What's a Blank Verse Poem?

Blank verse gives writers the freedom to use their own style to express ideas and emotions yet does limit them a bit more than free verse.

As opposed to formal verse (which rhymes and has a strict meter), blank verse does not rhyme, though it, too, is metered. It is sometimes defined as unrhymed poetry with a regular meter.

Blank verse is most often written in the form called iambic pentameter (as in Shakespeare's Hamlet), with ten syllables per line, consisting of unstressed and stressed syllables. But poets can vary this form in order to achieve a certain effect—for instance, to vary the rhythm in the poem or create a pause. They can begin with a stressed syllable, instead of unstressed. They may use a different number of syllables instead of ten, as seen in the blank verse of Robert Frost, Emily Dickinson, and Walt Whitman. Frost's poem "Out, Out--" is an example with ten syllables.

What's our judge looking for?

Our judge will be grading entries based on these criteria:

• Follow the "rules" for the contest in terms of word count and type of poem.
• Unity and sense of purpose in the content
• Make every word count. Poets have less room to explore an idea than short story writers and novelists, so aim to avoid unnecessary words while including any words that truly earn their place.
• Originality of expression: Avoid cliches, and let your own voice come through as you express thoughts and feelings,
• Fresh approach to familiar subjects
• Vivid imagery and sensory appeal, including effective use of literary devices (e. g. similes, metaphors, symbolism, alliteration, irony, etc.)
• Be specific: If, for example, you remember a grandmother who died and reminisce about " making cookies together," what kinds of cookies? How did they taste? Did you dip your fingers into the sticky, vanilla-scented dough to savor a forbidden mouthful?
• Effective use of rhythm, word sounds, and structure (lines, spaces, and punctuation)
• Show, don't tell
• Impact on the reader--emotional, thought-provoking