Collingswood Civic Collective

LXCL:I would like to register and... I understand that I must EMAIL my entry to: meditationgardens@collingswoodciviccollective.com after registering.

Register for the 2025 MGC Poetry Contest

<p fr-original-style="width:100%;margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;box-sizing:inherit;color:rgb(15, 14, 91);" style="width: 100%; margin: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: rgb(15, 14, 91); line-height: 1.5;">Hi <span contenteditable="false" data-custom-variable="{{firstname}}" fr-original-class="fr-deletable styled-tag-chip " fr-original-style="" style="background-color: rgb(248, 248, 255); border: 1px solid rgb(191, 191, 255); border-radius: 4px; color: rgb(42, 42, 196); padding: 1px 8px; font-size: 11px; display: inline-block; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: anywhere; user-select: none; box-sizing: inherit;">First name ,<p fr-original-style="width:100%;margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;box-sizing:inherit;color:rgb(15, 14, 91);" style="width: 100%; margin: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: rgb(15, 14, 91); line-height: 1.5;"> <p fr-original-style="width:100%;margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;box-sizing:inherit;color:rgb(15, 14, 91);" style="width: 100%; margin: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: rgb(15, 14, 91); line-height: 1.5;">Thank you for registering for the the 3rd Annual MGC Poetry Contest!<p fr-original-style="width:100%;margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;box-sizing:inherit;color:rgb(15, 14, 91);" style="width: 100%; margin: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: rgb(15, 14, 91); line-height: 1.5;">Now that you have registered, don&#39;t forget to email your poem to meditationgardens@collingswoodciviccollective.com.<p fr-original-style="width:100%;margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;box-sizing:inherit;color:rgb(15, 14, 91);" style="width: 100%; margin: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: rgb(15, 14, 91); line-height: 1.5;"> <p fr-original-style="width:100%;margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;box-sizing:inherit;color:rgb(15, 14, 91);" style="width: 100%; margin: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: rgb(15, 14, 91); line-height: 1.5;">Keep in touch with us at www.meditationgardensofcollingswood.org&nbsp; and on Facebook and Instagram<p fr-original-style="width:100%;margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;box-sizing:inherit;color:rgb(15, 14, 91);" style="width: 100%; margin: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: rgb(15, 14, 91); line-height: 1.5;"> <p fr-original-style="width:100%;margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;box-sizing:inherit;color:rgb(15, 14, 91);" style="width: 100%; margin: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: rgb(15, 14, 91); line-height: 1.5;">A Few Reminders:<p fr-original-style="width:100%;margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;box-sizing:inherit;color:rgb(15, 14, 91);" style="width: 100%; margin: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: rgb(15, 14, 91); line-height: 1.5;">1. Mark your calendar for Perkins Center for the Arts Open Mic Night! &nbsp;Friday, December 5th at 6:30 pm.&nbsp;<p fr-original-style="width:100%;margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;box-sizing:inherit;color:rgb(15, 14, 91);" style="width: 100%; margin: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: rgb(15, 14, 91); line-height: 1.5;"> <p fr-original-style="width:100%;margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;box-sizing:inherit;color:rgb(15, 14, 91);" style="width: 100%; margin: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: rgb(15, 14, 91); line-height: 1.5;">Kind regards.<p fr-original-style="width:100%;margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;box-sizing:inherit;color:rgb(15, 14, 91);" style="width: 100%; margin: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: rgb(15, 14, 91); line-height: 1.5;">Wendy Clouser and Mary Beth Kosich<p fr-original-style="width:100%;margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;box-sizing:inherit;color:rgb(15, 14, 91);" style="width: 100%; margin: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: rgb(15, 14, 91); line-height: 1.5;">meditationgardens@collingswoodciviccollective.com<p fr-original-style="width:100%;margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;box-sizing:inherit;color:rgb(15, 14, 91);" style="width: 100%; margin: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: rgb(15, 14, 91); line-height: 1.5;">856-429-2524<p fr-original-style="width:100%;margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;box-sizing:inherit;color:rgb(15, 14, 91);" style="width: 100%; margin: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: rgb(15, 14, 91); line-height: 1.5;">

