Community of Voices

2008-07-10T20:38:00.000-07:00

Poetry contest results below:

The 8th Annual Santa Barbara Summer Poetry Workshop

for poetry writing, crafting, discussion
in a setting of inspiration and respect

August 2-4, 2008 • 9 am to 4 pm • Saturday, Sunday, Monday
on the beautiful campus of
Westmont College in Montecito California

Led by Perie Longo with Barry Spacks and David Starkey
and Guest Speakers
Glenna Luschei, Fiona Spring, Mary Rose Betten
Grace Rachow

Cost is $300 ($200 refundable until July 11)

To register or for more information:
Carol DeCanio • decanio3@netzero.net • 805-966-1433

SBSPW • 237 Oliver Road • Santa Barbara, CA 93109

The Santa Barbara Summer Poetry Workshop
with Community of Voices
sponsors a poetry contest each year.
The prize is tuition to this poetry workshop.

2008 SBSPW Poetry Contest results:
This was our largest contest in recent memory. Thank you to all of your for taking the time and effort to enter your poems. It was an honor to see your work.
But somehow, when it's a contest, there has to be a winner.

This year our winning poet is:
Paul Fericano of Millbrae, CA for "It's Not Enough of Elvis."

Honorable mentions in alphabetical order:
Peg Quinn of Santa Barbara, CA for "Preparation for Cemetery Maintenance, Rural Nebraska"
Bob Rosenthal of Solvang, CA for "The Heart Is Quicker Than The Eye"

Note: if the 2008 winner of this poetry contest is not able to attend the 2008 workshop, the prize will be offered to the second place winner.

Community of Voices contest for 2008 Santa Barbara Summer Poetry Worshop

2008-07-01T17:21:00.000-07:00

The Santa Barbara Summer Poetry Workshop
with Community of Voices
sponsors a poetry contest each year.
The prize is tuition to this poetry workshop.

POETRY CONTEST GUIDELINES:
Send 3 copies of 3 poems with your name removed. Include a separate cover sheet listing titles (or first lines) of each submitted poem, your name, mailing address, email address, and any other relevant contact information, including how you might be most easily reached July 2-3. Line limit for each poem is 45 lines.

Contest fee is $12 for each 3-poem entry. Checks should be made out to "SBSPW" and no entry will be considered without an entry fee.

Judging will take place on July 8, 2008, so to be considered, complete contest entries must be in our hands by noon July 8 2008. A postmark deadline of July 3 should be sufficient for most US locations. If you are mailing from the Santa Barbara area, a postmark of July 7 should be fine. If you are unsure if you entry will arrive in time, you may email your entry via a single MS Word attachment to grachow@aol.com
Your entry fee must be mailed to the address below.

Send entries to:
SBSPW Poetry Contest
c/o Community of Voices
P.O. Box 30302
Santa Barbara, CA 93130

Questions about your contest entry:
Grace Rachow • grachow@aol.com

Winner notification will go out on July 10, 2008 and once the winner has been notified, the information will be posted on this blog.

Note: if the 2008 winner of this poetry contest is not able to attend the 2008 workshop, the prize will be offered to the second place winner.

Scholarship Contest for 2008 Santa Barbara Writers Conference

2008-05-21T15:16:00.000-07:00

Full results of this contest will be posted by July 13

May 21, 2008

Dear Writers,
I’m pleased to announce a new "whirlwind" Community of Voices Writing Contest. DEADLINE June 7, 2008.

THE PRIZE: A scholarship* to the 2008 Santa Barbara Writers Conference, June 21-26.

THE RULES:
1. Send up to 1200 words of your best writing. Your entry may be an excerpt from a longer work. If it is an excerpt, please indicate that.

2. You may send fiction, creative nonfiction, personal essay, humor, poetry or experimental.

3. Your topic or theme can be ANYTHING. If you prefer to have a specific theme to work with, your theme is “THE SCAR.”

4. Entry fee is $10.00. Make checks payable to GRACE RACHOW. Please put COMMUNITY OF VOICES SCHOLARSHIP on the "for" line of your check. ALL the entry fee money will go directly to SBWC scholarships.

5. Multiple entries? Yes. You may enter as many times as you wish, but each entry must include a $10.00 entry fee. Multiple entries may be sent in the same envelope. Several poems may be grouped as a single entry. (If you wonder how many several are, call it three.)

6. How to enter? You may send your manuscript via MS Word attachment to grachow@aol.com.
Your entry fee check must sent by mail to
Grace Rachow
Community of Voices
P.O. Box 30302
Santa Barbara, CA 93130
Make sure it’s clear which contest entry goes with the check you send.
Or you may, if you prefer, send a paper manuscript to the above PO address with your entry fee check.
Your manuscript (either paper or email attachment) and your check must be received before judging time begins. You may send your check ahead, and send your manuscript via email attachment, anytime before noon on June 7, 2008.
MAKE SURE YOUR MANUSCRIPT INCLUDES YOUR NAME, ADDRESS, PHONE, AND E-MAIL.
Make sure you give a phone number (for notification of winner) where you can be reached the days following June 7.

