“CHAPBOOK” comes from the words “chapman” and “book”. We all know what a book is. What’s a chapman?
A chapman may come to us as a family name, Chapman. Which has its origin in the trade of these families or people who are merchants. Think of sellers, barterers, people who trade cheap items, or selling such items cheaper than others. “Cheap man” to ‘chapman’ is not such a big leap.
Now, think of a chapbook as a cheap book. At most, it is 40 pages long because it would be more expensive if it has more pages. Also, 40 pages can have a simple staple or saddle stitch binding. Anything thicker needs more sophisticated binding; and might even need glue, which I suppose was expensive in the past centuries.
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The 2021 Peter’s Prize for Covid Literature Chapbook has this in mind: 24 to 36 pages of manuscript containing writings about, or related to, Covid-19 pandemic in English, Filipino, Hiligaynon, OR ANY COMBINATION of these languages.
The writings can come in the form of poems, stories, essays, letters, prayers, songs, short plays, maybe even a novella (if it can be contained in 36 pages), OR ANY COMBINATION of these literary forms.
Ideally, you should aspire to come up with a manuscript of 30-36 pages. Why? So it would be easier to publish it as a complete chapbook. If it is a thin 24 pages, it wouldn’t have the physical magnificence, and respect, that a 36-page chapbook commands.
But, but, but. Just in case your every word is worth its weight in gold, 24 pages would also be okay. Quality and showmanship being equal, a collection of 15 poems can easily compete with a collection of two short stories.
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So, what are the possibilities of your chapbook entry?
Page 1 – Cover page. A good title for the chapbook grabs attention. Give this a lot of thought. How many words should be in the title of your book? (Do not think chapbook or cheap book here; think book for the library!) Should you have a subtitle? Decide! If you have something else to say, like a tagline, see if it helps. The cover page could be simple, or complex — you decide!
Page 2 – You can leave this blank for the copyright page information (which you can add later, outside of the contest). Treat it as if the chapbook is going to be published as a book! Or, you can write a dedication here. A clever or well-phrased dedication sometimes adds to the character or personality of the book.
Page 3 – Start your literary collection here. No need for Table of Contents, or section separators/ dividers. Just the title of the first piece, followed by its text. And just flow, taking it from there.
The decision whether to start the succeeding piece on a new page is yours. Often, one poem per page works. Or, three haiku (or tanka, or diona, or tanaga) on a page also works.
If you are dealing with stories, essays, letters, or anything prose (and if you really need the space), it should really be at least half a page long on one page before it jumps to another page. But that’s just an aesthetic (and layout artist’s) point of view.
On the last page (whether it is page 24, or 36, or anything in between), you may introduce yourself, or write a biographical note that you would want to see if the chapbook is going to be published. (No, we are not asking for your photo at this time. We will probably request that if you win.) This last page will be “for my eyes only” (or for whoever is managing the entries). We will retain your info on our file and records; but they will be removed from the files to be sent to the judges. Always, as it has been in the last eight years, the Peter’s Prize competitive writing categories are “blind judged,” or whatever you call that judging where the judges do not know whose works they are reading.
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Here are SOME POSSIBILITIES, but you can do your own mix and match, too:
A book of 22-32 poems.
A book of 3 short stories.
A book of 15-24 flash fiction.
A book of 3 short (or 10-minute) plays.
A book of 4-6 essays of various lengths.
A letter or essay, 15 poems, and 5 flash fiction.
Seven poems in English, seven poems in Filipino, seven poems in Hiligaynon.
Poems in English, stories in Hiligaynon.
One short story in Hiligaynon, 15 tula in Filipino, a letter and an essay in English.
There is NO PRESCRIBED COMBO. It can be as chop suey as you want it. Honestly, I have no idea what the winning chapbook would look like. I guess we will recognize greatness when we see it.
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The main thing is to move the judges. Grab them and affect them like they’ve never been kissed (by your words) before.
It is also important that when you arrange your work in a sequence, you must put them together in such a way or order that the reader will not lose interest before they read the last page. If you are doing your work right, your chapbook can be read from cover to cover on a lazy Saturday morning with coffee, or a Sunday afternoon tea.
My tip for contests of this sort: Start strong; maintain the reader’s interest — keep them turning the pages; and finish memorably.
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As for subject, you are at liberty to write what you want for as long as it is touching the topic of the COVID-19 pandemic. It can be a bull’s eye kind of touch, or it can just be tangential. Again, here are topic possibilities, not limitations:
Your personal, or family, experience of being COVID positive. * How you survived the pandemic. * Displacement, being stranded, quarantines.
Love, sex, and dating in the time of the pandemic. * Netizens creativity, or stupidity, during the pandemic.
What you did, what you learned, during the pandemic. * Who you lost, who you found, during the pandemic. * What you lost, what you found, during the pandemic.
The Philippines, or your town or city, during the pandemic. * Disturbing news, and realities, during the pandemic. * Poverty and the pandemic.
Your anxiety and depression, your mental health, your physical well-being during the lockdowns. * Your hopes for the new and better normal.
Your conversations with God about this pandemic. * Art, literature, politics, culture, religion, fashion, and shopping in the time of the pandemic. * The human spirit amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.
You are the writer. You are creative. Go for it!
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To be observed strictly: Email submissions only (preferably in Word, or other text formats, but no PDF please) to 500tinaga@gmail.com—
But only on February 10-14, 2021. Entries received before Feb. 10, and after Feb. 14, will automatically be disqualified. Good luck!/PN
