The Science Fiction Poetry Association is pleased to announce its third annual web poetry contest.

Entries are free and must be submitted between August 1st and August 31st. Poems may be of any form, no more than 20 lines, and must be on the theme of ENERGY. Poems must have a science fiction, fantasy, or horror element.

First prize is $100 cash, SFPA website publication, Waterman pen and journal, a signed hardcopy copy of The Journey to Kailash by Mike Allen, a copy of In the Yaddith Time by Ann K. Schwader, and a one year SFPA membership.

Second prize is $40 cash, SFPA website publication, an original painting by Marge Simon (the winner’s choice of three), one year subscription to Dreams & Nightmares, and a copy of Riffing on Strings, edited by Sean Miller & Shveta Verma.

Third prize is $20 cash, SFPA website publication, a copy of Lost Innocence: A Niteblade Anthology edited by Rhonda Parrish, and a copy of Sporty Spec: Games of the Fantastic edited by Karen A. Romanko.

Other prizes include The Poet’s Workshop – and Beyond by Terrie Leigh Relf, M.A., Covenant by Elissa Malcoln, a copy of each available Spec House of Poetry title, and a copy of Passionate Eye: The Collected Writings of Suzanne Vega by Suzanne Vega.

Please check the link below for more information.

http://www.sfpoetry.com/2008poetrycontest.html

OK, this sounds both – very interesting and very retarded.
Energy? Come on, that term is so wide, misunderstood, misused, and vague that you could say every song ever written is about energy.
Love energy? Check.
Suicide energy? Check.
Sunrise/sunset energy? Check.
Devil-sodomizing-vestal-virgins energy? Double check. :)

Ah, I’m just venting. Thanx for the info.
I just go a little stupid at vague things.
I need specifics.
Or your contest gets refunded.

I have to concede that you’ve got a really good point. Energy? It is kind of vague. And extra kudos for being snarky (but not offensive) about it.

I think the editors were trying to be vague on purpose . . . People love themes. Taken as a whole, I think they’re more interesting when everyone focuses on a target and gives it a shot. It’s the writers that will expands upon Energy and hopefully comes up with something unique; or better yet, one of a kind.

Refunded is acceptable. Just don’t click me unhelpful!!

;)

Oooh! Thanks for the info Curt!

I love science and the subject of energy (science-based: potential, kinectic/ even electronics) has several plots in my mind already, so perhaps I could manage something with that. I’ve linked some of my electronics education to…well, I’m not giving it away! Come up with your own ;P

But it will be sci-fi based, being that I will use one of these forms of energy and it will definately have a horror/dark fantasy element to it! Oh the joy! This is a topic I have been toying with for years! My poem will probably not be great, but it will be fun to write!

I actually have a poem with this theme posted here. Everyone seems to miss the point of ‘energy’ and I am often asked why Lightning and Thunder are capitolized in said poem. It has also raned so low it may be negative by now ;) But I’ve already been paid for that one, so I can accept that it is possibly the lowest ranked poem on Urbis, heh. Poets don’t have much tolerance for poems about resurrected dead/zombies…but that’s okay! The horror mags do :D

I like specific themes like “vampire virgins on a friday night” for a contest. At least those stay in some boundaries.
@ Karma, back off, flatulence energy is mine, MINE I say!

Ack!! It’s yours, it’s yours!

::Holds arms up and steps carefully away from the flatulence energy::

OK, so I’ve submitted my masterpiece. If I don’t win that will be a tragedy for poetry as a discipline.
Enjoy this inspirational work of genius.

Looking through the spy-hole I saw just distorted air
But judging by the scent our poker buddy came
“Nice to’ve finally met you”, echoed in my head
“My name is Keezytarj, but you can call me Greg”

I’ve never played cards before with a ball of flatular energy
He explained telepathically his extraordinary ability
Being able to materialize any amount of money
As long as his gastastral account wasn’t empty

His game was silent but violent; he bluffed with Roquefort tactics
At times he seemed bithermal, other times magnetic

With his perfect poker face – not having face at all
He would’ve wiped us clean with his obscene routine
But were air-prepared; we had aces up our sleeves:
We neutralized his winds with the force of beans and beer

Like a unison quire we nucleared him away
He sublimed, he dried and fried, he felt our inner strength
He vanished to thin air, with a lesson learned today:
Solid may be fragile, but more stable than the gas

A masterpiece indeed! Funny, cool, “energy” related! I like both the interior and outward rhymes. Great job, Jebo. I’m wishing you the best of luck with this; though you definitely won’t need it. Stellar!

I’m saving my Urbis credits for my novel, so here is my entry.

Spaceman

E=MC2
I’m in a position to say
I trip the light fantastic,
in an expansive kind of way.

