Hamlet with pigeons: a caption competition

This statuette is found in a niche on the outside of the Partington Players Theatre in Glossop, Derbyshire.

Click on the photograph for a larger version.

Please provide your own caption by posting a comment on the blogpost.

A contribution to
I'd rather b birdin;
Whimsical Windows, Delirious Doors;
Our World Tuesday;
Outdoor Wednesday.

Vote for Best of Hyde 2011

The time has come to vote for the best of Hyde DP 2011.

View the twelve contenders at Best of Hyde 2011 and vote for your favourite three photographs.

Voting closes 12 noon GMT, Friday 30th December 2011.

XI Calico Cat Contest Entry

across the pond
to an unknown friend
fond kisses

© Gerald England

was my entry for the recent Calico Cat Contest where authors were asked to compose a haiku to complement Origa's sumi-e "Sympathy. Orang-utan and Lizard".


Rice paper 'Double Shuen', Japanese sumi ink, Chinese watercolours, Copyright © Origa .


is the Russian translation of my haiku.

The contest attracted 134 poems by 58 poets from 20 countries and mine didn't make the last 28 selected for the final.

The winning poem and comments on the winner and runners-up can be found at Results of the XI Calico Cat International bilingual haiku contest.

ABC Wednesday - V is for Voting

As in the previous three years, it is now time to vote for the Best of Hyde Daily Photo 2009.

There are twelve contenders.

Readers may cast six votes distributed in any manner they choose. You can give all six to a single photograph, one vote to six different images, or divide them between two, three or four pictures.

The thumbnails above are merely representative crops of the full sized photographs which can be found at Best of Hyde 2009, along with a voting form.

Please use the form to vote. Votes given in comments here will not be counted.

The results will be published in January 2010.

For more V posts visit ABC Wednesday.

The Science Fiction Poetry Association 2008 Poetry Contest

The Science Fiction Poetry Association 2008 Poetry Contest is now open to entries: full details at http://www.sfpoetry.com/2008poetrycontest.html

There is no entry fee and the link to the form is right on the contest page. The poem should be 20 lines or less and on the topic of 'energy' - any interpretation whether physical or metaphysical. The poem should also be (or have elements of) science fiction, fantasy, horror, or science. Deadline is 31st August 2008.

1st Prize: $100 cash, SFPA Website Publication, Waterman pen and journal, A signed hardcover copy of The Journey to Kailash by Mike Allen, A signed copy of In the Yaddith Time by Ann K. Schwader, 1 year SFPA membership

2nd Prize: $40 cash, SFPA Website Publication, Original painting by Marge Simon (choose one of three), 1 year subscription to Dreams & Nightmares, A copy of Riffing on Strings, edited by Sean Miller & Shveta Verma

3rd Prize: $20 cash, SFPA Website Publication, Lost Innocence: A Niteblade Anthology edited by Rhonda Parrish, Sporty Spec: Games of the Fantastic edited by Karen A. Romanko

Other Prizes Include: The Poet's Workshop - and Beyond by Terrie Leigh Relf, M.A., Covenant by Elissa Malcohn, one copy of each available Spec House of Poetry book (12 books), 1 copy of Passionate Eye: The Collected Writings of Suzanne Vega by Suzanne Vega

News from The Stinging Fly.

Vol 2 #10, Summer 2008, is now out. There are six new short stories, five long book reviews and a healthy smattering of poems; featured poet is Grace Wells and cover photography is by by Gerry McCloskey. Full details at http://www.stingingfly.org/current.html

The magazine is helping out with the Oxfam Books' Poems for 2009 Competition. The competition is to find six poems for next year's calendar. Closing date is Tuesday July 17th 2008. This year's stellar line-up of guest poets are Moya Cannon, Patrick Deeley, Eamon Grennan, Vona Groarke, Dave Lordan and Eiléan Ní Chuileanáin. The competition judge is Patrick Deeley. Further details, entry form and competition rules are on the Oxfam Ireland website. All funds raised from the competition and from the calendar will go towards funding Oxfam Ireland's various overseas aid projects.

In September they are publishing their second short story anthology, a follow-up to THESE ARE OUR LIVES (2006). The twenty new short stories were chosen from more than 400 stories received late last year. The new book will feature stories by Ragnar Almqvist, Evelyn Conlon, Danny Denton, Damien Doorley, Michael J. Farrell, Mia Gallagher, D. Gleeson, Rosemary Jenkinson, James Lawless, Colm Liddy, Viv McDade, Emer Martin, Gina Moxley, Helena Nolan, Jim O'Donoghue, Donal O'Sullivan, Breda Wall Ryan, Ingo Schulze, Tom Tierney and William Wall.

The Stinging Fly
PO Box 6016
Dublin 8
Ireland
ISSN 1393-5690
€7
visit the website of The Stinging Fly

Read reviews of earlier issues on NHI Review