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    The Oestara Anthology of Pagan Poetry
    The Oestara Anthology of Pagan Poetry
    The Oestara Anthology of Pagan Poetry
    Ebook94 pages1 hour

    The Oestara Anthology of Pagan Poetry

    By Cynthia Joyce Clay

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    About this ebook

    2006 Eppie Winner for Poetry

    "As a collection, Pagan poetry can hardly get better than this. The contents are sensuous, moving, endearing, stark and intoxicating by turns: occasionally within the same poem!" --Professor Ronald Hutton, Bristol University, author of The Triumph of the Moon: A History of Modern Pagan Witchcraft

    "If you can’t find something in this collection that speaks to your soul ask yourself these two questions: First – Are you sure you’re Pagan? And second – Are you sure you have a pulse? Enjoy this collection. I did. And I hope there are more to follow."--Mike Gleason

    This poetry anthology includes commentary.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherOestara Publishing
    Release dateSep 8, 2011
    ISBN9781452438375
    The Oestara Anthology of Pagan Poetry
    Author

    Cynthia Joyce Clay

    Cynthia Joyce Clay was judged to be a computer program on Shakespeare at the First Loebner Prize Competition of The Turing Test-a truly science fictional experience. The Competition was filmed as part of a PBS Scientific Frontiers episode and aired internationally. In addition to living sf, Clay has experience with the thriller genre: she was invited to Russia to deliver her paper, The Application of Vector Theory to Literature and Drama at the international conference "Languages of Science, Languages of Art" and was chased by the KGB. She is an award winning author and her plays have been produced in Massachusetts, New Mexico, and Florida. Cynthia is a contributing editor of The Oestara Anthology of Pagan Poetry which won an Eppie, an international literary prize. Her sf novel, Zollocco, was an Eppie finalist. She likes to write sf and fantasy best.

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      Book preview

      The Oestara Anthology of Pagan Poetry - Cynthia Joyce Clay

      copyright 2005 Cynthia Joyce Clay

      Oestara Publishing LLC

      Smashwords Edition

      LOCN: 2001012345

      This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be resold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each reader. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of the authors.

      Please note:

      Copyright in each separate contribution to a collective work is distinct from copyright in the collective work as a whole and rests initially with the author of the contribution. Thus, copyright of poetry remains with the poets themselves.

      www.oestarapublishing.com

      * * * *

      Dedicated to:

      The voices that cried in the wind

      * * * *

      Table of Contents

      Introduction

      The Winning Poems with the Judges’ Commentary

      Traditional Poetic Forms & Dream Received Verse

      Free Verse

      The Free Verse

      The Traditional Poetic Forms & Dream Received Verse

      The Judges Share Their Thoughts on Poetry and Share Their Verse

      The Poets

      Introduction

      To celebrate its inaugural year, Oestara Publishing LLC held The Oestara Anthology of Pagan Poetry Contest to create an anthology of Pagan poems that honor Pagan spirituality. Contributors included in the anthology have been paid one paperback and one ebook of The Oestara Anthology of Pagan Poetry. A first place $100 USD prize, second place $50 prize, and third place $25 prize winner were chosen for two categories: one of traditional forms such as sonnets, villanelles, rondeaus, and linked haiku, as well as verse received in dreams or trances; the other category was of free verse. Criteria for judging were skill in execution of the poetic form (35%), eloquence of Pagan expression (35%), and correctness of grammar, spelling, and mechanics (30%). Any errors of grammar, spelling, or mechanics that were not sufficient to make a poem be rejected were corrected for the anthology. The submission deadline was, naturally, Oestara (Northern Hemisphere, March 21st) 2005.

      The traditional, poetic forms were defined this way:

      The Italian or Petrarchan Sonnet has two stanzas, an octave (eight lines) with a rhyme scheme of abbaabba and sestet (six lines) with a rhyme scheme of cdedde or cdcdcd. The Shakespearean Sonnet has a set of three quatrains (four lines each) with a rhyme scheme of abab; cdcd; efef, and finished with a couplet (gg). The Cynthian Sonnet can be based on either the Italian or Shakespearean forms, but it must have 13 lines total. Reference to the four Elements must be made.

      The Villanelle has five three line stanzas with a concluding stanza of four lines, each stanza ending with an alternation line of the first verse. In the last stanza both of these two lines appear together as a concluding couplet. Only the two rhymes are allowed throughout the stanzas.

      The Rondeau should have 13 lines, using only two rhymes with a refrain which is a repetition of the first part of the first line. Using R to represent the refrain, the rhyme scheme would be Raabba, aabR, aabbaR

      Linked Haiku must be a set of three or more haiku. Each haiku follows the usual 5/7/5 syllable format with the first line creating one image, the second line a second image, and the third line synthesizing the first two images in a third image.

      Verse forms of Pagan cultures (indigenous people's, Hindi, preChristian European, etc.) were welcome as traditional forms; the poet was asked to define the form. We did not receive any poems of this type.

      Poetic forms were expected to be in the traditional forms, however they could deviate somewhat from the traditional form if that deviation was to stress the Pagan theme. For instance, sonnets could be in Shakespearean, Italian, or Cynthian form. Cynthian Sonnets have 13 lines, make mention of the four Elements, but otherwise follow the Shakespearean form. Linked haiku are a set of haiku that are related in some important way so that the entire set forms one overall poem. The linked haiku may also run to thirteen lines instead of the usual multiples of three. All poetic forms may make use of poetic devices such as assonance and near rhymes.

      * * * *

      The Judges also served as editors. They are:

      The Pagan Judge, Raymond T. Anderson, is a High Priest of Wicca and a Ceremonial Magician, also known in Pagan circles as a Mage for his indepth knowledge of Pagan philosophy, practices, magickal skill, and general erudition. He reads Latin and Greek poetry in the original tongues as a hobby. He is a trained musician, receiving his musical knowledge in a direct line of tutelage from Liszt. After judging the contest, Raymond

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