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02 June, 2010

INTERNATIONAL MEN'S DAY 2010 ILLINOIS (USA) STATEWIDE WRITING COMPETITION GUIDELINES



About IMD Illinois Statewide Writing Competition:

Open to male and female residents of the State of Illinois (U.S.A.), including incarcerated male and female writers, the Illinois (U.S.A.) region of the International Men's Day 2010, IMD Illinois, seek to promote positive male role models; to celebrate writings related to the core objectives of IMD with prizes awarded to the top three poems, essays, and short stories; and to recognize award winners and honorable mentions in an awards dinner and ceremony to take place on Friday, November 19, 2010 at a location to be determined.

The Judges:

The esteemed judges of the International Men's Day Illinois (IMD Illinois) Statewide Writing Competition will be announced at a later time.

The Prizes:

The Langston Hughes Prize for Poetry [First Prize]

The Jerome Teelucksingh Prize for Essay [First Prize]

The Frances E. W. Harper Prize for Short Story [First Prize]

The L. T. Henry Award for Best Work on Fatherhood [Poem, Essay, or Short Story]

$500.00 for the first place winners in the poetry, essay, and short story categories;
$200.00 for the second place winners in the poetry, essay, and short story categories;
$100.00 for the third place winners in the poetry, essay, and short story categories;

Two free tickets for the IMD Illinois Statewide Writing Competition Awards Dinner and Ceremony (November 19, 2010) for first, second, and third place winners and honorable mentions.

First, second, and third place, and honorable mention certificates signed by IMD Founder, Jerome Teelucksingh; IMD Historian, Jason Thompson; IMD Coordinator for the U.S.A., Diane Sears; and IMD Coordinator for the State of Illinois (USA), John D. Evans.

A free one-year subscription of IN SEARCH OF FATHERHOOD(R) for the best work on fatherhood (poem, essay, or short story).



Award Deadline:

The IMD Illinois Statewide Writing Competition Committee will only accept submissions postmarked between June 15, 2010 – September 15, 2010.

What can I submit?:

· You can submit to only one of three writing categories: poetry, essay, or short story.
· You can submit up to three (3) poems or only one essay or short story (no page requirement).
· No previously published work(s) can be submitted.
· Writings must address one or more of the following core IMD objectives:

To promote positive male role models; not just movie stars and sports men but every day, working class men who are living decent, honest lives.

To celebrate men’s positive contributions to society, community, family, marriage, child care, and to the environment.

To focus on men’s health and wellbeing; social, emotional, physical and spiritual.

To highlight discrimination against men; in areas of social services, social attitudes and expectations, and law.

To improve gender relations and promote gender equality.

To create a safer, better world; where people can be safe and grow to reach their full potential


How to Submit:

· Entries may be submitted as an electronic or hardcopy.
· Each hardcopy/mailed entry must be sent in duplicate (two copies of your submission).
· Each entry must have a cover page.
· Each entry must have the proper entry fee or your submission will be disqualified.


The cover page must include:

Name
Address
Email (if available)
Phone
Name of the Category
Title and First Line of first (or only) poem in submission

Submissions from officers, members, or family members of the 2010 IMD Coordinators Network are ineligible.

Your name should not appear anywhere else besides the cover sheet.

If you are sending more than one poem, you may use the same cover sheet and envelope.

What is ineligible:

· Translations are ineligible.
· Collaborative work is ineligible.
· A poem, essay, or short story that has previously won an award cannot be submitted.

Entry Fees
:

The entry fee for each category is $5.00 ($5.00 per poem). All categories are free to incarcerated male and female poets. High school teachers or administrators may submit an unlimited number of their students' poems (one submission per student) for a $50 entry fee. Personal and certified checks and money orders should be made payable to the IMD Illinois. Please do not send cash.
Notification:

For an acknowledgment of receipt of submissions, please include a self-addressed, stamped postcard (SASP).

If you would like to receive a print announcement of the awards winners, please enclose a self-addressed, stamped envelope (SASE); the winners will also be announced on the International Men's Day website.

No entries will be returned; do not enclose a SASE for that purpose.

Due to the volume of submissions we receive, we cannot inform entrants of incorrectly submitted or disqualified material, nor can we accept any corrections or revisions to submissions.

Where to send:

The IMD Illinois Statewide Writing Committee will only accept submissions postmarked between June 15th and September 15th of 2010.

Express Mail and FedEx packages are acceptable but must also be postmarked on or before September 15th.

Please mail your submission to:

TEPC, Inc.
Attn: IMD IL Contest
P.O. Box 2177
Oak Park, IL 60303-2177
U.S.A.


Application Checklist:

A completed submission includes:

TWO copies of each submission, with a cover sheet attached to one of the copies.

A SASP if you would like acknowledgment of receipt of submission.

A SASE if you would like to be notified of the winners

A check or money order for $5 per entry (personal or certified checks and/or money orders should be made payable to the IMD Illinois).


Individuals, institutions, and organizations in Illinois in the United States that are interested in participating in 2010 International Men’s Day, should contact Mr. John D. Evans, the Illinois (USA) Regional Coordinator, by e-mail at: IMDIllinois@aol.com.

