Tricks Poetry Writing Contest

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"A fantastic way to improve your writing, whether you're new to the craft or brushing up on old skills."

- Karen McMillen
Filmmaker

"Enlightening...a truly life-enriching experience. I can't praise the teacher enough. He opened my eyes to aspects of novel writing that would never have occurred to me if I hadn't enrolled in the course. I consider it a privilege to have been a member of his class."

- Julian Desser
Journalist & Copywriter

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Life�and love�can turn on a dime.

Gotham has teamed up with Ellen Hopkins and Simon & Schuster publishing for a truly unique poetry competition - The Tricks Poetry Writing Contest. Writing in verse, Ellen Hopkins deals with tough subjects�addiction, abuse�in her books and her latest, Tricks, is no different.

Now it is your turn to write about a tough subject or trying life experience�real or imagined�spun into four to eight stanzas of verse.

Ellen Hopkins will read the entries and the author of her favorite entry will win a free six-week online writing class from Gotham Writers� Workshop. Ellen will also post the winning entry on her website, EllenHopkins.com. The winner and ten runners-up will also receive a personalized copy of Tricks signed by the author. There is no entry fee and no purchase is necessary. You can even enter online below. Entry deadline is October 20, 2009.

If you need to get some of your creative juices flowing, you can check out somes poems from Tricks here.

TO ENTER
To enter, first think of the experience that stands out or perhaps, defined you most as a person. Then convey this experience into a poem. From substance abuse to break ups to personal confessionals�no matter how serious or seemingly insignificant; if it happened (or might have happened) to you, we want to hear it. Keep it short and sweet�no more than eight stanzas or 500 words. And, of course, write it in the same style as Tricks�in a series of poems.

Use the convenient form below to submit your entry!

Entry Form

First Name:		Last Name:
Address Line 1:		Address Line 2:
City:		State:
Postal Code:
Country:
Phone:		Email:
How you heard about this Contest:

Entry Title:
Entry Text:

By submitting this entry you signify:

That you are the author of the entry
That you are 16 years of age or older on the date of entry
That the work(s) is/are original and unpublished
That you agree to the rules of the competition
That you are entering only one work to the competition

All entries must be received by 11:59PM EST on October 20, 2009, the contest deadline. Limit one entry per person. Keep it short but sweet - no more than 500 words or eight stanzas.

As entries are forwarded to Ellen Hopkins for judging as soon as they are submitted, be sure that you�ve uploaded your best work before hitting the �Enter� button. We cannot accept revisions for any entry.

PRIZES:
Author Ellen Hopkins will read the entries, and her favorite entry will win a free six-week online writing class from Gotham Writers� Workshop. Ellen will post the winning entry on her website, EllenHopkins.com The winner and the ten runners-up will each also receive a personalized copy of Tricks signed by the author.

No Purchase Necessary. Starts on September 1, 2009 at 12:01 a.m. EST. Ends on October 20, 2009 at 11:59 p.m. EST. Open to legal residents of the fifty United States and the District of Columbia who are at least 16 years of age on date of entry. Void in Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and where prohibited by law. Subject to official rules. For official rules, click [here]

Visit EllenHopkins.com for more information about writing and Ellen's books.