I was here yesterday,
I’m still here today,
I view a million places,
but I never move away.

I’m everywhere and nowhere baby,
I’ve only just understood that,
they’re more than just words,
I’ve become Schrödinger’s cat

I’m a corporal of the corporeal,
I major in the metaphysical,
I’m a general enigma,
a kernel for the mystical

I yearn for a KFC,
you can have my FTL,
I want to be a sunset,
and taste the everlasting night.

Avedis-

Well . . . They do offer a second place prize. ;) Definitely not bad. I didn’t write one but if either of you guys win, I do have a paypal account set up for a “finder’s fee”.

Kidding.

No, actually I’m not.

Curtastrophe:

“Not bad” indeed! lol

I’m not a rhyming poet usually, too restrictive with my limited ability.

I was going to call this “God”, I love the concept that “ït” is a trapped Faster Than Light traveller.
I didn’t think that blapshemy would go down well though.

Not written for this contest, but along the theme of energy:

Energy Vampyre

Citizen of circuitous sentience.
Swiss cheesed personality.
Squeegees out all sensations.
Sponges up all satisfaction.

Swiftly slithers in silently.
Swirling sorcerors-arms.
Conjures shifting vortex.
Suckling at soul’s senses.

Start of surging siege.
Centering its sensory desires.
Searching for nourishment.
Sapping precious essence.

Second attack sprung.
Scorching words scratch out seething.
Scouting simple sympathy.
Supper is served.

Avedis-

Heh heh. I think Jebo’s wins out by a hare though. Har har har. ::Sending good energy waves (or are they particles?) to both of you.::

And look, it’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s . . . Squarehopper? Favorite lines are “Sapping precious essence” and “Scouting simple sympathy”. Energy vampires suck. Pun-arrific!

SquareHopper:

I think you must have known the same woman I once ran from. lol

Here’s a prose poem:

Event Horizon

We saw things from a differing perspective, my alien friends and I.
I sat in my wood and canvas deckchair, they in their own nostalgic equivalent.
The air surrounding us was not sweet, a mixture we could all tolerate but favoring none.
The sounds emanating from whatever they used for speech fed through electronic pathways to form a tinny English translation in my earpiece.
No matter what part of the electromagnetic spectrum registered upon our differing eyes, we stared at the same scene.
We had all travelled far to take our seats, a grandstand view at the edge of a black hole.
Yet, each had a differing view, shaped by cultural perception.
I sat and watched a galaxy disappear, stars marching like lemmings, unable to resist the attraction of death.
No spectacular explosions, no final last minute flare of goodbye, just gone in the blink of an eye.
I don’t know what I had anticipated, but the scene fed some inner bleak awareness of the futility of life.
And as my eyes brimmed with tears, the tinny sound of laughter, distorted but undiminished through the translator, filled my ears.
For a moment I felt anger, was I the only one present capable of empathy?
I swallowed my resentment and reflected that, perhaps, aliens were truly alien.
Then one friend shared with me what I alone in that group had failed to see.
“Each death, every ending, clears the way for a new beginning. We are not laughing at death my friend, we are celebrating the freedom from stagnation”
Slowly, a smile formed upon my lips.
I was reminded of an Irish wake.
There were no aliens, only my own sense of alienation.

Haven’t we all known a woman like this?

BTW: Event Horizon=One of my favorite horror movies of all time.

I went ahead and submitted the energy vampyre.

SquareHopper:
I think yours, Jebs and mine sit on the three corners of a triangle with regard style and approach – so between us we have all bases covered eh?

Good luck my friends.

Ditto that.

Yuppers… good luck to you all as well.

I think this will be interesting won’t it?

Bet that what wins is a piece about star-trek type hyperdrive that leads into a black hole that leads into someone’s nostril. :)

Whoever wins must throw a virtual party here!

Curtastrophe, heh, so glad you liked it. This is the first time I’ve written something on a given subject. And the first time I’ve sent it for a contest. So I guess it could’ve been better if I hadn’t been excited like a little boy in front of the ice cream truck.

SquareHopper, if someone pissed me off I would pay good money for Daffy Duck to read your poem to him. And no, he couldn’t use an umbrella. ;)

Or Sylverster Cat or Taz, or Yosemite Sam, or Tweety Bird… or

But I get the picture.

Yeah, it was fun writing it.

It was to be reminiscent of sucking noises :p

But it could have also sounded like electricity sizzling, in retrospect.

Isn’t today when they are announcing winners?

Message Curt. He is all-knowing and all-wise.

Ha! Seriously, the website states, “Results should be available here on the website by September 20th, 2008.” That should is a tricky word. I also have some other friends that sent poems to this so I will be keeping a close eye on it.

The results are up.

Now I remember why I don’t usually “do” poetry contests.