7. Deadline: Judging will begin on June 7, 2008. (Yes I know this is very soon. This is a whirlwind contest! There is no time to procrastinate.) All entries must be in my hands by noon, June 7, 2008.

8. Winners (two or more) will be announced shortly after June 7, as soon as they can be chosen and notified.

9. Winners will be selected on writing merit by a panel of judges. The finalist judging will be “blind.”

10. The only eligibility requirements are that you follow all the above rules and want to (and be able to) attend the 2008 Santa Barbara Writers Conference. If you are chosen a winner, but are not able to attend, the scholarship will go to a runner-up in this contest. You will still retain the honor of being a winner of the CoV writing contest.

11. How many scholarships will be awarded? Three and maybe more. The more entry fees and donations, the more scholarships. All contest fees and donation money will go to scholarships. Please spread the word to any writers who might like to attend the SBWC.

12. If you happen to love the idea of sending promising writers to attend this conference, and you would like to contribute directly (in any amount) to this contest scholarship fund, your help would be very much appreciated. Special thanks to those who contributed last year. Four writers attended last year's SBWC on CoV scholarships thanks to the generosity of the Santa Barbara writing community.

*The prize scholarship includes registration for all of the regular workshops and official events of the 2008 Santa Barbara Writers Conference, but does NOT include master classes, appointments with agents, room or meals. All of those additional items will be available to you for the regular fees paid by regular enrollees.

Grace Rachow
Community of Voices
Phone: 805-682-6943
grachow@aol.com

Results of "Philp Levine" Contest

2008-03-26T12:46:00.000-07:00

Dear poets,
It is a truly crazy thing to post notice of a three-day poetry contest on the eve of an Easter weekend. But I only learned last Friday that someone had donated enough money for one scholarship to the SBWC Poetry conference with Philip Levine this coming weekend. I wanted this scholarship to go to someone.
I figured I'd get about two entries, I'd flip a coin, and that would be that. Instead I got two entries even before I was through sending out the invitations. And they kept coming in.
By Monday I realized that the network of poets had spread the word all over the country. And the contest had collected many fine poems as a result.
I then realized that this was a "real" contest, and so I'd have to have a "real" judging staff. I asked three published Santa Barbara area poets whose work and opinion I respect. All three agreed to help out.
The judges did the miracle of reading the poems and getting their picks back to me in the same afternoon. (The judging was blind.) The points were tallied and this is how it came out.

First -- Colin Pope -- New York, NY
Second -- Gabriella Lindsey Klein -- Santa Barbara, CA
Third -- Fran Davis -- Summerland, CA

I asked Colin Pope if he would be able to take advantage of the scholarship, considering he lived in NYC. Colin worked through the night last night (apparently New Yorkers do not sleep) trying to find a way to get himself to Santa Barbara for the weekend conference. But in the end, he decided he had to send his regrets and to save his $$ for grad school in the fall.
So Wednesday morning I contacted Gabriella Lindsey Klein, and she said, "Yes." So the scholarship goes to her.
Thank you again for your contributions to this contest. I enjoyed reading each of your poems. I expect to see all of you in the winners circle soon. Good work.
Check this blog in the coming weeks for more writing contests and other opportunities.
I hope to see some of you this weekend at the SBWC poetry conference with Philip Levine and others.
Gratefully,
Grace Rachow

Scholarship to SBWC Poetry Conference March 28-30

2008-03-21T15:15:00.000-07:00

Dear poets and friends of poets:
This blog entry is about a last-minute scholarship opportunity to the Santa Barbara Writers Conference Poetry Retreat.
Details of how to apply for this scholarship are at the bottom of this blog post. You must enter right away, because the conference begins in one week!
This gathering of poets will be at a beautiful retreat center in the Montecito foothills.
The time is this coming Friday afternoon, March 28 through Sunday afternoon March 30.
The amazing Philip Levine will be speaking/reading Saturday evening and teaching a master class on Sunday morning.
In addition there will an incredible lineup of poetry workshop leaders offering a full range of classes during the weekend.
For more information go to www.sbwritersconference.com.
The cost for the weekend, including some meals, is $325. Rooms are in addition. There are still several rooms available at the retreat center with both single and double occupancy options. Call SBWC at (805) 964-0367 for details.

To apply for a $325 scholarship to the SBWC Poetry Conference:
If you'd like to attend this gathering of poets and would like the opportunity for a scholarship, email one poem to grachow@aol.com.
There is no entry fee.
In the body of your email, please include your poem, your name, address, email address and phone number where you can be reached on Tuesday, March 25.
That is it.
It will take about 5 minutes to enter.
Yes, this is too good to be true. And yet it is true.
The recipient of this scholarship will be picked on Tuesday, March 25.
All entries must be emailed by noon, Tuesday March 25, 2008.
Winner will be notified by phone and will be posted on the Community of Voices blogspot.

Also see Perie Longo's article in the SB Indy on Philip Levine.