AUTHOR, PLAYWRIGHT, ACTRESS AND FATHERHOOD ADVOCATE MRS. ODETTA WRIGHT DONS MANTLE OF VIRGINIA (USA) REGIONAL COORDINATOR FOR 2010 INTERNATIONAL MEN'S DAY

The International Men’s Day Coordination Committee has announced that Richmond, Virginia native MRS. ODETTA TAMU WRIGHT has donned the mantle of Virginia (USA) Regional Coordinator for 2010 International Men’s Day (www.international-mens-day.com)Mrs. Wright is an author, playwright, actress, and co-producer of a moving off-off Broadway play and documentary which has become a movement – FATHER FIGUREWright who holds a Bachelor’s degree in Rhetoric and Communications Studies from the University of Virginia and a Master’s Degree in Adult Education from the University of Phoenix has authored over 30 plays and literary works.

Mrs. Wright has appeared in a one-woman show entitled Old Souls which made its inaugural debut at the Edinburgh International Theatre Festival in Scotland A number of her plays have been performed in various community centers – The Empire Theatre, The Firehouse Theatre, and the Carpenter Center in Richmond, Virginia. Wright co-wrote with Hampton University Professor Eleanor Earl, an off-off broadway play, Father Figure, which was showcased at New York City’s Musical Theatreworks and conceived when both Wright and Earl were undergraduate students at the University of Virginia. The off-off broadway play, Father Figure, was expanded into a feature-length documentary and screened at the Cinema CafĂ© Art House in Virginia Beach, Virginia in 2007. Both the documentary and play explore how the presence or absence of Fathers in the lives of women greatly influences their career choices and the type of men that they date and marry.

“Mrs. Wright has helped to energize the Global Dialogue on Fatherhood and Men’s Issues through the off-off Broadway play and documentary, Father Figure, which she co-wrote with Hampton University Professor Eleanor Earl. I am looking forward to working with Mrs. Wright and assisting her promote awareness of and participation in 2010 International Men’s Day in Virginia,” remarked Diane A. Sears, the United States Coordinator for 2010 International Men’s Day.

International Men’s Day calls for the people of the world to unite and celebrate 2010 with the theme, 'Our Children .. Our Future’. International Men’s Day will be observed on 19th November 2010. The future of our children depends on positive male role models. The theme ‘Our Children ... Our Future’ celebrates the 48 hour partnership that International Men’s Day has with Universal Children’s Day, which is celebrated on 20th November 2010 and endorsed by the United Nations.

The celebrations of International Men’s Day 2009 were the largest ever global collaboration of men and women to address the challenges and problems that men face. Ireland, Canada, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, Australia, India, United States, Singapore, United Kingdom, Malta, South Africa, Georgia, New Zealand, Moldova, Germany, and Holland were a sample of the nations around the world that celebrated and honored the selfless sacrifices of Men and their invaluable contributions to families, communities and society. International Men’s Day 2009 was featured in newspaper headlines, TV stories, magazine articles, blogs, YouTube promos and websites the world over.

International Men’s Day was founded in 1999 by Dr. Jerome Teelucksingh, a History Lecturer at the West Indies University, Trinidad Tobago, and the Chairman of the International Men’s Day Coordination Committee whose membership comprises Warwick Marsh (Australia), Global Coordinator for International Men’s Day, Jason Thompson (Australia), Historian and Global Promotions Coordinator for International Men’s Day, Uma Challa, Coordinator for India - for International Men’s Day, and Diane A. Sears, Coordinator for the United States of America – International Men’s Day.

Dr. Teelucksingh, in 1999, put into place the Core Objectives of International Men’s Day which gives individuals and groups wanting to celebrate International Men’s Day in their own community, the framework and foundation for their celebrations. The Core Objectives of International Men’s Day which were ratified by members of the International Men’s Day Committee in December 2009 are as follows:

During a conference call on 1st December 2009 the International Men’s Day Coordination Committee ratified the following core objectives of International Men’s Day:

• To promote positive male role models; not just movie stars and sports men but everyday,
working class men who are living decent, honest lives.


• To celebrate men’s positive contributions to society, community, family, marriage, child care, and to the environment.


• To focus on men’s health and wellbeing; social, emotional, physical and spiritual.


• To highlight discrimination against men; in areas of social services, social attitudes and expectations, and law.


• To improve gender relations and promote gender equality.


• To create a safer, better world; where people can be safe and grow to reach their full potential.

These core objectives which were put in place in 1999 by Founder, Dr Jerome Teelucksingh, gives individuals and groups wanting to celebrate International Men’s Day in their own community, the framework and foundation for their celebrations.

Individuals and organizations in the State of Virginia who are interested in learning more about 2010 International Men’s Day and how they can participate in the worldwide observance of 2010 International Men’s Day on Friday, 19 November 2010 should contact MRS. ODETTA WRIGHT by sending an e-mail to: odetta_wright@yahoo.com. Further information about International Men’s Day can also be obtained by visiting its website at http://international-mens-day.com.

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HOUSE OF UMOJA, INC. ANNOUNCES “NEXT STEPS” FOR “READING IS RESISTANCE” COMPONENT OF PHILADELPHIA’ S OBSERVANCE OF NATIONAL MILLION FATHER MARCH

CONTACT:   Queen Mother Falaka Fattah President and Chief Executive Officer House of Umoja, Inc. (215) 473-5893 E-Mail:  falakafattah@aol.co...