prized logo1OVERVIEW: Many of you have a prized possession — something with wonderful memories attached, an item of great beauty, or something simple that brings joy (I love my vintage mixing bowls). We want to hear about your prized possession in a poem or story — it could be something you received during your childhood or a knick-knack you found at a yard sale last week, with substantial or little monetary value. We’re looking for poems and stories about concrete objects — so avoid abstract prized possessions (such as health, fitness, or sobriety).

PROMPT: Tell us about your prized possession in a poem (any reasonable length) or prose piece (300 words or fewer — this word limit also applies to prose poems). The piece should tell the reader about your prized possession — how you obtained the item and why it means so much to you. (Just one item — if you have many beloved toys, pick one.)  Please write about one concrete object — and not about abstractions (such as creativity, health, etc.).  The object should be something you still possess.

WHAT: Submissions can be original or previously published poems or prose. You retain all rights to your work and give Silver Birch Press permission to publish the piece on social media. We are a nonprofit blog and offer no monetary compensation to contributors.

WHEN: We’ll feature the poems and prose in the Silver Birch Press MY PRIZED POSSESSION Poetry and Prose Series on our blog starting in October 2016 . We’ll also feature the work on Twitter and Facebook.

HOW TO SUBMIT: Email one poem or prose piece to SBPSUBMISSIONS@gmail.com as an MSWord attachment — and in the same file include your name, contact info (including email address), one-paragraph author’s bio (written in third person), and any notes about your creative process or thoughts about your piece. Please put all this information in one MSWord document and title the file with your last name (and only your last name). Write “PRIZED” in subject line of email. If available, please send a photo of yourself at any age that complements the poem or story (and/or shows the prized possession) — and provide a caption for the photo (when, where).

SUBMISSION CHECKLIST

To help everyone understand our submission requirements, we’ve prepared the following checklist.

1. Send ONE MS Word document TITLED WITH YOUR LAST NAME (e.g. Smith.doc or Jones.docx).

2. In the same MS Word document, include your contact information (name, mailing address, email address).

3. In the same MS Word document, include an author’s bio, written in the third person.

4. In the same MS Word document, include a note about your poem/prose or creative process written in the first person (this is optional — but encouraged).

5. In the same MS Word document, include a caption for your photo (including where, when and/or date taken).

6. If available, send a photo of yourself at any age — if available, with the prized possession — as a SEPARATE jpg attachment (not in the MS Word document). Title the photo with your last name (e.g., Jones.jpg). Also send a current photo to accompany your bio.

7. Email to SBPSUBMISSIONS@gmail.com — and put PRIZED in the subject line.

SUBMISSION DEADLINE: Saturday, October 15, 2016.