We’re in the midst of National Poetry Month, LOU, and you’re officially invited to enter LOUtoday’s first poetry contest. Who knows — the next great Louisville poet like Jane Mayhall might be among us.

This contest is open to all, and the rules are simple: Turn today’s newsletter into a poem.

That’s right. Using only words that appear in this newsletter, craft an original poem up to 125 words. Unlike an erasure poem, the words do not have to appear in the order they're found. Mix and match how you please. Any English word appearing anywhere in today’s newsletter is fair game, including the ones you’re reading right now (we’ll throw some fun ones at you: Mint Julep. Conundrum. Schnitzelburg.

The rules

Submit your poem here by 11:59 p.m. on Fri., April 22.
Include a title + author’s name in your submission. Titles are an exception to the rule, and do not need to pull words from the newsletter.
Poems, excluding title and author’s name, must be 125 words or less.

The fun stuff

- Form + direction is up to you
- The LOUtoday editorial team will select a group of finalists based on style, originality, artistic quality, and creativity. Finalists will be announced the last week of April in our newsletter, and then we’ll poll our readers for their favorite poem. The winner’s poem will be featured on our website — in addition to winning bragging rights, of course.

Pro tip: To make the process easier on yourself, print out today’s issue and highlight the words you find most interesting

Psst… Every single word has to come from the newsletter, so don’t forget to keep track of your articles (words like “the” and “a”).

Need some inspiration?

Read City Editor Sarah’s favorite Louisville poem, “The best ham in Louisville’s…” by Appalachian poet and writer Emily Blair to spark some great foodie sonnets.

City Editor Katie suggests thumbing through “The Selected Poems of Wendell Berry” for some inspiring nature stanzas.

Bonus: Check out these National Poetry Month events at the Louisville Free Public Library or attend one of the KMAC’s poetry slam nights that happen on the last Saturday of each month.