"Shakespeare Selfie" Writing Challenge ends May 9, 2014

April 23, 2014 marked the 450th birthday of William Shakespeare. To celebrate, CBC’s Canada Writes will be holding a national writing challenge and pairing it with a series of original fiction. 

Shakespeare used selfies all the time. But instead of a camera, he used a quill. From April 14 to May 9, Canada Writes will be asking Canadians to take a Shakespearean character, situate him or her in a present-day scenario, and write a new soliloquy (a speech in which the character talks to him/herself) or monologue for that character. 

What would Hamlet mutter under his breath if he had been dragged to a bad poetry-slam event? What choice bon mots would Caliban unleash after his Plymouth Reliant breaks down on the Trans-Canada? We want to know in this writing challenge. #shakespeareselfie

CHALLENGE DETAILS:

Word count: 200 to 400 words
Challenge open to Canadians aged 12 and over 
Submission period: April 14 to May 9, 2014

For more information about this contest, please click here

Short Fiction Writing Contest- Deadline May 28, 2014

The Peter Hinchcliffe Fiction Award, sponsored by the St. Jerome's University English Department. 

Winning story: $1000

This contest, is named in honour of Peter Hinchcliffe, who was instrumental in the founding of the magazine and has made an impact in the lives of many students in his longstanding role as lecturer at St. Jerome’s University. 

The $1000 top prize will be awarded for a work of short fiction by a Canadian (citizen or resident) writer who has not yet published a first novel or short story collection.  Though there is only one top prize, all submissions will be considered for paid publication ($250) in the magazine. All submissions will be judged blind.

Entry fee: $40 per submission. Each submission includes a one-year Canadian subscription (or subscription extension) to The New Quarterly

Eligiblity: Submissions must be previously unpublished. Entrants must be Canadian or currently residing in Canada. Writers must be in the early stages. We define a writer in the early stages as someone who has not yet published a first story collection or novel.

There is no word limit. Entrants anonymity will be carefully preserved throughout the judging process; please ensure that your name does not appear on your document. Decisions will be made by August 31; finalists will be notified by email.

Deadline: May 28, 2014

Words in Motion 2014- Feature Poem of the Day for National Poetry Month

As I Stare Into the Fire…

As I stare into the fire I see the dancing, roaring flames of spirits.
If one looks closely you can see them.
Spirits of many kinds that dance their way to the heavens.
They twirl around others like two friends giving a pinky swear.
Perhaps they once knew each other before they departed.
Then as they reach the top of the fire they split and vanish.
It’s like they never existed like those who were born centuries ago and are forgotten souls.
My heart sinks slowly as their warmth fades.
But you can see something different; you see sparks that float into the sky.
Don’t become discouraged once they disappear.
They are merely taking their places in the sky becoming constellations.
Fitting themselves into the pattern of the beautiful dark horizon.
It’s a sight never to be forgotten.

Kaeli Mask
Grade 9, Bill Woodward School
Anzac

Words in Motion 2014- Feature Poem of the Day for National Poetry Month

He Heard the Call

At one o’clock
I heard the call
On the line was my son Paul
He said “Ma, I’ve got to go.”
Inside my heart was screaming no!

*He heard the call
To stand a fight
For what he thought was right
So the rest of us could live free
A soldier’s what he had to be*

 At four o’clock
Alarms rang out
 “Put on your gear” the captain shouts
He said “Come, we’ve got to go.”
Inside his heart was screaming no!

*Refrain

At eight o’clock
He heard no sound
My son Paul was on the ground
The captain said, we’ve got to go.”
Inside his heart was screaming no!

*Refrain

At twelve o’clock
I heard the call
I picked it up and let it fall
I said “Paul why did you have to go.”
Inside my heart was screaming no!

