Poetry came into the public eye numerous times during the 2008 U.S. Presidential election campaign (see the list of our postings below), and the poetry world has been buzzing with excitement and bustling with suggestions since the election, especially as it became evident that poetry would have a role to play in next Tuesday’s inauguration ceremony and celebration. While we’re all waiting for Elizabeth Alexander’s inaugural poem, let’s reread the few poems that have marked earlier Presidential inaugurations:

• “Dedication,” written for John F. Kennedy’s inauguration in 1961, and “The Gift Outright,” recited in its place by Robert Frost
• “On the Pulse of Morning,” written and read by Maya Angelou for Bill Clinton’s 1993 inauguration
• “Of History and Hope,” written and read by Miller Williams for Bill Clinton’s 1997 inauguration

• “Launch,” by Billy Collins
• “The Land Was Never Ours,” by Julia Alvarez
• “Making the News,” by Gary Soto
• “The Procession,” by Yusef Komunyakaa
• “The World Has Changed,” by Alice Walker
• “Poem for Obama,” by David Lehman
• “Plea to the Pres,” by Ted Newman
• “Imagine Obama Talking to a Fool,” by Amiri Baraka
• “Africa Goes for Obama!,” by Bob Holman

Our previous notes about poetry on the path to the White House:
The Intersection of Politics and Autobiography in Poetry, Obama’s poetry (March 2007)
Harold Bloom comments on Barack Obama’s poems (June 2007)
Poetry vs. Prose in the Presidential Campaign? (February 2008) — This one has a poll asking “Would you vote for a poet for President?” Stop in and see how our readers voted.
Barack Obama’s Poem Now a Video (July 2008)
Found Poetry on the Campaign Trail, Sarah Palin’s statements made into poetry by Hart Seely (October 2008)
Who should be the inaugural poet for President-elect Obama? (November 2008)
The Inaugural Poet Chosen: Elizabeth Alexander (December 2008)

There was a time when every schoolchild was expected to memorize poems and recite them aloud. (Am I dating myself when I remember having to stand in front of my 4th grade class and say Blake’s unforgettable lines, “Tyger, tyger, burning bright”?) Not so much these days, although Poetry Out Loud, the national recitation contest now in its 3rd year, is working to bring memorization and recitation back in a big way. And one Minnesota grandmother is doing her part:

from The Minneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune:
“Guest editorial: Dollar in pocket puts poem forever in heart,” by Kathleen Coskran
“I am now paying my grandchildren to memorize poetry. Like my mother, I too believe in the power of language to soothe and to heal; to inspire and to calm. Poetry is to be spoken aloud, learned by heart; a poem spoken in the music of your own voice becomes a part of you, and if you learn it when you are young, you will have it forever.”

What poems have you committed to memory? What do you think of this method of motivating kids to learn poems?

The results are in — in their last month as judges of the InterBoard Poetry Competition, Hélène Cardona and John FitzGerald have selected these winning poems:

• In first place, “Milk Noodle” by Greta Bolger, a childhood memory captured in “simplicity and intimacy.”
• In second place, “Aftermath” by S. Shademan, a poem that builds to an emotional crescendo, cherishing all the wrinkles of life in the midst of loss.
• In third place, “Memento Mori” by Brenda Levy Tate, another poem of loss with “a wonderful rhythm... a story that is both personal and universal.”
• Honorable mention given to “Evening Prayer” by Emily Brink, without comment.

More on the IBPC:
General information
Requirements for IBPC nominees
Anthology of the monthly IBPC winning poems
Archive of poems entered in the IBPC from our Poetry Forum
Background information, poem links and book-buying links for current IBPC judge Elena Karina Byrne

It’s a new year, and there’s a new cycle of poetry book and chapbook publication contest deadlines coming up in the next few months, for those of you who’ve been working on a manuscript, and choose to go the competition entry route to getting it published. Here’s a roundup of upcoming entry deadlines:

• Del Sol Press Poetry Prize (postmark deadline January 15)
• John Ciardi Prize for Poetry from BkMk Press at the University of Missouri Kansas City (postmark deadline January 15)
• Grayson Books Chapbook Contest (postmark deadline January 16)
• Kathryn A. Morton Prize in Poetry from Sarabande Books (postmark deadline February 15)
• New Women’s Voices Chapbook Competition from Finishing Line Press (postmark deadline February 15)
• National Poetry Series, this year with a new prize co-sponsored by mtvU designating one of the five book publication awards to go to a college student (postmark deadline February 16)
• The American Poetry Journal Book Prize from Dream Horse Press (postmark deadline February 28)
• Fence Modern Poets Series (postmark deadline February 28)
• Tupelo Press Snowbound Series Chapbook Award (postmark deadline February 28)
• Sawtooth Poetry Prize from Ahsahta Press (postmark deadline March 1)
• The Washington Prize from The Word Works (postmark deadline March 1)
• Cleveland State University Poetry Center Prizes, First Book competition and Open competition (postmark deadline March 2)
• Grub Street Book Prize in Poetry (postmark deadline March 15)
• Four Way Books Levis Poetry Prize (postmark or online submission deadline March 31)
• Robert Watson Poetry Award from Spring Garden Press and The Greensboro Review (postmark or online entry deadline April 2)
• Richard Peterson Poetry Prize from Crab Orchard Review (postmark deadline April 30)
• Marsh Hawk Press Poetry Prize (postmark deadline April 30)

Required reading before you submit to any contests:
“What's Really Wrong with Poetry Book Contests?,” by David Alpaugh
How to put together a poetry manuscript for publication
“A Word To the Wise: On entering your poems in competition,” by Kurt Heintz
“You Do It Because You Love It,” by S.A. Griffin

Related resources:
More contest links