Department of English poetry prize applications open

The Department of English in the College of Liberal Arts announces its annual Robert Hughes Mount, Jr. Poetry Prize, sponsored by Academy of American Poets and endowed by Frances Mayes. It offers a $100 award, a one-year membership in the Academy of American Poets and a copy of the judge’s collection of poems for the Auburn student submitting the best poem. One honorable mention will also receive a copy of the judge’s collection of poems.

Additionally, all winning entries written by students 23 years old or younger will be considered for the Aliki Perroti and Seth Frank Most Promising Young Poet Award. The winner of this award will receive $1,000.

Graduate or undergraduate students may submit up to three poems to professor Rose McLarney of the English department. All poems must be submitted electronically, see below for details. The contest deadline is Feb. 25.

Submission guidelines:

• Include a cover sheet with student’s name, mailing address, phone number, Auburn email address and age. Any submissions missing this complete cover page will be disregarded.

• Include up to three poems.

• All poems must be submitted electronically for consideration. They should be sent from an Auburn email address as a single Word document attachment including the cover sheet and three poems to rem0050@auburn.edu.

The winner will be celebrated at the English Awards Ceremony. Questions about the contest should be directed to professor Rose McLarney at rem0050@auburn.edu.

The judge of this year’s contest is poet Michael Dowdy, author of the poetry collection, “Urbilly,” winner of the 2017 Main Street Rag Poetry Book Award. He has also published a chapbook, “The Coriolis Effect,” and two books of criticism including, “Broken Souths: Latina/o Poetic Responses to Neoliberalism and Globalization,” published by the University of Arizona Press. He is also a coeditor with Claudia Rankine of, “American Poets in the 21^st Century: Poetics of Social Engagement,” published by Wesleyan University Press. Dowdy teaches poetry and Latinx literature at the University of South Carolina.