*Refrain
A soldier’s what he had to be

                          Karla Power

Words in Motion 2014- Feature Poem of the Day for National Poetry Month

Failure


Today I sit by the darkness,
And the darkness sits by me, 
There is no hope for light, 
And my tomorrow daunts me... 
The wound in my heart still hurts today, 
As I remember those days of dismay... 
When everything was within my reach, 
I could have achieved... 
Closer! Closer I went! Still closer! 
Ah! Missed. 
It was too late for my striving fingers, 
When I realized that my time passed by and by, 
And all I could do was sigh... 
The thought of failure, 
Still shakes me up from inside, 
It was the day when my only hope had died!

Kopal Garg
Grade 10, Westwood Community High School

Words in Motion 2014- Feature Poem of the Day for National Poetry Month

The Eagle has Landed

I am an eagle.
Extraordinary eyesight,
giant wings,
my sound is heard from
far away.

The sky is grey, grumpy and grim,
Deadly cold winds make a zip sound.

The wind feels so cold against my wings;
The eagle twitches as he flies
more and more.

I must fly as low as I can
to avoid the winds.

The weather freezes my wings
while flying down,
The eagle flys down like a rapid bullet;
The cold winds is frostbite just when you get outside.

The coldness can hurt so bad,
it’s a broken friendship.

Nathan Nicholle
Grade 6, St. Martha School

Words in Motion 2014- Feature Poem of the Day for National Poetry Month

I Love Kittens!


I love kittens!
Cute, cuddly, playful kittens,
Willow, Thunder, Lightning and then there’s Brittany
Those were my favourite, don’t you see.

Some are mommies,
Some now are daddies,
Then there is … my Brit-ta-ny.
She is light on her feet,
Tearing up bed sheets
Going to places she ought not to be,
I wonder what will become of she.


I love kittens!
I love cats!
Sweet, tired, lazy cats.
One’s in heaven, up above.
One’s tearing up, all my gloves,
The others just, give me lots of love!

I love kittens!
I love cats!
Even those that are sometimes brats!

Kyla Roche
Grade 3, Father Turcotte School

Words in Motion 2014- Feature Poem of the Day for National Poetry Month

Everyone Needs A Dream


Everyone needs a dream,
Don't you think?
Something….. to look forward to.
Maybe to help you
Get out of bed?
On those manic, Monday, mornings.

Dreams are something
THAT can help you.
That guides your life, like a guardian angel.
Helping you through those tough times,
When life knocks you down.
And you need
To get back up!


Dreams help you become a confident,
Strong individual.
When you can't help but  measure yourself
To the strength's of others.

And everyone needs a dream,
And just remember to….
DREAM big!

Jane Gibson
Grade 5, École St. Paul

Words in Motion 2014- Feature Poem of the Day for National Poetry Month

Summer

I love summer, summer’s hot,
Canadian winters, don’t really rock!

I have the sun, don’t need the shade.
In Africa, we loved to wade,
The sunny hot sky
Makes me feel …
Not as shy,
To play with frogs and bugs,
Or to roll on the grass,
Like it’s a rug.


Summer is eating outside,
Swinging in the park, 
And sliding down the slide,
It’s summer, it’s summer!

I love summer!
I love the sun!
Don’t need the shade,
It’s time for fun!

Nyriack Gol Jiir
Grade 3, Father Turcotte School


Winter

Winter is colder than summer.
Icicles drip under my lips.
Nothing sparkles like snow.
Tonight snowflakes shine like light.
Everyone is warm with love.
Rise and shine and have some fun. 

Christine Joyce Policarpio
Grade 3, École Boréal

Words in Motion 2014- Feature Poem of the Day for National Poetry Month

The Biggest Gift the World Gave To Me


The biggest gift the world gave to me has to be the best of all
It can’t be any ordinary toy or it can’t be my favourite doll.
The biggest gift the world gave to me has to be from the heart. 
You can’t break it, you can’t bend it, you can’t tear it apart
The biggest gift of all has no start or end
It is a gift that you can easily lend
It is friendship
A gift that we all share
We can help each other and we certainly care
The biggest gift the world gave to me is friendship
It can’t be sold, it can’t be bought, it has no price
It can only be taught
The biggest gift the world gave to me is friendship for sure
If you’re sad
That’s the only cure
So I hope you all have friends
And I certainly hope your friendship never ends!

