This column is sponsored by Arlington Arts/Arlington Cultural Affairs, a division of Arlington Economic Development.
The collaboration between Arlington Transit and Arlington Arts has placed poetry in motion for 23 years.
Making poetry a part of daily life for commuters by displaying the work of local poets aboard Arlington’s ART buses, submissions are now being accepted for the Moving Words Poetry Competition 2022.
Moving Words was launched in 1999 during National Poetry Month and is sponsored by Arlington Transit and Arlington Arts.
Originally held in partnership with Metrobus/WMATA, Moving Words launched a new partnership with Arlington Transit for its 16th year. A parallel Student Competition is held in the fall as the culmination of the Pick a Poet project, a partnership between Arlington Cultural Affairs and the Arlington Public Schools Humanities Project, which places professional poets in APS classrooms.
Call for Submissions
Poems of up to 10 lines may be submitted for consideration (submission deadline: January 15, 2022). The winning poems will be displayed inside ART buses between March and October, 2022. Last year, 211 poems were submitted for consideration by 85 poets. This year’s competition will be judged by Arlington poet Courtney LeBlanc.
Seven poems will be selected to be printed on colorful placards and displayed prominently on area buses, enlivening the ride for thousands of commuters. Each winner will also receive a $250 honorarium. Winning poems will be posted on www.ArlingtonArts.org and will be archived on the Arlington County CommuterPage.com website.
Poets who live within the D.C. Metro transit area (the Northern Virginia counties Arlington, Fairfax and Loudoun and the cities Alexandria, Fairfax and Falls Church; the District of Columbia; and the Maryland counties Montgomery and Prince George’s) and are over 18-years old are eligible. There is no fee to enter.
About the Judge
Courtney LeBlanc is the author of the full length collections Exquisite Bloody, Beating Heart (Riot in Your Throat, 2021), Beautiful & Full of Monsters (Vegetarian Alcoholic Press, 2020), The Violence Within (Flutter Press, 2018), and All in the Family (Bottlecap Press, 2016), and a Pushcart Prize and Best of the Net nominee. She has an MFA from Queens University of Charlotte. She loves nail polish, tattoos and a soy latte each morning. She lives in Arlington, Virginia.
Submission Form
To enter, please complete the submission form by January 15, 2022. Access the firm directly at this link.