Got a song? Got a rant? Maybe you've written a poem or a short piece of writing that you think is downright brilliant and you've been dying to share with others.
Scribble that thought down on paper (well, using a word processor would be preferable) and send it to Capilano College as your entry in the Scribble for Literacy writing contest. Poet and English instructor John Pass, who will judge the entries, says he's open to all types of writing. "This is about the many varied, fascinating ways people in this community use language," he says. Pass teaches adult basic education at Cap College's Sechelt campus, and as such he has a great interest in literacy - the kind we associate with people who have difficulty reading and writing. This contest, Scribble for Literacy, is much broader, he says. "We want to involve many different people in all genres of writing," Pass said. "We're not scared by ad jingles, limericks or rap songs."
Everyone who enters the contest and pays their $5 entry fee ($3 for youth from 13 to 18) will receive free admission to a mid-April fun evening at the college. Those chosen by the judges will be asked to read or perform their piece at the April event to which the public will be invited. The winners will each get a prize and any funds raised will further literacy programs. "We first thought about judging the entries by their literary content," Pass said, "but then we decided to put the focus on the event not the competition."
Mail your entries (or drop them off) to Capilano College, P.O. Box 1609, Sechelt, B.C. V0N 2A0 by the deadline date of March 31, 2004, along with the $5 fee. Enter as many as you like. Submissions are limited to one page, double-spaced, for prose and one page, single-spaced, for poetry or lyrics.
Judging is blind, which means that you do not identify yourself on your entry. Write your name, address and phone number on a separate sheet of paper along with the title of your entry. Ladies and gentlemen, start your keyboards.