Tanisha Kadia
Grade 5, Timberlea Public School

Words in Motion 2014- Feature Poem of the Day for National Poetry Month

The People

The people in the village, all cozy and warm
The little children building blocks with a funny form
The people in the city at a shopping mall
Their pets altogether, walking down the hall
The people in the country, in a barn so tall
The farm animals in a barnyard stall
All the people, different heights, all have one fright…
The fright of losing purpose
The fright of the wrong way
But just remember there is always one more day
Gather together

Chloe Tagg
Grade 4, Timberlea Public School


Bully Beware

Bully bully please beware,
I don’t like when you pull my hair.
Bully bully please STOP!
Or I will tell my
Mom, dad, teacher or a cop.
I will use “I” statements
to tell how I feel.
This will help to
make my heart heal.
I will stand up for everyone
So people in our school can have lots of fun!
And now our song is DONE.

Miss MacKinnon’s Class
Grade 2, Timberlea Public School

Words in Motion 2014- Feature Poem of the Day for National Poetry Month

When You've Arrived


When you've arrived,
You'll know.
You will feel something
In the pit
Of your stomach,
You will also feel it
In your bones,
And to the tip,
Of your toes.

My arrival was
Through dance.
I gained confidence,
I felt self respect.
And I built on
My successes.

Although I stumbled
I always got up,
Pointed my toes,
Smiled
And
Just
Kept,
Dancing.

Jane Gibson
Grade 5, École St. Paul

Words in Motion 2014- Feature Poem of the Day for National Poetry Month

.      


It's kind of like the truth
wrapped up around some lies;
like the sadness only
found in long good-byes.

It's devotion to a star
that isn't in your sky;
like having no excuse
for needing an alibi.



Interpret this way;
or is it like the sunrise;
changes every day.

It is kind of like a war cry
or a peaceful protest in the park;
like a horseback ride
on a blinded stallion in the dark.



It will stab you in its light
like a flame eager to expand,
like a jagged shadow in the night;
a cryptic dagger in its hand.

It's like a secret that no one has ever heard;
the chirping of a single bird, bird, bird.
A whisper only spoken by the wind,
like a breath from deep within.

                                          Jody Pratt

Words in Motion 2014- Feature Poem of the Day for National Poetry Month

The One-Legged Goose

poised like a ballerina

daintily crops around

its single mudguard foot

hops aside briefly

when a two-legged goose curses,

then hops back, head down

still munching.

the one-legged goose knows

what the two-legged geese will never know:

that grass still tastes the same

on one leg or two

that when the worst happens

you keep your head down

you learn to hop

you keep munching.

                                      Jane Jacques

Words in Motion 2014- Feature Poem of the Day for National Poetry Month

Wooshing Upon a Star


Our little guy is four years old and he loves his cars and trucks
He likes leather and wood, and electric seats, (he prefers to ride deluxe).
And he’ll push all the buttons and buzzers and switches and anything else that adjusts
But the best of all – and he’ll tell you if you ask – is the bell on a downtown bus.

He doesn’t like the yellow and black ones. “They’re School buses, Dad,” he’ll say.
And he doesn’t really like the oil sands coaches – they take Mommy away every day.
But he loves the idea of big, wide windows and a bell to ring when it’s pushed.
And he’ll ask, as we see them go past our home, “Daddy, let’s take the Woosh.”

He calls them all ‘Wooshes’ and if those are his wishes I haven’t the heart to correct him,
Cause he watches them whoosh by and wishes to know how to ride ‘em or even collect ‘em.
You’re still far too young son, have a Hot Wheels in lieu son, and for now let’s just go out and ride them.
And maybe one day son, then it might be okay son, to get your license and learn how to drive them.

                       Kevin Thornton

Words in Motion 2014- Feature Poem of the Day for National Poetry Month

So Blue it Mirrored the Turquoise Tiles


When I met the orb-web spinner I
should have known better than to sit on
her art. I sought only a moment’s rest. Confused
by sky mirrored in the turquoise tiles
of the swimming pool, I paused.

