Matt Rasmussen: Poet on the Rise

I just discovered the poet Matt Rasmussen. I'm a little late to this party, as he just was recently discovered by the Academy of American Poets who awarded him the Walt Whitman Award for 2012. Poets.org has also discovered him already (be sure to follow their links to five astounding poems), Gulf Coast has already discovered him. You may have already discovered him, but if not, waste no time and do it now.

Deadlines

The Walt Whitman Award (first book publication prize from the Academy of American Poets) deadline has been extended to December 1. I don't have a manuscript ready, so I haven't been paying attention to deadlines and don't know when the original one was. But whenever I hear news of a deadline extension, I think it might possibly be an opportunity. My reasoning is that the deadline might have been extended due to a lower-than-hoped-for number of submissions, leading perhaps to a better chance of rising to the top.

Is that the conclusion everybody else jumps to when they hear of a deadline extension? Or is it just me? Maybe it's just a marketing ploy to get more manuscripts and collect more entry fees. Maybe I'm just super naive (okay, not maybe, but once again...)

I wish I did have a manuscript ready, since I would LOVE to think there was a chance that judge Jane Hirshfield would see my work (although I'm no longer eligible for first-book contests, so never mind).

And what kind of word is deadline anyway? We're under enough stress due to actual deadlines; you think we'd name it something more....forgiving? Less daunting? Or maybe it's good to just express our stress in our vocab.