I'm the only person in the entire world who knows the names of the winners from the Adelaide Plains Poets Inc poetry competition. The judge has chosen the poems, but doesn't know the names of the winners. I know, and I'm not telling!
I'm not here to brag about knowing something no-one else knows (well, only a bit), I'm here to beef up a bit of interest in poetry, particularly amongst students. The love for poetry waxes and wanes over the years, and I fear at the moment it may be waning.
There aren't enough teachers out there with a big enough love of poetry to help their students to learn to love poetry too. I've played a small role in fostering a love of poetry in others, with my involvement with the Adelaide Plains Poets poetry competition. I've been the President and competition of APPI since the group began in 2005.
The entries for the competition have come from all across Australia, and the numbers of entries were rising every year, until a health issue I have, slowed my efforts in 2010/2011, when very few entries were received, because people just didn't know about the competition.
This financial year my health has been better, or at least I'm dealing with it better, and we received a strong entry again for 2012. The quality of the winners is impressive, and the judge very much enjoyed judging the entries this year, as have other judges in other years.
The winners of the competition will be announced at the next Gawler Poets at the Pub on 25th of March, 2pm at the Prince Albert Hotel. The prizes for this competition are good, with a prize pool of at least $500 available for winning poets. The details of the next competition will be announced on this blog, in writers centres around Australia, and in other places where poetry is loved and spoken of.
There's a Facebook page for Gawler Poetry Readings, and there will be details there too. Go there and read all about the fun and games with Poetry in Gawler!
Details for the next annual competition will be announced here when they come out, and in the meantime, take a look around the blog, and get involved in talking about poetry! After the winners are officially announced in Gawler, they will be published here, and the judges' speech will be published here too.
The speeches from some of the earlier judges are published on this blog, search for them and you can read about what they thought. If you'd like to know more about any of this, feel free to contact me, my details are on the home page here.
Carolyn Cordon, President and competition secretary Adelaide Plains Poets Inc
4 comments:
A really interesting blog, Carolyn. You are doing an excellent job in promoting poetry and this year I will take a more active interest in whatever the topic is and have a crack myself.
I'm also involved in the Spring Poetry Festival for students and will ask whether entries are up and ask what teachers can do to foster poetry in schools
That all sounds good John. I've enjoyed the lessons I've given with students over the years. I've been in Mallala Primary and Balaklava Primary Schools, and I hope to run my Vegetable Victory program at a few more schools in my area.
Combining my two roles - Poetry group and Community Foodies worked well last year, and know that the weather's cooled down, I can work on doing it again. Getting young students to give both poetry and eating vegetables a go was lots of fun, for almost everyone. That one boy, there was no way he was going to eat a vegetable!
I was lucky at Balaklava and the teacher was completely involved in helping the kids to enjoy exploring and then writing poetry. If the teacher is having a good time teaching something, I guess most of the students will too.
Thanks John.
that's true, Carolyn; if we're enjoying it there's a good chance kids are; maybe that's why poetry is not as popular amongst kids as it could be: because not enough teachers are out there worked up about it \and enjoying it
That's true John - at Balaklava Primary, the teacher, Barb, got right into the poetry side of it all, and did some writing herself to share with the students.
There was an anthology put together with the poems the students wrote, as well as pictures of vegetables they cut out from Supermarket catalogues. I must make an effort and look at the anthology some time soon...
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