August 15, deadline for this poetry contest

Hurry, if you write poetry and want an opportunity to have your poem be one of twenty published in the 2013 Poet's Market published by Writer's Digest.

Robert Brewer says on his blog, "I will consider poetry submissions for the 2013 Poet’s Market. 20 previously unpublished poems will be selected for publication in the book, and the poets will receive a paycheck for their poems."
The following is from Robert's blog:

The submission guidelines are below. Failure to follow the guidelines may result in your poetry not being considered for publication.

• Submit up to 3 poems.
• Submit only once. Double submissions (even to correct mistakes in earlier submissions) will be deleted unread.
• Submit previously unpublished poems. For me, poems posted on a personal blog or critique forum do not count as previously published. However, if you have any questions, direct them to me.
• Simultaneous submissions okay. However, please contact me immediately if your poem(s) is accepted elsewhere.
• Submit between June 1, 2011, and August 15, 2011, at 11:59 p.m. (Atlanta GA time). Anything submitted after the deadline will be deleted unread.
• Poems should be typed or copied into the body of the e-mail. I will not click on links or open attachments. However, if you’re a visual poet who can’t get the formatting to work in the body of the e-mail, contact me in those unique circumstances.
• Include your name, contact information, and a short bio AFTER your poems.
• Send your submissions to robert.brewer@fwmedia.com with the following subject line: My 2013 Poetry Submission

I probably won’t begin reviewing the poems until the August 15 deadline has passed. But after it has, this is what poets can expect:

• I will make every attempt to select 20 poems for the 2013 Poet’s Market by December 15, 2011.
• After I have received confirmation from all 20 poets, I will make an announcement on this blog. I may also send around an e-mail blast, but I don’t want to promise anything.
• Those 20 poets will receive a publishing contract for their poem to be published in the 2013 Poet’s Market. The contract will include publication, $50 payment, and a contributor copy of the 2013 Poet’s Market.
• The 20 poets may also be given the opportunity to record their poems and talk about their poems, though that’s still kind of in the air.
• The 2013 Poet’s Market will be released in autumn of 2012.

If I need to make any revisions (after poets start asking questions), I’ll indicate that I’ve done so at the top of the post. I’ll also try answer questions in the Comments as well.
Happy poeming and submitting!

Winner of First Place in Clay County Arts Poetry Contest 1997

When we first moved to the mountains, in this rural area, we were delighted to find a man who sold fresh tomatoes off his truck. He parked by the lake near our home. We loved tomatoes. Nearly every day we stopped and bought tomatoes from this man. We began to call him the tomato man. This poem was one of the first poems I wrote after moving here fifteen years ago. I entered the poem in the annual poetry contest sponsored by the Clay County Historical and Arts Council. To my delight, the poem won first place and I was asked to read it the night of the award ceremony.
Several years later, I was honored to be asked to judge this contest, and that night I read a number of my poems. I hope you enjoy this poem and let me know what you think.



Tomato Man


Ruby tomatoes in small tan baskets
beg me to buy my lunch.
Overalled and raisin brown, he sits
slumped on the tailgate of a rusty red pickup,
his floppy hat a shade against the burning sun.

Will the two dollar baskets buy
groceries to take home to the waiting wife
who helped him pick the plump fruit?
Or will he go by Bernie's Quik Stop,
buy a six pack or two, and cigarettes
that stain his teeth, tar his lungs?

He thanks me for my business, but his faded
eyes belie a mind that's somewhere else.
Today takes care of today. Tomorrow
he'll be here again, the tomatoes
redder, softer, a few fresh ones
sprinkled in, to appeal to people
who smile, and speak,
but never
see him.

From Now Mighty as Well be Then, Poetry by Glenda Council Beall,
published by Finishing Line Press, 2009