A new opportunity for writers and poets who are in Indiana, or have close Indiana ties:

The Arts Council of Indianapolis, in partnership with Buckingham Companies, the Indianapolis-Marion County Public Library, and the Indiana Writers Center, is seeking poetry from writers/poets who are interested in having their poems direct-stamped into sidewalk concrete around Buckingham’s new Library Square development just north of Central Library in downtown Indianapolis. Up to 12 poems will be selected for placement around the development, located between Pennsylvania, Meridian, St. Joseph, and 9^th Streets. The selected poems also receive $250.00 honorarium.

Submissions are free!

Eligibility Requirements

To qualify, writers/poets must:

• Be 18 years of age or older
• Be previously published (not self-published)
• Live in or have close ties to Indiana
• Be willing to meet all contractual obligations and adhere to the strict timeline

Entry Guidelines

• Text and subject matter must be appropriate for viewing by the general public. Poems that are explicitly religious, political, graphically violent or overtly sexual will not be considered.
• The submitted poems may be published or unpublished, as long as they are the original work of the applicant, the applicant owns the rights to the poem, and the applicant has the right to allow third parties to publish the poems.
• Applicants may enter one submission of up to THREE short poems, or may submit up to three short excerpts from larger works as long as the excerpt stands on its own as a complete poem. Applicants may submit any combination of short poems and excerpts as long as no more than three total are submitted.  One submission per applicant.
• Poems may be in any language but must be accompanied by an English translation. For additional information, email Rachel Sahaidachny, mail@indianawriters.org  
• Poems must have a maximum of 10 lines each (including blank lines and title lines). Poems must have no more than 40 characters per line (including punctuation and spaces), and a maximum total of 225 characters (all lines combined).
• Applicants will retain full copyright of their poems; however, by applying for this call, poets agree that, if selected, the Arts Council of Indianapolis, the Indianapolis-Marion County Public Library, Buckingham Companies, and the Indiana Writers Center may freely use and/or print the poems as many times and in as many locations as they wish, and may also use the poems, and images of the installed poems, in whole or in part for promotional, documentary, and/or celebratory purposes.
• Preference may be given to poems that are in some way reflective of books, reading, literature, or the power of words, but adhering to that theme is not required for acceptance. Poems may also be inspired by the works of the authors whose names are inscribed around the crown of the Central Library’s Cret Building.

  Submission Process

  To enter, applicants must provide the following information in two separate documents, as indicated.  Files can be in Microsoft Word or PDF format.

  • Applicant Information (including a list of 1-3 previous publications)
    • Complete the “Applicant Information Form” (click here to print the .pdf) (click here for the Word document).
    • Please name this document according to the following format: LastNameFirstName_App.doc (or .docx or .pdf)
  • Poetry Submissions
    • 1 – 3 short poems or excerpts from poems in one document
    • Please name this document according to the following format: LastNameFirstName_Poems.doc (or .docx or .pdf)

   

  Delivery of Submissions

  Emailed submissions are preferred.  Attach the two separate documents (Applicant Information Form and the poetry document) to a single email.  All required materials must be RECEIVED by 5:00 p.m. (EDT) on Friday, June 30, 2017.  Direct emailed submissions to:  LibrarySquarePoetry@indianawriters.org

  Alternatively, the applicant form and poetry submissions may be typed and/or printed out on 8-1/2 x 11 inch paper.  Paper submissions should be mailed to the Indiana Writers Center, PO Box 30407, Indianapolis, IN 46230-0407. Please do not mail applications to the street address!

  For more information and to read the complete Call to Writers/Poets Request for Short Poetry (RFP) from the Arts Council of Indianapolis, please copy & paste this link into your browser: http://www.indyartsguide.org/classified/arts-council-seeks-poems-sidewalk-poetry-project/