Tomorrow, at different times in the afternoon depending on what time zone in the Northern Hemisphere you inhabit, the sun will cross directly over the Earth’s equator. Here in the Northern Hemisphere, this event marks (as the calendar flies) the beginning of spring–the vernal equinox. In the Southern Hemisphere, it’s known as the autumnal equinox. You can find out more than you probably want to know about the equinox here.
To mark spring’s much-needed arrival, WIZ is launching a celebration that will include the Spring Poetry Runoff–this year a poetry contest–and other festive posts and activities, such as a haiku chain, music, and guest posts.
There’s still plenty of time to enter the Spring Poetry Runoff Contest. Entries will be accepted until March 31, and each poet may submit up to three poems. All poems should have at their heart thoughts of spring, or they should at least mention spring among other musings about the human/nature story. The winner will receive as a prize his or her choice of Lance Larson’s Backyard Alchemy or Scott Hatch’s Mapping the Bones of the Word. The winner will be determined by Readers’ Choice by means of a poll that will go up after all entries have been posted. Late breaking news: We at WIZ have decided to add a second prize–the Admin Award, for the poem we like best. The winner of the Admin Award will receive the same prize as the Readers’ Choice award winner–his or her choice of the aforementioned books of verse. If the winner of the Admin Award and the Reader’s Choice Award happen to be the same person, he or she will receive both Backyard Alchemy and Mapping the Bones of the World.
So hang around WIZ for the next few weeks and participate in our spring romp. We need spring. Spring needs us. Get into the flow of things.
Let’s launch!
Wilderness Interface Zone 
One thought on “WIZ’s Spring Poetry Runoff has begun!”