Adonis Designs Press

ISBN 978-0-9819750-0-9, ISSN 1536-5484
Artwork by Clara Fannjiang, CA

Twelfth Window

by Clara Fannjiang, CA

a pinecone birthed from charcoals

 - sipping silence. the empty red birdhouse

prays quietly, totters against

the blue. time never stops, they say

- the yellow of the house scoffs

we are no nomads here. heartbeat pounding

shells gently like an onion, the crinkling in

ear is nothing but the being of

unrest. the metallic sounds are perched

at bay, a shudder their finest demise

the song of the road lies stripped

in these stones, clay-red and

sulfured greens like blood veins

 - a hoax. my skin shivers

dark oil against water, and for the breaking of

a mirage, the water hiccups.

an eye is turned from the glaze

the falling of the olive-leaf, unheard.

Looking for somewhere to publish your poetry?

In print for eleven years, we accept submissions from around the world. Each year we publish the best of all entries received.

Published annually in April by Adonis Designs Press in partnership with Springfield Poets and Writers, a not-for-profit literary organization located in Springfield, Illinois, the paperback book is approximately 100 pages with interior artwork in grayscale. Out of all artwork submitted, one piece is chosen for a color cover each year.

If your work is selected, you will receive two free copies of the book.

NTM History

NTM was first published in 1999. That same month a poetry reading was held for contributors at Barnes and Noble Booksellers. Readings were held in later years at the Hoogland Center for the Arts and the Illinois State Museum. It is the intent of the founding publisher and editor, Anita Stienstra, that no profit is or will be made from the contributors to this or any future issue of the anthology. Sponsors make this program possible and have included The Vachel Lindsay Association and The Springfield Highland Games and Celtic Festival.

A Note about Donations

If you would like to join others in support of this international literary program to inspire young poets and artists mail donations to: Adonis Designs Press, P.O. Box 202, Chatham, IL. Checks and money orders can be made out to Adonis Designs Press. All donations will be used for the NTM program. We appreciate your consideration.

Guidelines

• Open to teens in 6th-12th grade
• Send one-three poems or pictures
• Enter by mail or e-mail
• Free to enter
• Include: name, age, grade, address, and e-mail address if possible. (A teacher's name and school address may be substituted for your own with teacher's permission.)
• Deadline is the first Friday of March each year
  
• Submissions accepted year round *

Mailing Address: Adonis Designs Press, NTM; P.O. Box 202; Chatham, IL  62629.

E-mail: navigatingthemaze@yahoo.com. Please type NTM in the subject line.

* If you send us a submission, we will acknowledge receiving it immediately. Then in March or April, we will let you know if it is accepted for publication in the book that year.

Other Helpful Information:

-Typed poems in 10 pt Garamond are helpful, but we will accept handwritten entries.

-Emailed poems attached as Word documents are appreciated.

-Artwork should include the title of each piece and what media and surface was used. For example: "The Willow Tree," pencil on paper.

-Artwork should be in .tif or .jpeg format at 300 dpi resolution or higher.

A Note to English and Art Teachers

Several English teachers incorporate entry to NTM as a final project after their yearly poetry lesson plans. You may mail your class entries in one envelope. We look forward to hearing from you.

If you will not be sending in your students' work, consider encouraging those students who have a passion for the written word or art to enter this contest on their own

Teachers who do enter their students' work and have a student(s) selected to be published in the book, will receive two free books, one for their classroom and one for their school library.