How was I to know which lines were
sticky? There wasn’t time to blink
my multifaceted eyes
before she pounced. No
chitchat this one, no negotiation, down
to business she went, bit and wrapped
my remains with her threads.

As the orb-web spinner drained my life,
over her furred shoulder I saw
a razored beak. Feathers
gathered the air – a perfect strike.

                              Cathy Yard

Words in Motion 2014 - Feature Poem for National Poetry Month

Northern Vibration


There is a magic between the snow and the northern light
That makes one forget the brittle tire crunch of a winter’s night, 
The north crawls inside of you, imprinting on your soul
From the flurries of Fort McMurray right up to the North Pole

When eyebrows freeze, and cheeks are crisp,
Just look up at skies blood-red kissed
Ladders of rainbow light dance to a hip hop rift
To make you ignore the waist-high snow drift


Fall into the Wood Buffalo sky, let it breathe into you
Your soul will be cleansed by more than the view
It is purity and art on Heaven’s blank canvas forlorn
Painting the underbelly of clouds ragged and torn

Puffs of cotton cloud soak up heavenly paint
God’s dust cloth redistributes without any restraint
The ache of the north is not of cold and wind
It is an otherworldly painting that settles within…

                                   Patricia Henderson

Words in Motion 2014- Feature Poem for National Poetry Month

Awe

Stillness beats at tree and sky
Where finer things sit bare, on
Moments standing humbled
By an echo in the air.

No time for tongue to pulse and grope
At fret or plucks of scorn
As truth has earnest company
When conscience walls are torn.

Its effortless communion
Not one cell tunes away.
That simple breath inhaled, where
Eternal strikes its day.

                  Kimberly Jean Fiske



The Artist

The Hand takes the brush
to the colour I see,
And the canvas evolves
as a part of me.

I see where I’m going
I know where I’ve been,
I want now to paint
to invite you in.

The hand of the woman
that brings you to me
Is the heart of the woman
I want you to see.

Sharon Cordes Okrasa  

CBC Poetry Prize- Submit Your Poetry Now!

How to participate:

Submit your original, unpublished, poem or poetry collection. The entry must be between 400 and 600 words.

Competition opens: March 1, 2014. Deadline to submit: May 1, 2014 at 11:59 p.m. ET

All Canadian citizens and permanent residents of Canada can submit.

A fee of $25.00 (taxes included) for administration purposes is required for each entry.

THE PRIZE: The First Prize winner will receive $6,000, courtesy of the Canada Council for the Arts, and will have his/her story published in Air Canada’s enRoute magazine and on the Canada Writes website. He or she will also be awarded a two-week residency at The Banff Centre's Leighton Artists' Colony, and will be interviewed on CBC Radio.

The 4 runners-up will each receive $1,000, courtesy of the Canada Council for the Arts, and their stories will be published on the Canada Writes website.

To submit your poetry or for information about the contest, click here. 

Submit Your Poetry Now!

RMWB Words In Motion is a literacy program that promotes an appreciation for the art of poetry. It is open to everyone living in the Wood Buffalo Region, including Fort McMurray, Fort MacKay, Fort Chipewyan, Anzac, Conklin, Draper, Janvier, Gregoire Lake and Saprae Creek Estates. Whether you are a student, a professional writer or a novice wordsmith, you are encouraged to submit your poem(s). 

An external panel of judges will select the poems to be displayed on Wood Buffalo Transit buses, the Municipal website, and various media outlets throughout our region. Authors of the selected poems will be invited to participate in the launch event at the Fort McMurray Public Library in April to celebrate National Poetry Month.

Categories and eligibility:

1. Public: Anyone currently living within the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo can participate.
2. High School (Grade 7-12): Students at any Junior High School or High School within the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo can participate.
3. Elementary School (Grade 1-6): Students at any Elementary School within the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo can participate.

For more information about the program please visit www.woodbuffalo.ab.ca/wordsinmotion

To submit your poetry, please e-mail jessica.barry@woodbuffalo.ab.ca. But hurry! The deadline is Friday, February 7, 2014.