ROCKLAND — At 3:28 p.m., on Monday, April 8 of this year, a total solar eclipse will occur, with Maine in the path of totality. This will be the last total eclipse visible in North America until 2044.

What does this special event mean to you? Will you be viewing it? Have you witnessed an eclipse before? In what other ways does the concept of “eclipse” affect your life?

“Write up a poem and share it with us!” said Rockland Public Library, in a news release.

Here are the guidelines:

-Two age categories- 13 and under. 14 and Up.

-1 submission per person.

-Poems should be one page. The poem can be written, photographed, typed, etc. but no more than a one page document will be accepted.

-If you choose to include a photo or drawing, please make it a COPY, as they won’t be returned.

Submit your poems one of three ways:

                By Mail: send to Rockland Public Library, 80 Union St, Rockland, ME 04841. Write POETRY CONTEST and AGE CATEGORY on the OUTSIDE of the envelope. Incomplete entries will not be accepted.

                In Person: same as above, feel free to drop off with staff at the check-out desk. Write POETRY CONTEST and AGE CATEGORY on the OUTSIDE of the envelope. Incomplete entries will not be accepted.

                By Email: send as an attachment to rocklandlibrary207@gmail.com. Attachments can be in Word, PDF, JPEG, or PNG formats ONLY. Include POETRY CONTEST and AGE CATEGORY in the subject line.

If mailing or dropping off, two copies of the poem must be submitted, one with no identifying information and one with name, address, phone number/email on the back of the poem.

Poems will be accepted from Friday, March 1, until 5 p.m. on Monday, April 1. Poems will be judged blindly. The top 3 will be chosen in each age category. These winners will be invited to read their poem at the RPL eclipse-viewing party on Monday, April 8, at 3 p.m., weather pending.

By entering the Poetry Contest, you agree to allow the Rockland Public Library to use and/or reproduce your poem (in part or whole), credited to author, for use in promotional material, or as part of a collected work.

Contact Jessica Blanchard at the Rockland Public Library at 594-0310 or jblanchard@rocklandmaine.gov for further information.