Gannon University's English Department manages several initiatives: Totem, the National High School Poetry Contest, and several Gannon University writing awards.
Totem
The student-run literary and art magazine Totem is published once per year. When the submission window is open, a project link will appear on this page. Inquiries about Totem should be directed to Dr. Clayton Bradshaw-Mittal or Sophia Messenger.
National High School Poetry Contest
The annual National High School Poetry Contest is open to high school students in the United States of America. When the submission window is open, a project link will appear on this page. Inquiries about the poetry contest should be directed to Dr. Clayton Bradshaw-Mittal.
Gannon University Writing Awards
The annual writing awards recognize the work of Gannon University students from across the university's three colleges. Winners are announced at the University Writing Awards Ceremony in April, and this ceremony includes the winner of the National High School Poetry Contest as well as featuring guest speakers. Nomination forms signed by your professor must be included with your submission.
Iconic: The Anthology of Erie Poets is a forthcoming poetry anthology featuring the work of poets located or with roots in Erie, Pennsylvania.
A collaboration between the Gannon University English Department and NWPA Poetry, the anthology highlights the iconic people and vibrant poetic textures that weave between lake effect snow; stark, industrial spaces; and brilliant, summertime waves.
In doing so, it develops a canon of contemporary and historical Erie-based poets. and brings out the the history of Erie, its culture, its natural wonder, and its optimistic future. It is a collaboration that unites voices across the local, cultural spectrum and breathes life into iconic representations of our high-spirited, lakefront community.
If you have any questions, please contact Clayton Bradshaw-Mittal at bradshaw013@gannon.edu.
Deadline: August 15th
Eligibility
Poetry submitted must be written by a current or former resident of Erie County, Pennsylvania.
Poems may have been previously published elsewhere, but rights to the work must have reverted back to the poet before submission.
Simultaneous submissions are welcome, but please withdraw the poem if it is accepted elsewhere. If one poem in a packet of several poems is accepted elsewhere, do not withdraw the entire packet. Instead, leave a message on your submission with the poem you are withdrawing or email Clayton Bradshaw-Mittal at bradshaw013@gannon.edu.
If you have any questions about eligibility, please email Clayton Bradshaw-Mittal at bradshaw013@gannon.edu.
Formatting and Guidelines
You may submit up to ten pages of poetry. Each poem must begin on a new page.
Submit the work as a Word doc or PDF. Remember that a PDF will preserve any unique formatting.
You may submit as many times as you'd like, but remember that selection for publication will be restricted to a few poems to allow for as many voices as possible.
If you would like to make edits to a poem already submitted, please withdraw the entire submission and re-submit.
Selection Process
All submissions are read concealed by faculty and students at Gannon University, alongside volunteer readers who have not submitted to the Anthology. After the first round of reading and recommendations, the editor (Dr. Clayton Bradshaw-Mittal) will select the final set of work to be included in the Anthology.
If any reader is familiar with the work they are asked to read and judge, then they will recuse themself from the process for that poem.
All work is considered at the aesthetic of the poem. There is not a singular form or feature that distinguishes itself as an overarching aesthetic in the Anthology. Erie is a county with a wonderfully varied set of poetic talent, and this Anthology seeks to represent this.
If you have any questions, please email Clayton Bradshaw-Mittal at bradshaw013@gannon.edu.