Author: Starboard Press
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What’s in Issue #2
First Light Journal Issue #2 is out! Issue #2 is a garden of verse blooming with all the colors of reminiscence, remembrance and heartbreak. The issue opens with a nod to elusive titles, a perfect beginning to a collection of poems with some of the most striking titles we’ve seen. We amble through a mother’s…
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Spring 2026 Poetry Contest Results
We are excited to announce the results of our Spring 2026 Poetry Contest (contest #2). Contest Judge Chris Reid conducted a blind reading and picked her top there choices as well as three Honorable Mentions. Winners have been notified. Spring 2026 Poetry Contest Results Title Author First Place Losing a Loved One is Exile Abduljalal…
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Embrace the Fast-Write
Embrace the Fast-Write by Javeed Chida I first heard about fast-writes in an Intro to Creative Writing class I took at College of DuPage some years ago. Writing can often feel like an uphill task. A fast-write is primarily intended to help a writer find their footing. The typical scenario is that you want to write about…
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First Light Spring 2026 Poetry Contest (#2)
Deadline: March 9, 2026. Submissions will open in the middle of November for our Spring 2026 Poetry Contest.
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Inside FLJ Issue #1
Those words from Jennifer Dotson summed it up for me. This feels so much like what a maiden voyage must feel like – equal parts excitement and trepidation. We hope for fair weather and a strong wind in our sails, but not so strong as to become a storm that sets us off course.
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Fall 2025 Poetry Contest Results
We are excited to announce the results of our Fall 2025 Poetry Contest (contest #1). Contest Judge Oliver Khan carried out a blind reading and picked his top choices. Winners have been notified. First Light Fall 2025 Poetry Contest Title Author First Place Breath-tender Cynthia Hahn Second Place Tiffany Angel of Dawn Sylvia Cavanaugh Third…
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The Poetry of Oliver Khan
Slightly Breathless by Khalid Mukhtar Sipping on the Poetry of Oliver Khan Read on Substack
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Annual Children’s Poetry Contest
SUBMISSIONS CLOSED. Download Flyer Meet Contest Judge, Maryam Chida Maryam Chida works in the children’s department at a public library. She also serves as the Editor…
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First Light Fall 2025 Poetry Contest
SUBMISSIONS CLOSED. Deadline: August 26, 2025; Entry Fee: $5 for up to three poems, $3 for each additional poem; Cash prize for winner. Publication in First Light Fall 2025 Issue for all winners.