Charlottesville Area Transit (CAT) and Bus Lines are encouraging area writers to think about the idea of beginnings with  Bus Lines poetry contest. Authors and poets are invited to submit original works with a theme of “New Beginnings.”

All entries must be received by 5:00 pm on November 30, 2012.

Authors can submit up to three poems for consideration, and there is no cost to participate. Bus Lines will accept flash fiction works of 100 words or less as contest submissions. Any combination of three poems or flash fiction works may be entered. Participants are encouraged to share their personal stories and feelings, or any other creative interpretation of the theme “New Beginnings.”

Complete contest rules and an application form are available at www.charlottesville.org/buslines.  Winning poems will be installed inside CAT buses, and winners will have the opportunity to share their work at a poetry reading.

In collaboration with CAT, Bus Lines engages area poets from schools and the community through a unique opportunity to display their work publicly. Since 2009, Bus Lines has installed over 700 poster cards on City buses, and featured hundreds of original poems by over 200 local poets. Regularly-held readings help to celebrate the poets and their work. Through a special partnership with Special Collections at the University of Virginia Library, all winning Bus Lines poems are deposited into UVA’s permanent collections.

For more information about Bus Lines, contact Bus Lines liaison Susan Berres at 434.971.8863 or BusLines@gmail.com.