Blinking Eye Poetry Competition  fo those  of us over 50!

Blinking Eye Publishing promotes the work of writers over the age of 50 through annual poetry and short story competitions.The acclaimed poet Don Paterson is to be the judge of this year's Blinking Eye poetry competition for writers of 50 years of age and over.

Dundee-born Paterson has published several collections of poetry.  Landing Light was awarded the 2003 Whitbread Poetry Award and the T S Eliot Prize, which he is the first poet to have won twice.  He has won many other literary awards including the Geoffrey Faber Memorial Award, a Forward Prize and three Scottish Arts Council Book Awards.  He received a Creative Scotland Award in 2002.  He has published a book of aphorisms The Book of Shadows, and edited 101 Sonnets, a selected Robert Buns and Last Words (with Jo Shapcott - last year's Blinking Eye competition judge).  Don's most recent publication is Orpheus, his version of Rilke's Sonnets to Orpheus.

Entry forms for the competition are available from Blinking Eye and will also be distributed to libraries and other literary organisations.  

Blinking Eye founder and poetry competition organiser, Jeanne Macdonald, said:  "Entry to the competition has grown each year, since I started Blinking Eye in 2004.  Last year's competition attracted over 600 entries - which means around 3,000 poems."

Entries to the competition, which closes on 7 August, may be on any theme and in any style. The overall winner will have a collection of their poems published by Blinking Eye and will receive 100 copies of the book.  An anthology of commended poems will also be published by Blinking Eye.

Entry forms are available from Jeanne Macdonald, Blinking Eye Publishing, PO Box 549, North Shields, Tyne & Wear NE30 2WT (please send a stamped addressed envelope).  They can also be downloaded from the Blinking Eye website.

First Prize: 100 copies of the winner's collection of poems.
Commended entries: one copy of the anthology of commended poems (which will include the winning poem).

The first launch of the winner's collection will be held in Newcastle upon Tyne. The choice of venue for the second launch will be made by the winner.

More information from www.blinking-eye.co.uk, or Blinking Eye Publishing, Box 549, North Shields, Tyne & Wear NE30 2WT