Blinking Eye Publishing was launched to correct an imbalance in the competitive world of poetry. Young poets are offered many opportunities in the area of funding and in the field of publishing, a fact we wholeheartedly endorse for the future of British poetry. However, over the age of fifty, the offers become sparse, and even established poets have difficulty finding a source to publish their collections.

The established older poets who are published, and older poets who have not been published have one common denominator - they continue writing. Their work covers a vast range of subjects through the simple fact of their experiences of life.

Blinking Eye Publishing offers all people over the age of fifty the opportunity to compete against their peers with the launch of its first poetry competition for unknown and established poets over the age of fifty. Blinking Eye will publish two books each year: the collection of the overall winner and an anthology of commended poems. Rules and entry forms can be printed from the website at http//www.blinking-eye.co.uk(www.blinking-eye.co.uk).

Blinking Eye was set up by Jeanne Macdonald. Although a fledging publisher, she is an experienced poet who has studied writing poetry at Newcastle University for several years, and currently attends 'Writing from the Inside Out', tutored by Gillian Allnutt. She completed her MA in Writing Poetry at the same University in 2003.