Published: 8/18/2021 4:15:49 PM
The Friends of the Orange Public Libraries have announced the start of the eighth annual Robert P. Collén Poetry Competition in memory of a lifelong resident with a passion for the written word.
This year’s theme will be “Night and Day.” The submission deadline is Oct. 9.
According to Inter-library Loan Coordinator Todd Ladeau, entrants are allowed to submit a maximum of three poems about the theme of “Night and Day” as you define it. Only unpublished poems will be accepted.
All poems must be typed in a plain font and submitted on white, 8.5-by-11-inch paper. Do not place any personal information on the side of the paper where the poems appear. This should go on the reverse side. You will be notified by mail or phone notification that your poem has been entered into the contest. Ladeau advises no submissions will be returned.
The top 10 finalists will be chosen on Oct. 26 to compete for the prize money. The winner receives $100, the second-place finisher gets $50 and the third-place finisher will receive $25.
Mailed submissions must be postmarked by the submission deadline date and sent to: Robert P Collén Poetry Competition, Wheeler Memorial Library, 49 East Main St., Orange, MA 01364. Ladeau said the contest previously had submissions from as far away as Texas and Arizona, and typically sees 30 to 40 submissions each year.
Collén died in September 2014, at the age of 86. He reignited his passion for poetry while at Tufts University and won the prestigious intercollegiate Glascock Poetry Prize, sponsored by Mount Holyoke College, in 1951. He published three books of poems, and celebrated his affection for his hometown with his poem, “The Town and the River.”
Reach Domenic Poli at: dpoli@recorder.com or 413-772-0261, ext. 262.