Cranky announces its first-ever chapbook contest. The details?
http://www.crankymag.org/contest.html

You: Poet with 20-45 pages of poetry waiting to be let out to play. Maybe a few of these poems have been published in literary journals, but the set has not been previously published anywhere, though your poems are deliciously crisp and black (like ants). You live in a cold-water flat and could use the $500 first prize. Unlike the runners-up at a beauty pageant, you know how competitive chapbook contests can be; you’d be ecstatic just to be named a finalist.

Us: The Cranky editors. If you’ve read the journal (and you should have), you know we admire wit and word play and quirky intelligence. We share a fanatic commitment to truth, justice and the American (left wing) wayat leeast when it comes to judging. We’ll read all entries blindly (like the three mice), which means anything that shouts out your name will disqualify you; please do not include in your manuscript any poems previously published by Cranky. Once semi-finalists have been identified, we will narrow the field to finalists and then choose a winner, to be announced August 1, 2007. We will work with the winner regarding design and cover art.

The Prize: We will pay $500 and 25 copies of the chapbook (nicely printed).

How, What and Where to Send:

Two cover pages, one with only the title of the manuscript, and one that lists your name, address, telephone number and email address. You may include a bio as well, but these will not be read until contest conclusion.

Your poetry manuscript of 20-45 pages, with no more than one poem per page. Pagination is encouraged, a table of contents appreciated, and an acknowledgments page required.

$15 entry fee, payable to Cranky Literary Journal (mailed or sent via the PayPal button at send a notte with your manuscript if you pay this way.)

Simultaneous submissions don’t twist our knickers, but we want to know if another press calls first dibs. If you’re prolific enough to enter multiple submissions, do so by all means, but send a $15 entry fee for each one. We won’t publish translations or books you’ve already published yourself. If you send us your only copy, you need more help than we can provide. Don’t send an SASE; instead, include your email address for notification. Get your precious tome in the mail by April 15, otherwise fuggedaboutit. All work submitted (unless
previously published) is considered for possible publication in Cranky or as a chapbook.

Send through regular U.S. mail, without return receipts or anything we might have to sign for, to: Chapbook Contest, Cranky Literary Journal, PO Box 70632, Seattle, WA 98127. Only those sending from outside the U.S. may send via UPS, FedEx or DHL.