2010 Crab Orchard Series in Poetry
Open Competition Awards
$3500 and publication
for two collections of poems
final judge: Michael Waters

Crab Orchard Review and Southern Illinois University Press are pleased to announce the selections for the 2009 Crab Orchard Series in Poetry Open Competition Awards. Our final judge, Natasha Trethewey, selected Todd Hearon's STRANGE LAND and Jennifer Richter's THRESHOLD as this year's winners. Both collections will be published by Southern Illinois University Press in April 2010 and both authors will be awarded a $2000 prize and $1500 as an honorarium for a reading at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. Both readings will follow the publication of the poets' collections by Southern Illinois University Press.

Below are the guidelines for the 2010 Crab Orchard Series in Poetry Open Competition:

All unpublished, original collections of poems written in English by United States citizens and permanent residents are eligible* (individual poems may have been previously published). (*Current or former students, colleagues, and close friends of the final judge, Michael Waters, and current students and employees of Southern Illinois University and authors published by Southern Illinois University Press are not eligible for the Open Competition. For questions about judging, please visit http://www.CrabOrchardReview.siuc.edu/conpo3.html.) Two volumes of poems will be selected from an open competition of manuscripts postmarked October 1 through November 16, 2009. The winners will each receive a publication contract with Southern Illinois University Press. In addition, both winners will be awarded a $2000 prize and $1500 as an honorarium for a reading at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. Both readings will follow the publication of the poets' collections by Southern Illinois University Press.

Manuscripts should be typewritten, single-spaced, and between 50 and 80 pages long. No more than one poem should appear on a page. Dot-matrix printing that is not letter-quality is not acceptable. A clean photocopy is recommended. Please do not send your only copy of the manuscript since manuscripts will not be returned, and please do not include illustrations. Crab Orchard Review and Southern Illinois University Press assume no responsibility for damaged or lost manuscripts. All submissions must be accompanied by a $25 entry fee. Please make your check out to "Crab Orchard Series in Poetry." All entrants will receive a one-year subscription to CRAB ORCHARD REVIEW.

Submit two title pages for the collection. The author's name, address, and daytime phone number should appear on the first title page only. The author's name should appear nowhere else in the manuscript. An acknowledgments page listing poems previously published in magazines, journals, or anthologies should be placed after the second title page.

ALL ENTRIES MUST BE POSTMARKED OCTOBER 1, 2009 through NOVEMBER 16, 2009. (Since this is a postmark deadline, there is no need to send Express Mail, Fedex, or UPS. First Class or Priority Mail are preferred.)

Please address entries to:

Jon Tribble, Series Editor
Crab Orchard Series in Poetry
(Open Competition Awards)
Southern Illinois University Carbondale
1000 Faner Drive
Carbondale, IL 62901

Include a self-addressed, stamped envelope for notification of contest results. If you would like confirmation that the manuscript has been received, please include a self-addressed, stamped postcard as well. Manuscripts may be under consideration elsewhere, but the series editor must be informed immediately if a collection is accepted for publication.