2021 PATERSON STUDENT POETRY CONTEST Please Read Carefully As Some of Our Guidelines Have Changed

Theater and Poetry Project: A Language Arts Enrichment Program

Passaic County Community College

One College Blvd., Paterson, New Jersey 07505-1179 www.pccc.edu/tapp 973-684-6182 [email protected]

2021 PATERSON STUDENT POETRY CONTEST Please read carefully as some of our guidelines have changed. TOPICS: You’re free to write about any topic of your choice. If you’re feeling stuck, here are some prompts to help get you started: . Being trapped or boxed in . What helps you get through tough . Social justice and racial inequality times? . Environmental issues . What makes you afraid?

When you write your poem, use as many specific details as possible. Paint a picture using words to express what you do, see, smell, hear, and feel.

STYLE & FORMAT: Due to the high volume of entries we receive, we may reject any incomplete entries. Please note the following (see next page for sample): . The poem may be written in any style, not to exceed two pages . No fancy fonts or pictures . Use punctuation as needed . At the start of each line, only the first word of a sentence should have an initial cap (otherwise the word should be all lowercase). . In the upper right hand corner, type the following: Student name and home address Phone # and email (use parent’s or guardian’s email if you don’t have one) Grade, school, and teacher’s name.

POEM SUBMISSION/DEADLINES: Email your poem as a Word document to your teacher by January 4, 2021. Teachers must then electronically submit all class poems in a single Word document via email to [email protected] by January 31, 2021, no exceptions.

PARENTAL PERMISSION REQUIRED: This form must be signed by a parent or guardian and emailed to your teacher as a scan (pdf) or photo (jpeg). A poem cannot be published without this signed statement.

I permit the reproduction of this poem in print, on the internet, or in any other media. I understand that students attending the Awards Ceremony may be recorded and/or photographed, and that these recordings and photographs may be broadcast or reproduced without additional permission from me, the undersigned.

Signature of Parent/Guardian ______Date ______

AWARDS: Winning entries in each category will be published in an anthology. Winners will receive their awards in the mail. (1) First Prize ($50) (2) Second Prize ($25) (3) Honorable Mention (certificate)

Student Name Home address, City, State ZIP Email and Phone # Grade, School Teacher’s name

Hearing the News By Troi Jackson

I hear them talking outside of the door. Am I going to die? I think of what they are talking about. I needed my mom to soothe me, Did I do something wrong? but she was too busy crying. They are talking in very low voices. I am afraid of life. They are trying to keep something from me. Life has taken over my body; life is my enemy. I wait for the doctor to tell me Everyone says you have a purpose in life. what is going on. Is my purpose to have cancer, I don’t want to hear the bad news, and die in the end? but when I hear him say the words, Is my purpose to beat cancer, it hurts. and then get it again? It is as bad as it seems Is my purpose to give my life away to cancer? He says, “You have something Is my purpose to not have a purpose in life? called cancer.” Right when he says that, I want to tell him I keep repeating it in my mind: that I am not slow. “Cancer is the worst,” I want to tell him that I know what it is. “Cancer is the worst,” I want to whack him right in his head. “Cancer is the worst.” I know it’s not his fault, though. But then, I take a moment, I only heard about this in the movies. and I start going off on the doctors. Now, I really understand why I start saying words I said those movies are so sad a couple of times in school, but only to sound cool. I wonder how long I have had it. I started to say cuss words. I wonder what my friends will say. I told my doctor he was trash, I wonder when I will lose my hair. but I should be thanking him. I wonder if I will survive.