Welcome to the 4th Annual Meditation Gardens of Collingswood Poetry Contest!This year’s theme is WINDINGS - Life is Never a straight path  This year we ask our poets to visit a labyrinth. Preferably ours, but any will do. What's your experience? Our landscape designer Rob Thuener from Artiscapes expresses our intention of the labyrinth: As you can see from the original design, the labyrinth was essential to the Meditation Garden from the beginning. The outer edge of the labyrinth will be a double file of pink muhly and a larger grasses - either bluestem or switchgrass, giving it a distinct but transparent edge. The original labyrinth (labeled "Labyrinth diagram") was quadrate. This is an ancient symbol of the earth - North, South, East, West. Because we had to redesign to allow more room at the center to accommodate the growth of the maple tree at the center and for the bench, I went with a tripartite design. (Cause like, life is never a straight path, our design was adjusted!)  This is also ancient and designates past, present, and future, or read another way, youth, maturity, old age; the best-known tripartite manifestation nowadays is the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, but prior to Christianity, it was the Maiden, Mother, and Crone.This labyrinth is meant to have only one path, from outer to inner, then back out the same way. The symbolism of this is to go from every-day, external influences, and turning inward, to the kernel, the self, the seat for reflecting, the growing tree, if you will. The whole of the path of the labyrinth is curved; there is never, as in life, a straight line. Something always bends us this way or that.I've also designated that the interstices, the bit of land between the path, is filled with flowering plants, grasses, and herbs. In fact, around the central tree is lavender, one of the most powerful herbs. Its Latin name, Lavandula, has as its root meaning "to wash," since the Romans literally used it for washing. Its clean, bracing fragrance is also used to calm and to help with memory. We look forward to reading about your experiences and how the labyrinth symbolizes your life. Entries are due October 30th Winners receive Local prizes and MGC Swag and are asked to read their poem at the Perking Art Center Open Mic: Friday, November 6th (or we can read it for you) and are published on our website. POETRY CONTEST INFORMATIONThis is a free contest. No entry fee is required.At the conclusion of each contest, our editorial staff convenes and begins the monumental task of the final round of judging. Please understand, the judging of this contest is just as important to us as it is to you.All winners will receive an email and must pick up their prize in person at the Open Mic Night at Perkins Art Center in Collingswood, NJ on December 6th around 7 pm (Or arrange a local pick up at a coffee shop in Collingswood). As soon as the complete list of winners is drawn up, it will be posted on social media and published on our website at www.meditationgardens.org. POETRY CONTEST RULES<ol><li>Poetry can be written in any poetic style about being in a meditation garden.</li><li>A poem in its entirety must be an original work by the person entering the contest.</li><li>Only 2 poems per author can be submitted.</li><li>Poets must be at least eighteen years of age or be accompanied by a parent to pick up prizes and read their poem at Open Mic night.</li><li>All poems must be written in English.</li><li>Contest entries must be at least 3 but cannot exceed 50 lines (including stanza breaks) and cannot exceed 55 characters per line (including spaces between words). Any submission that exceeds these limits will be automatically disqualified. The poem title does not count as a line.</li><li>Poem must adhere to basic rules of capitalization:<ul><li>Do not type poems in all capital letters.</li><li>Do not capitalize the first letter of every word.</li><li>Only capitalize words that are proper (i.e. names and places).</li><li>The first word of each line may be capitalized if it is done consistently throughout.</li></ul></li><li>Do not use “texting” lingo. Properly spell out all words and numbers.</li><li>Poems containing language that is vulgar, offensive, or wholly inappropriate will not be accepted.</li><li>To ensure proper lineation, please use the “Enter” key to start a new line, indicating all intentional line breaks.</li><li>Do not include your name or any other information at the end of your poem.</li></ol> PRIZESGrand prize includes Meditation Gardens of Collingswood swag and gift cards from local businesses. ELIGIBILITYThe contest is open to anyone who writes poetry and lives or visits Collingswood, NJ. JUDGING PROCESSContest entries are judged based on poetic technique, effectiveness, style, and creativity. PUBLICATIONWinning poems will be published on our website, and referenced in our social media profiles and possibly our collaborators: The South Jersey Land and Water Trust, and/or Camden County Parks.  Poems under 1 minute may be used in presentations for donors, grants and fellowships.  Poems may be read by MGC wellness instructors, for example at the end of a meditation or yoga class.   By submitting a poem to our contest, you accept that your poem will appear online and in print.We ask that winners also post our social media posts about their poems on their sites/profiles.  We would also like to arrange to have the winner read their poem or agree for someone else to read it if they do not want to be on video.

Collingswood Civic Collective

MGC - 2026 Poetry Contest - Windings

30 Irvin Ave

Register for the 2025 MGC Poetry Contest

Free