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YellowJacket Press |
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Established in 2005, YellowJacket Press (YJP) is an independent small poetry press and currently the only publisher of poetry chapbook manuscripts in Florida. YJP sponsors the annual YellowJacket Press Chapbook Contest for Florida Poets. Renowned across the state, the annual contest identifies the state’s most vital and vibrant poets and brings their exhilarating, well-crafted poems to the public eye. |
Latest News |
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Mary Jane Ryals 2006 YellowJacket Press Winner |
Other News |
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Help YJP continue to publish Florida Poets. Any amount is greatly appreciated. |
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A YJP Benefit—The Poetry Party—took place on April 23, 2010 at Tre Amici at the Bunker in Ybor City, Tampa. The evening featured live readings, poetry games, a “poetry brothel,” raffles, music, and art. Jesse Millner (Ft. Myers), winner of the 2009 YellowJacket Press Chapbook Contest for Florida Poets, debuted his book, My Grandfather Singing and was joined by Florida poets Gregory Byrd, Pamela Epps, Langston Epps, Susan Lilley, Kate Sweeney, Cole Bellamy, Liz Kicak, Kirsten Holt, Jennie Goodwin, Rachel Fogarty, Jessica D. Lotzkar, John Pelot, Colette Earnest, Miranda Bailey, Ginna Wilkerson, and Brent Short.
The evening was a great success! |
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Poet Jesse Millner wins 2009 YellowJacket Press Chapbook Contest for Florida Poets.
YellowJacket Press is pleased to announce the winner of the 2009 YellowJacket Press Chapbook Contest for Florida Poets. Jesse Millner of Fort Myers has won for his manuscript My Grandfather Singing. The poet debuted his book in Tampa at YJP’s Poetry Party on April 23, 2010.
In addition, YJP will publish the runners-up in our Special Edition series. Congratulations to Cole Bellamy (Tampa) for The Mermaid Postcard; Barbara Nightingale (Hollywood) for Two Voices, One Past; and Kirsten Holt (Tampa) for Overwintered.
There were 4 finalists whose work was also worthy of publication, had not financial times been so dire. Grilling Quail by John Pelot, (Punta Gorda); Psychologically Speaking by Jessica D. Lotzkar, (Tampa); Untied, by Wendy Buffington, (Tampa); and Proper English by Michael Cleary, Fort Lauderdale.
This is the sixth year of the YellowJacket Press (YJP) Chapbook Contest. A chapbook is a small collection of approximately 20 pages of poetry by a single poet. YJP founder and editor Gianna Russo created the contest while directing the creative writing department at Blake School of the Arts, a magnet high school. No longer affiliated with the school, YJP continues to acknowledge and support adult poets across the state and has garnered acclaim as the only statewide publisher of poetry chapbooks.
Previous winning chapbooks were Florida Straits by Gregory Byrd of Clearwater (2004), Music in Arabic by Mary Jane Ryals of Tallahassee (2005), and Night Windows by Susan Lilley of Orlando (2005), Many Loves by Michael Hettich of Miami (2006) and Our Keen Blue House by Michael Trammell of Tallahassee (2007) and Better Accidents by Kate Sweeney of Tampa (2008). This year’s contest opens October 1, 2010 with a deadline of December 1, 2010. |
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Elisa Albo John Capouya Kristyn Caragher Rita Ciresi Michael Cleary Silvia Curbelo Eric Davis Richard Downing Jim Graves Christine Hale Michael Hettich Daniel Kahn Jan Ledman Kim Murray Barbra Nightingale Betti Perez Haya Pomrenze Henry Riley Janet Watson Marte Watson Rebecca Watts Suzanne K. Williamson |
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Thank You to Our Donors: |
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Miami Poetry Collective with UT Writing Students at St. Petersburg Market |
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University of Tampa writing students, along with University of Tampa students from the MFA program, joined the Miami Poetry Collective at their first Tampa Bay Area POETRY DEPOT live event. This Miami-based group, along with local poets, set up a booth at the St. Pete Saturday Market in downtown St. Petersburg, Florida and wrote “instant poems”: market-goers paid a small fee for a tailored-to-the-buyer poem, produced in about fifteen minutes. (Hence the low-tech, old-fashioned typewriters you note in the pictures). |
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Upcoming Events
3rd Annual Happy Hour and Prime Time Show coming Sept. 24, 2010:
YJP will be debuting 3 new books which were finalists in our most recent contest: Two Voices, One Past by Barbra Nightingale (Hollywood); The Mermaid Postcard, by Cole Bellamy (Tampa); and Overwintered by Kirsten Holt (Tampa). These poets will be joined by other YJP poets and some of the best poets of the region. This annual event is “total immersion” poetry and sure to (insert favorite fun metaphor here). Our famous raffle/auction will cap the evening. More details coming soon.
Nov 5-6, 2010 Florida Literary Arts Coaliton‘s “Other Words Conference” in St. Augustine
YJP will be there in force for a sponsored reading by our poets, board members, and friends. This is THE community literary event of Florida. For more information see the Other Words Conference website.
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