Santa Barbara Summer Poetry Workshop

2008-03-09T11:48:00.000-07:00

Please join us at
The 8th Annual Santa Barbara Summer Poetry Workshop

for poetry writing, crafting, discussion
in a setting of inspiration and respect

August 2-4, 2008 • 9 am to 4 pm • Saturday, Sunday, Monday
on the beautiful campus of
Westmont College in Montecito California

Led by Perie Longo with Barry Spacks and David Starkey
and Guest Speakers Mary Rose Betten and Grace Rachow

Cost is $300 ($200 refundable until July 11)

To register or for more information:
Carol DeCanio • decanio3@netzero.net • 805-966-1433

SBSPW • 237 Oliver Road • Santa Barbara, CA 93109

The Santa Barbara Summer Poetry Workshop
with Community of Voices
sponsors a poetry contest each year.
The prize is tuition to this poetry workshop.

POETRY CONTEST GUIDELINES:
Send 3 copies of 3 poems with your name removed. Include a separate cover sheet listing titles (or first lines) of each submitted poem, your name, mailing address, email address, and any other relevant contact information, including how you might be most easily reached July 2-3. Line limit for each poem is 45 lines.

Contest fee is $12 for each 3-poem entry. Checks should be made out to "SBSPW" and no entry will be considered without an entry fee.

Judging will take place on July 2, 2008, so to be considered, complete contest entries must be in our hands by July 1, 2008. A postmark deadline of June 28 should be sufficient for most US locations.

Send entries to:
SBSPW Poetry Contest
c/o Community of Voices
P.O. Box 30302
Santa Barbara, CA 93130

Questions about your contest entry:
Grace Rachow • grachow@aol.com

Winner notification will go out on July 3, 2008 and once the winner has been notified, the information will be posted on this blog as well as at www.sbpoetry.net

Note: if the 2008 winner of this poetry contest is not able to attend the 2008 workshop, the prize will be offered to the second place winner.

Jefferson Scholarships/2008 SBWC

2008-03-03T09:49:00.000-08:00

Dear Writers,
Community of Voices is happy to announce a special opportunity for talented writers who would like to go to the Santa Barbara Writers Conference, June 21-26, 2008, but who would be financially strained to do so.
A foundation will be offering ten 2008 SBWC tuition scholarships. Recipients will be chosen on the basis of both writing ability and financial need.

Application deadline: April 15, 2008
Recipients will be notified by May 1, 2008.

How to Apply:
Send a send a sample of your work, approximately 1000 words.
You may send fiction, creative nonfiction, personal essay, humor, poetry or experimental.
This writing can be about anything. The idea is to send something that illustrates your writing ability.

Send by regular mail to:
Jefferson Scholarship Application
c/o Community of Voices/Grace Rachow
PO Box 30302
Santa Barbara, CA 93130
Or you may summit on line to grachow@aol.com

MAKE SURE YOUR MANUSCRIPT INCLUDES:
YOUR NAME
ADDRESS
PHONE
E-MAIL

With your writing sample, send the financial information you find below. This information will be considered private and will only be seen by the trustees of the endowment fund. The purpose of the financial information is to satisfy the requirements of this funding source. It is okay to approximate, but please give honest figures. You are on the honor system. You need not be completely impoverished to receive a scholarship. The requirement is that it would be a clear financial burden for you to pay the $725 tuition.

You may add a cover letter that gives any additional information about you that will help in the decision process.

Recipients will be selected both on financial need and writing ability. Preference will be given to first-time scholarship recipients, but previous recipients are still eligible.

Recipients must be current residents of Santa Barbara County, age 18 or older, and must be able and willing to attend the 2008 Santa Barbara Writers Conference. If you are chosen to receive a Jefferson Scholarship to SBWC, but then find you are not able to attend, the scholarship will be given to another applicant.

List of needed Financial Information:
Name
Mailing address
Email
Phone numbers
Age
Social Security Number
Santa Barbara County Resident since?
Marital status
Name and age of spouse
Name and ages of dependents
Occupation
Name of employer and how long employed there
Spouse's occupation
Name of spouse's employer and how long employed there

ASSETS
Savings, securities/annuities?
Equity in life insurance policy?
Real property: Own or rent?
Other?

MONTHLY DEBTS & EXPENSES
Rent/Mortgage
Personal Loans
Car loans
Installment loans
Other loans
Insurance: Life, Health, Auto, Homeowners or Renters, Other
Taxes: Property, Other
Food
Utilities
Gas and Oil
Car Repairs
Clothing
Medical and dental not covered by insurance
Other?
TOTAL MONTHLY EXPENSES

MONTHLY INCOME
Take-home pay including spouse's income
Social Security
Interest income
Dividend income
Spousal support
Trust funds
Other?
TOTAL MONTHLY INCOME

If there is additional financial information that you feel is important, please include that as well.
Good luck,
Grace Rachow
grachow@aol.com

What is Community of Voices?

2008-02-27T13:40:00.000-08:00

Welcome. Community of Voices is a loosely organized group of writers cooperating to help other writers. The origins of this group center around the Santa Barbara Writers Conference and former writing students of the late Bill Downey. However the community has organically spread around the world.