Welcome to the April 2002 Poetry Contest!

It has been noted that that bipolar disorder is often associated with creativity. Kay Jamison's book, TOUCHED WITH FIRE: Manic-Depressive Illness and the Artistic Temperament lists dozens of familiar names of creative bipolars: or should I say artists whose muse, perhaps, sprang from a chance chemical imbalance?

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Hey, all!
I just received 2 copies of Mitzi Waltz's new book, Adult Bipolar Disorders: Understanding Your Diagnosis and Getting Help. Obviously I only have time to read one. ;-)
So let's have a bipolar poetry contest, winner gets a copy of this fine new release for laypeople.

RULES, read carefully:

Contest is open only to bipolar members of the Bipolar Planet email list at Yahoo!groups.
Rules appear on the planet web page at http://mywebpages.comcast.net/bipolarplanet/WebART/poetryreading.html
Email *original* poetry to poetry@pendulum.org. You will receive an email receipt. Send as many poems as you like.
Don't send to the email list, the moderators, or to me personally. I don't have time to pick through them individually.
Poem must relate to the experience of bipolar disorder, whether treated or untreated. Regular list topic rules are suspended, within the TOS of my comcast account.
I will decide whether a poem is bipolar-related. I feel for you if you have other muses, but we want people to know what it is like to be bipolar!
Submission must include the following information:
- your name as you want it to appear on the WEB.
- email address as you want it to appear on the WEB.
- copyright info.
- unrestricted permission to use the material on the web page.
DEADLINE has been extended.
All poetry will be posted on the planet web page at http://mywebpages.comcast.net/bipolarplanet/WebART/poetryreading.html
When the contest is closed YOU will vote for your favorite 3 poems. Votes may be viewed on the yahoogroups BipolarPlanet page at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BipolarPlanet/polls.
Votes will be tallied about a week after voting starts.
The winner's name will be posted on the list and the top 3 indicated on the page. All poetry will remain on the page.
The winner will be required to send me a snail mail address where I can send the book. I don't keep personal addresses so don't worry about privacy. I value yours as much as I value mine.

Now the disclaimers:

If you don't get a receipt by Friday it means I didn't get your poem, send again. Remember, I work full time, so I reserve the right to "slip the schedule", but if I do I will email the list to tell everybody.
Sorry, I am not responsible for anyone's inability to log in to Yahoo! or to access the Bipolar Planet Yahoo!groups poll page. Yahoo! has lots of good help, like the Membership Wizard.
I am not responsible for any technical problems that may delay or prevent submissions. This is the Evil Internet and I am not in favor with the 'Net God.
Good luck, and thanks for enhancing the Bipolar Planet web page.

Leslie

Copyright © by The Bipolar Planet and the respective authors. All rights reserved.
Modified April 7, 2002.