The Death of the Book: “Only in extinction is the collector comprehended.”
– Walter Benjamin, "Unpacking my Library: A Talk about Book Collecting" (in Illuminations).

This year the Scream, Canada’s oldest and strangest literary festival, is exploring the imminent demise of books, book culture and all that readers hold dear. Faced daily with the decaying vestiges of books, it’s time to stand over the open grave and pen your laments, your predictions, your ululations and your dreams of technological salvation in poetic form. The winner of the contest will grace the stage on July 2nd during the Scream’s opening night event, Die Scream Die!: A Musical Revue featuring Derek McCormack and Tony Burgess.

CONTEST RULES

Deadline: June 26th, Noon

Guidelines:

1. A maximum of two poems per submission.

2. A cover letter with author info (contact information, biographical information).

3. The contest will be judged blindly. The author’s name or biographical information must not appear on any page other than the cover letter. Any indication of the author’s identity on the poems will result in disqualification.

4. Poems should be presented in 12-pt Times Roman unless the typeface is intrinsic to the poem. Poems in Comic Sans will be immediately disqualified. Centre justification is also strongly discouraged.

5. Attachments should be in .pdf or .doc format

6. The winning poem will be presented by the author on stage on July 2nd during the Scream’s opening night event, Die Scream Die!: A Musical Revue.

Submission information:

Send no more than two poems to contest@eyeweekly.com

Contest Sponsored by EYE WEEKLY and the University of Toronto