ANNOUNCING
The Writing Fairy® Senryu, or Humorous Haiku, Contest
DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS: 11:59 p.m. EST, Monday, September 15, 2008
For my third Writing Fairy Humour-Writing Contest, I’m exploringe something a little different. THIS TIME, your challenge is to write a senryu – the Japanese term for a humorous poem that is similar to haiku, but rather than being focused on nature, showcases human nature – often involving irony or satire.
Write a poem of 17 syllables in total, formatted in three lines:
5 syllables
7 syllables
5 syllables
Here are some senryu examples:
Seventeen seems long
Until you try to enter
Then it is too short
Fairies light and lithe
Populate my dreams at night
Where the hell’s Tom Cruise?
Children are so cute
Make our memories complete
Do they ever leave?
Words come quick and fun
Crossword puzzle lures me in
Takes over my life
Writing is my thing
Keeps me busy day and night
Sheesh, my right hand hurts
REMEMBER:
The nature of haiku is nature.
The nature of senryu is human nature.
This is NOT haiku or senryu
WHAT’S IN IT FOR YOU?
The opportunity to become an award-winning, published poet
The opportunity to win cash prizes $100 First Place, $50 Second Place, $25 Third Place
The Writing Fairy® Senryu, or Humorous Haiku, Contest
This contest is open to writers 18 years of age and older.
Prizes (in Canadian funds) will be awarded as follows: First Place: $100.00
Second Place: $50.00
Third Place: $25.00
Entries (in English only) must be your original, unpublished writing that has not been submitted elsewhere for publication or to any other writing competitions simultaneously.
Entries MUST adhere to the rules of THREE LINES: FIVE syllables on the first line, SEVEN syllables on the second line, FIVE syllables on the third line.
The deadline for submissions is 11:59 p.m. EST, Monday, September 15, 2008.
Entrants must agree that if they win, they will permit non-exclusive rights to publish their winning entries on The Writing Fairy website at www.thewritingfairy.com.
The entry fee PER POEM is $5 Canadian, or send THREE SENRYU POEMS FOR $10, to be paid in one of two ways:
PayPal
via Canadian Money Order or cheque
via International Money Order payable in Canadian Funds
Make cheque/money order out to “THE WRITING FAIRY”
Mail to:
Dorothea Helms, S10895 Sideroad 17 RR #1, Sunderland, ON L0C 1H0
Canada
REMEMBER – send $5.00 for EACH POEM, or send THREE POEMS for $10.00.
First-round judges will narrow the entries to 10 Finalists, which will be sent to the Final Judges.
Winners will be contacted by phone and mail. Their names will be officially announced on Saturday, October 11, 2008 on The Writing Fairy website.
KEEP A COPY OF YOUR ENTRY! NONE OF THE ENTRIES WILL BE RETURNED. Once judging is over and the winners announced, entries will be destroyed. Decisions of the judges are final.
HERE’S A TIP ON HOW TO WIN – FOLLOW THE RULES!
In my previous contest, which required people to record their submissions, the maximum time limit was 3 minutes. We received many entries that were 10 and 11 minutes long. Needless to say, they were eliminated.
REMEMBER – FOR THIS CONTEST, it’s writing only and the length is EXACTLY 17 syllables in total: 5 syllables in the first line, 7 syllables in the second line, 5 syllables in the third line.
It’s official! The WINNERS of The Writing Fairy® Sort-of-Annual Humour-Writing Contest have been annnounced. Click on the audio links to hear the winning entries.
CONGRATULATIONS WINNERS!
FIRST PLACE went to Lois Gordon for her entry entitled “Sex Drive.” ($500 prize)
SECOND PLACE went to Valerie Mutton for her “Queen of Clean” submission. ($250 prize)
THIRD PLACE was claimed by the writing team of Shirley Neal and Bill Rundle for “The Bare Essentials.” ($125 prize)
My compliments as well to everyone who entered, and to all the Finalists.
Following is the list of the writers of the 10 Finalist entries:
Lois Gordon (TWO of her entries made it into the final 10!)
Valerie Mutton
Shirley Neal and Bill Rundle (team entry)
James Dewar and Susan Lynn Reynolds (team entry)
Dave Jones
Dale Long
June Duffy-Smith
Carl Bedal
Berenice Freedome
WATCH FOR THE NEXT Writing Fairy® Sort-of-Annual Humour-Writing Contest coming soon …
The Writing Fairy® Sort-of-Annual Humour-Writing Contest
FINAL JUDGES
Roger Ashby visited a radio station when he was 10, decided to become a radio personality, and has never looked back. He came home that day emblazoned with such a passion for the idea, that his dad built him a mock radio station in their Waterloo home. “Dad hooked up everything so I could broadcast into the living room, and I did that for seven years,” says Ashby. “I’m convinced that experience paid off.”
It paid off for him personally, and for CHUM FM. The station’s morning show, Roger Rick & Marilyn, dominates radio tuning during the morning drive period. Together on air since 1986, this dynamic trio has won numerous awards and consistently pumps out the top-rated morning radio program in Canada.
It also paid off for listeners, who have enjoyed Roger’s wacky sense of humor and comprehensive music knowledge since 1968: first on Hamilton’s CKOC; then on CHUM AM; and since 1985 on CHUM FM. For the past 21 years, Roger has been part of the charismatic team that gives Toronto area listeners an auditory wake-up call each day on CHUM FM’s award-winning Morning Show. Read the rest of this entry »
The Writing Fairy® Sort-of-Annual Humour-Writing Contest
FINAL JUDGES
Erin has been a fixture on the Canadian radio landscape for over 25 years. Her celebrated return to 98.1 CHFI in September of 2005 is the latest stop on a fascinating journey, which has seen her at or near the top of the radio ratings for her entire career.
Until the spring of 2003, Erin co-hosted the morning show on 98.1 CHFI for nearly 15 years - first with Don Daynard and, later, with Bob Magee. The show reached number one shortly after her arrival in 1988 and CHFI enjoyed enormous ratings until June of 2003 when a station decision forced Erin to leave her radio home.
That summer, the W Network called and offered her the opportunity to host her own live national television talk show. “W Live with Erin Davis,” a daily live hour-long national talk show, which featured guests and viewers discussing women’s lifestyle, health and wellness issues, hit the air that fall and lasted one year.
In the fall of 2004, Erin had the opportunity to meet and work with Mike Cooper, one of Canada’s best-known radio personalities, while she was temporarily filling in on 97.3 EZ Rock. Erin and Mike hit it off immediately and enjoyed great success together so, when CHFI asked Erin to come back in the fall of ‘05, her new friend Mike was not far behind. Ratings rebounded and the station has returned to its number-one position. Erin and Mike look forward to many happy years together. Read the rest of this entry »
