I just found out about some neat poetry contests for teens. Here they are, in order of upcoming deadlines:

The Patricia Grodd Poetry Prize for Young Writers is open only to high school sophomores and juniors. The winner receives a full scholarship to the Kenyon Review Young Writers workshop and has his/her poem published in The Kenyon Review. The second and third place winners will also see their poems published. Deadline: Nov. 30, 2005. How to enter...

The Christian Science Monitor's 10th Annual Young Poets Contest will publish winning poems of students in preschool through high school in its national edition in January 2006. You can submit one to three poems. The judging will be done by poet Elizabeth Lund. Deadline: Dec. 2, 2005. Get "Ten Tips for Writing a Poem" and download an entry form.

Ann Arlys Bowler Poetry Contest sponsored by READ magazine is open to students in grades 6-12. Choose up to three of your own original poems to enter. Poems may be in any genre (such as open verse, rhymed, narrative), but each poem must be no longer than one typewritten page. Deadline: January 31, 2006. Rules ...

These are good opportunities, but there isn't much time left to send out your work. So pull on your writing gloves and get ready to spin out some verse!

In The Mob, the first book of the trilogy Feather and Bone: The Crow Chronicles by Clem Martini, an old crow named Kalum ru Kurea ru Kinaar tells the story of a crow family that is faced with troubled times....

On page 25, Clem Martini writes:

"We Crows are pilots of the wind, acrobats of the air, placed on Earth by the Maker to measure each gust, each breath--and in this we have no equal. Let hawks and terns reign in matters of speed and endurance--when Crows fly, we fly with style."

Here's this week's writing prompt: What would you tell this crow about yourself?

In READ magazine, Issue 6, you read a play adaptation of Lewis Carroll's classic novel, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. At the end of the play, we asked you to imagine yourself in one of the scenes by replacing the character of Alice with your own name and finding out how you deal with the absurd characters you meet. The following is an example of how I think I would handle myself at the March Hare's and Mad Hatter's tea party. I don't think I handled it very well. If you've written a scene of your own, we'd love to read it. We'll post the best ones on our student writing web site.

Bryon in Wonderland

Narrator: At the March Hare’s house, the chimneys are shaped like ears and the roof is thatched with fur. Bryon nibbles a bit from the mushroom in his left hand and grows to two feet tall.
Narrator: There is a table set out under a tree in front of the house, and the March Hare and the Mad Hatter are sitting and having tea. A Dormouse is between them, fast asleep. The table is a large one, but the three characters are all crowded at one corner of it.
Mad Hatter and March Hare: No room! No room!
Bryon: Fine. Bye.
Narrator: Bryon turns to leave but the March Hare stops him.
March Hare: Wait!
Bryon: What?
March Hare: Sit?
Bryon: Where?
March Hare: Anywhere you like! There is room now.
Bryon: You’re weird. But OK.
Narrator: Bryon sits near the Mad Hatter.
Mad Hatter: Your hair wants cutting.
Bryon: You know, I thought I heard it complaining about something earlier.
Mad Hatter: Why is a raven like a writing-desk?
Bryon: Riddles huh? Well alright. I’ll take a crack at it.
March Hare: Do you mean that you think you can find out the answer to it?
Bryon: Yes, of course.
March Hare: Then you should say what you mean.
Bryon: But I do say what I mean! I mean … I always mean what I say! It’s the same thing!
Mad Hatter: It’s not the same thing a bit! You might just as well say that “I see what I eat” is the same thing as “I eat what I see”!
March Hare: You might just as well say that “I like what I get” is the same thing as “I get what I like”!
Narrator: The Dormouse talks in his sleep.
The Dormouse: You might just as well say that “I breathe when I sleep” is the same thing as “I sleep when I breathe”!
Mad Hatter: It is the same thing with you!
Narrator: The party sits silent for a minute.
Mad Hatter: What day of the month is it?
Bryon: I’m sure I have no idea.
Narrator: The Mad Hatter takes his watch out of his pocket and shakes it next to his ear.
Mad Hatter: I told you butter wouldn’t suit the works!
March Hare: It was the best butter!
Mad Hatter: Yes, but some crumbs must have got in it as well.
Bryon: Dude, I don’t think butter is the best thing to smear in a broken watch.

Dear Faithful Readers of READ and WRITING magazine,

On, Monday, I'll be interviewing William Shakespeare for READ. Now, I've interviewed some great authors in the past but come on... this is William Shakespeare! Anyway, I'm kind of nervous about it. The interview is going to be in the year 1600 and I'm somewhat unprepared. I haven't even bought a jerkin yet! I'm hoping some of you could give me some questions to ask him? Click on "comments" below to post your question. I'll be sure to ask him the best ones and will certainly give you credit in our January issue.

Thanks guys. You're really helping me out here.