Read on Twitter
I'll see what I can do:
1.) You might as well start getting your stuff together now. If you will be applying with a book, get all the information about the book now (publication date, publisher, publisher address, ISBN). https://twitter.com/chayab77/status/1361320641228664835
1.) You might as well start getting your stuff together now. If you will be applying with a book, get all the information about the book now (publication date, publisher, publisher address, ISBN). https://twitter.com/chayab77/status/1361320641228664835
2. If you are applying with pieces (I think you need 15 poems published in no longer than 5 years; I'm not sure how many stories you'll need for prose), get your pieces together by journal, website if online, page number, journal address (what am I missing?).
3. Make sure the poems you plan on sending don't have your name anywhere within the file. Your name should not appear anywhere in the file. Just mark that for when the time comes. Keep your name out your files unless otherwise stated lol
4. Make sure your email address and phone number are up to date. They will call you. I had an old number listed. No idea why. They found me, though, via email. Make sure your information is current.
5. Send your best work. Whatever you think that may be. It is subjective. You never know who is on the panel and I believe there are five people on the creative writing panels. Make sure there are no typos and that your formatting is correct.
6.) Follow. All. Instructions. That is the part, I believe, that trips people up. You do one thing wrong and it gives a reason to disqualify you immediately. And you can't be too mad about it cause them's the rules. Do not double or triple check. Quintuple check.
7. Submit it then forget about it. That is the easiest way to manage through the year after having applied. Submit and quit. Try not to dwell on it.
8. Try not to ask previous recipients for their materials. It will not help you and it is taxing on those you've asked. Imagine digging into a hard drive for something you submitted two years ago. Naw, you gotta chill. They sent their work. You send yours.
9. I cannot say this enough: follow all the rules. I promise they will disqualify you if you spell your own name wrong lolol. I have no evidence of this, but I feel it in my heart to be true.
10. Oh, when they ask you what you are working toward (as in what project you are currently working on) don't spend too much time on this. Two sentences will do. I cannot remember what I wrote but it was something about the book I was working on (name, themes, poetic style, etc).
That's all I got! I hope this is helpful. I applied four times before getting one. That's eight years. I don't say that to be discouraging, you just never know what might happen. It's monetarily free to apply (time is currency for many ppl) so I kept applying.
