The Crier

Introducing the Creative Writing Challenge

Novelists, poets, dreamers… think you have what it takes to out-create the crier?

Gerald Gordinier · Spotlight · Oct 28, 2007

In the past few months, a small and dedicated team of journalists, English majors, homeless and the like, have come together to rearrange Creative Writing Saturday into a tour de force, a Mount Olympus of a challenge. Anyone ready and willing to compose an original work of poetry or fiction must step away from the Ivory Tower, as the crier will not be judging meter or rhyme, conceit or scansion, but only on how well the original work fulfills or troubles the theme of the week.

The theme for this week is: Pumpkins.

Compose an original work revolving around the subject of pumpkins.

Let us remember these Golden Rules on our journey:
1) All submissions must be original works. The Crier reserves only first-run rights of any published material. We do not accept simultaneous submissions.
2) No more than three submissions of poetry and/or fiction each week. Every piece of poetry or fiction should be a page or less in length.
3) Submit completed work by Friday, noon. E-mail completed work to crierwrite@umich.edu. Feel welcome to submit again each week.

We will publish up to three works of fiction and poetry every Saturday for all to see and rejoice. Remember: This is not a writing contest, but an awesome contest. Victory goes not to the poet, but to the daring dreamer. In the absence of submissions, a crier writer will compose an acrostic of disappointment in the stead of brilliant work.

Finally, since you cannot spell “Pumpkins” without “kin,” here an example of the work of one such dreamer… my step-sister Brittney Lanni’s epic poem, “Orange Pumpkins.”

“Orange Pumpkins”

Pick me! Pick me!
I’m as orange as can be
I’m brighter than the sunset on high
Prettier than a princess in a castle
Trying to lift me is a hassle
A green pointy stem sits on my head
For going to bed I dread
As the midnight sky haunts thee
I wish someone would put a light by me
The field lights up as the moon shines
My little orange friends are arranged in lines
I’m all alone up on a porch
I wish someone would light a torch
The orange porch lights fade
The sun came up, and the moon stayed
Its Halloween day
The sweets are in a tray
One by one my friends are chosen
Some of them may be a little frozen
Candles are lit on the steps
The farmer hopes no one will misstep
He sets up the decorations to a tee
He defiantly went on a shopping spree
The sun is setting
Children are betting
A bucket load of candy each
They are not looking for a speech
Children race for the door ‘Trick or Treat’
Some say ‘Smell my feet’
I got bumped tonight
But hey, its Halloween night!