Directors of the 8th annual Sue C. Boynton Poetry Contest will accept single-poem submissions from Whatcom County residents until March 31.

Winners will be invited to read their poems at a free public awards ceremony on Thursday, May 16, at the Bellingham Cruise Terminal. Winning poems will be displayed for one year in front of the downtown Bellingham Public Library and on Whatcom Transportation Authority buses.

“The contest is a way for us as a community to celebrate poetry,” said Ellie Rogers, Boynton committee co-chair, in a press release. “We receive hundreds of submissions each year from Whatcom County poets,  unpublished or professional, young and old, of myriad backgrounds and experience levels. It’s  wonderful to highlight our own local poetry through the contest and its accompanying activities.”

More information, including contest guidelines, can be found at boyntonpoetrycontest.wordpress.com.