LIBERAL, Kan. — Seward County Community College English department is open for entries in its annual poetry contest, announced department head Dr. Lori Muntz. The competition includes three categories for writers:
- Open category for anyone 18 years of age or older. This includes SCCC students, employees and the public. High school juniors and seniors no matter the entrant’s age are in the High School Junior/Senior category; if you are a high school junior or senior and SCCC concurrent student, you are in the High School Junior/Senior category.
- High School Junior/Senior Category, for any junior or senior enrolled in a public or private high school or home school program (grades 11-12) during the 2020-2021 academic year.
- Young Poets Category: any student enrolled in a public or private school or home school program in grades 6-10 during the 2020-2021 academic year.
All entries must be submitted before midnight, March 10, 2021, on the SCCC online form, which can be accessed via this link: https://www.sccc.edu/web/academic/academic-divisions/humanities-and-social-sciences/events. A blind process with an outside judge will be used to determine winners, who will be notified by email on or before April 1.
SCCC’s annual poetry contest is a long-standing tradition connected to the humanities division’s annual poetry coffeehouse. In previous years, contest winners in all categories read their work and received prize packages. Due to health protocols required by the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 event was shifted to an online format. At this time, the humanities division is planning a hybrid April event. Winners are invited to read their poems at the SCCC campus or by a Zoom/Facebook livestream. Recorded readings will also be an option.
Poets will still have opportunities to share their work, thanks to multiple online options introduced by Muntz. SCribblers, the SCCC creative writing club for current and former SCCC students in development, holds its monthly meetings online as a way for writers to share their work. Open Mic nights for students and the SCCC campus community provide another outlet for spoken word poetry, music, and more.
“As with everything else, COVID makes this a challenging time in education,” said Muntz. “I thank teachers for all you do. If there is time to help a student or community member submit a poem for the contest, that’s great! Thanks, too, to the SCCC Foundation for shifting the scholarship prizes to SCCC bucks, which will be easier for the winners to use.”
Look for more information about these literary opportunities and event updates on the humanities division web page and Facebook account: SCCC Humanities Division.
