And the Winnah.....

...as drawn by the pointy claws of Maurice the cat...

....is....



Pissenlit!

Please email kc dyer at telus dot net and she can talk details.

Thanks to all for waxing poetic. A new contest next week !

~Darby

One more day -- Skateboard Haiku Contest Closes Tomorrow!

I think the title of this post just about says it all.

Get your haiku in before tomorrow at 6 pm. Winner will be posted after 8 pm.

Details HERE.

Maurice and I can't WAIT to pick the winner!

~Darby

Skateboard Haiku Contest Continues...and MORE!

Hmmm...

Not as good as Jacquie's!

The skateboard haiku contest is going great guns, with lots of good entries so far. Add yours to the list! You could win a copy of Jacqueline Pearce's MANGA TOUCH, a copy of A WALK THROUGH A WINDOW, and -- to celebrate seasonally -- a few chocolate-covered cherries to sweeten the prize.

You can add your haiku to the comments below, or in any post from now until Friday, April 24th when the draw will be made. And if you link to this blog with your blog -- we'll add your name to the draw again!

Now speaking of things poetic -- here's a link to another contest that may interest you...Mitali's Fire Escape is holding the 7th Annual Fire Escape Contest for teen-authored poetry and short stories. This is a special contest for Canadian and American kids who were born -- or whose parents were born -- in a country other than the US or Canada. Sounds like fun -- check for details HERE.

Lots of chances to win -- sharpen those haiku pencils!

~Darby

Skateboard Haiku Contest

Okay -- for those of you having trouble finding a way to put the word 'skateboard' into your haiku...here's an example from an expert.






Jacqueline Pearce is mistress of the haiku. And nothing shows a winning edge like a haiku with a skateboard in it...so let 'er rip, Jacquie!

crushed cherry blossoms
graffiti the skateboard ramp
the scented air calls

Wow. See what I mean?

So -- now it's your turn. Leave your skateboard haiku (and don't forget the seasonal reference!) in the comments section of any of the posts between now and Friday, April 24th. We'll enter your name in the draw for the prize once for every haiku you write (that meets the specs, of course: 17 syllables, 3 lines, 5/7/5 breakdown).

And if you link to this post on your blog, we'll enter your name an extra time in the draw.

The prize? A signed copy of A WALK THROUGH A WINDOW. A copy of Jacqueline Pearce's book MANGA TOUCH (she's about to go off on a tour of Japan -- to the very city where her story is set!) AND a selection of chocolate-covered cherries, to celebrate the spring-time.

Awesome prize package -- so get writing your haiku, and spread the word!

~Darby

Pee Ess... Make sure you check out kc dyer's blog later today. She's getting involved with Operation TBD -- sounds mysterious!

NaPoMo Celebration Continues

Okay, riders and readers, listen up.

National Poetry Month continues throughout April, and I've broken you in the easy way with a limerick contest.

DA was the winner, and a deserving winner she was, too.

Now is time to up the ante.

See this picture?



Cherry tree, just across the street. What does it mean to you...?

(Hint -- think spring -- think poetry...)

Why -- haiku, of course!

Now, a haiku is a lot more structured than a limerick, so don't think you're getting off easy, just because it is only 17 syllables long.

From wikipedia:

Haiku is a form of Japanese poetry, consisting of 17 morae (or on), in three metrical phrases of 5, 7 and 5 morae respectively. Haiku typically contain a kigo, or seasonal reference, and a kireji or verbal caesura. In Japanese, haiku are traditionally printed in a single vertical line, while haiku in English usually appear in three lines, to parallel the three metrical phrases of Japanese haiku[2]. Previously called hokku, haiku was given its current name by the Japanese writer Masaoka Shiki at the end of the 19th century.


Here's what I'm looking for :

3 lines, seasonal reference, and (of course) the word skateboard must appear somewhere.

Think you are up to the challenge?

Contest closes April 24th. And tomorrow, I am hoping to have an expert example (written by a haiku professional) to start things off. Prizes? They'll be great!

Check in tomorrow to read the sample haiku and the list of prizes!

~Darby

Tony Hawk celebrates Easter...

My hero Tony Hawk celebrates Easter in the best possible way...by giving away his kind of eggs...

(skateboard decks!!!!)




Click here to see the picture: Tony Hawk's Eggs

How cool is that?

Check in tomorrow for news of our new contest to celebrate NaPoMo!

~Darby

Fantastic Friday Skateboard Limerick Winner

Wow.

And Purrrr. [That's Maurice's opinion, btw...]






Did we get some AWESOME entries for this contest?

We did.

A tonne of entries, a further tonne of other blog mentions...Darby Speaks readers really ROCK!

Thanks to ALL for participating!

And if you are (sadly) not the winner this week...despair not! National Poetry Month [NaPoMo] continues, and so do the tributes to Canadian poets here on Darby Speaks. Tune into tomorrow's blog posting to find out about our NEW contest...

I'll give you a hint. This contest DOES involve a very short poetic form -- haiku. And it DOES NOT involve skateboards. But you'll have to wait until tomorrow for the details, because ...

...now it's time to announce this week's winner.

But first -- the winning limerick:

You don't know how it feels,
'Til you've skimmed along on four wheels.
Rollin' along,
Singing your song,
On your board wearing shoes with no heels.

It's funny that this one was the one that Maurice swept out of the hat with his paw, because I think it may have been the only skateboard limerick entered that didn't involve Serious Injury.

The winner is DA!

DA wins a signed copy of A WALK THROUGH A WINDOW and also, in honour of poetry week, a signed (I hope...!) copy of Bernice Lever's amazing book NEVER A STRAIGHT LINE. Bernice is an author and poet who lives on Bowen Island, and if kc can corner her, we'll make sure we get a signature before your books get sent out, DA.

Make sure you drop kc at line (with your mailing address) at kcdyer at telus dot net.

Congratulations!!!

Remember to check in here tomorrow for the details of next week's contest.

And a Happy Easter and Passover to all!

~Darby