produced by deaf artist Cook and his hearing partner Lerner, “a theatre held aloft by language.”  Cook has made two videotapes, “From a Gator Ride to the Dentist Office” and “United States of ASL Poetry.”  Cook and Lerner are currently working on a new video, due out this year. 

 

About Slope :

 

Slope is an online literary journal dedicated to publishing poetry from cultures around the world.  Slope was at DeafWayII to report on the events for our ASL Poetry Feature, due out in Fall 2003. 

 

 

For more information, please email info@slope.org.  No electronic submissions.