Helen
Bar-Lev, IL
This article was compiled mostly by Wendy Blumfield
Seymour Mayne
On 21st June,
the summer solstice, Seymour Mayne, Professor of Canadian
Literature at Ottawa University and judge of the 2010 Reuben
Rose Annual Poetry Competition, presented a workshop at the
Tel-Aviv University .
He told Voices Israel members who met at Tel Aviv University
that he first heard about Voices in 1988 when he met Reuben
Rose at what was then Haifa`s tiny poetry group.
Seymour Mayne
He then talked
generally about trends in contemporary poetry, from the
"language poets" playing with words and sound and
experimentation finally returning to meaning and narrative.
The poets who most influenced his work were A.M. Klein,
Irving Layton and Leonard Cohen.
There is a lot of humour in Seymour Mayne`s poetry. He read
"The Blue Couch" which was written as a series of curses
against the thieves who stole his old battered but dearly
loved sofa from his porch. He posted this poem on trees and
telephone poles around the neighbourhood until one day two
students sheepishly returned it.
One of Seymour`s poetry styles is the word sonnet, and the
group spent the second half of the workshop writing in
connection to "cheese" and "pomegranate."
Poem written at the workshop by Thilde Fox:
Why
must
you
always
frown
grimace
squint
before
my
camera?
next
time
say
cheese.
Voices
Israel (Reuben Rose Competition)
Judge: Esther
Cameron, editor of The Deronda Review.
PRIZES
1st: US$ 500
2nd: US$200
3rd: US$100
7 honorable mentions
DEADLINE
Entries must be received by Sunday 9th October, 2011.
Submissions received after the deadline will be
automatically entered into next year’s contest.
Winners will be notified personally by the end of February
2012 and all prize-winning poems will be posted on the
Voices website and published in the Voices Anthology.
A prizewinning ceremony will take place in Tel Aviv at the
end of March, 2012.
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
All styles of poetry are welcome. The competition is general
and not necessarily on Jewish or Israeli subjects. The
competition is judged anonymously.
Poems should be 40 lines or less excluding title and stanza
breaks, typed on plain white A4 paper, Times New Roman 12pt
font only. Each poem must start on a new page. Send two
copies of each poem, one with your name and the second, for
the judge, with no identifying information whatsoever.
Include a cover letter listing the titles of the poem(s)
together with your full name, address, telephone numbers and
e-mail details.
Submissions by mail only to:
Voices
Israel (Reuben Rose Competition)
John Dicks
POB 236,
Kiryat Ata 28101
ISRAEL
ENTRY FEES
Voices Israel members: NIS15; US$5; Euros 4; £3 per poem.
Non-members: NS20; US$8; Euros 6; £5 per poem (these
currencies only, in cash or by check payable to Voices
Israel .
Submit as many poems as you wish with the appropriate fee.
For receipt of submission , please enclose stamped addressed
envelope (plus three international reply coupons for
overseas entries).
Read Helen Bar-Lev, Contributing
Editor: Interview with
Lilian Cohen, IL
Helen Bar-Lev ,
artist, poet
www.helenbarlev.com
Senior Editor,
Cyclamens and Swords Publishing
www.cyclamensandswords.com
Secretary,
Voices Israel Group of Poets in English
http://www.freewebs.com/voicesisrael/
Contributing
editor,
SKETCHBOOK, A Journal for Eastern and Western Short
Forms
http://poetrywriting.org/
International
Senior Poet Laureate, 2009
Amy Kitchener Foundation
