Adelaide Plains Poets competition 2020

The theme of our poetry competition this year is the obvious theme for the year 2020 - and it is Vision, 2020 vision, get it?

These are the details and the wentry form, cut and past the form, and send your entries to me, the Competition Secretary. My details are on the forms.

______________________________________________________________

ADELAIDE PLAINS POETS Inc.

POETRY COMPETITION 2020

‘VISION’

1st, 2nd & 3rd cash prizes, plus Highly Commended & Commended certificates as awarded
by judge. 

Total prize pool over $700

ENTRY GUIDELINES

Work entered in this competition must be original, in English, unpublished and not have won
a prize in any other competition. Authors retain copyright.

Theme ‘Vision’ - Poems entered must in some way refer to the theme

Open Class - poets 18 years & older

Junior sections – Primary School student (one poem only), Secondary School student
(one poem only)

To maintain anonymity, entrant’s name should appear on entry form only, not on poems. 

Entry forms are to include entrant’s name, address, phone number, titles of poems submitted.

Entries should be typed, on one side of paper only, one poem to a page

Poems to be no longer than 60 lines

Entry fees: Open class $10 for first poem, $5 for every poem entered thereafter

Junior classes - no entry fee, only one poem per student

Cheques/money orders to be made payable to Adelaide Plains Poets Inc

Or electronically using these details: BSB 105-009 Acc 105 954 340 

(please give poet’s name with electronic payment)

Entries to: Competition Secretary, 1594 Germantown Rd REDBANKS SA 5502

Entries to be received by close of business 26 June 2020 – entries received after this date may
not be considered for the competition.

Authors should retain a copy of their work

For further details contact: Competition secretary, 

Carolyn Cordon 

phone: 0418 806 490:
Email: kittycordo@gmail.com 

*******************************************************************

ADELAIDE PLAINS POETS Inc. 

POETRY COMPETITION 2020

‘VISION’

ENTRY FORM

Name……………………………………………………………..…..……………………

Phone…………………………………

Address…………………………………………….………………………………………………

……………………..………………….…………....…………..………………….…..

Email……………………………..…………………….....................

Title of poem/s - ……………………………………………………..…………..….…………
….……………………………………………………………………………………..………………

 (use back of page for additional entries) 

Entrants’ names or other details must not appear on poems

Declaration by author: I agree to comply with the Entry Guidelines and declare that the written
work submitted in my name is my own original work and has not been copied in part, or in full,
from any other source.

Author’s signature…………………………………………………………..date………………………

Date of birth (if entering a junior section) ……………………………….………………………… 

Secondary School or Primary School - Circle to indicate which section, for Junior sections

Name of school (if entering junior section) ………………………….…………………..…………..    

Entry fees: Open class $10 for first poem, $5 for every poem entered thereafter 

(OPEN CLASS ONLY – NO FEE FOR JUNIOR ENTRIES)

CLOSING DATE FOR ENTRIES – 26 June 2020

Cheques/money orders to be made payable to Adelaide Plains Poets Inc, and sent with entries
to Competition Secretary, 1594 Germantown Rd REDBANKS SA 5502

Or pay electronically using these details: BSB 105-009 Acc 105 954 340

Authors should retain a copy of their work, entries will not be returned

'Location' Judge's Report

ADELAIDE  PLAINS POETRY  COMPETITION 2019

JUDGE’S  REPORT

In my consideration of the 111 entries received I looked particularly for beauty of expression, use of
imagery and metaphors as well as demonstration of emotional attachment to a particular location.

For first place I chose the poem, In the Shadows, which makes good use of metaphor and expresses a
clearing of thoughts as a result being in a specific location.

I awarded second place to ARRIVING IN PORT PIRIE, an evocative expression of memories tied to a
particular place, which were a reminder of other significant locations, a process which many readers
may identify with.

For third place I chose Birdsville Tracking, which demonstrated beauty of expression, compact form and
very good use of metaphor to bring out the features of this particular location.

Highly Commended: 

I chose Barren Lands for its use of arid lands as a metaphor for feelings of desolation and for its economy
of expression.

Commended: 

Salamanca.   This poem evokes memories tied to a particular place, illustrated with excellent imagery.

Somewhere in Tasmania.   A well realised poem recalling a significant time and place.

Confined.  I liked the shape of this poem and the use of metaphor.

Minnamurra Falls. Of all the rhyming poems, this one was a delight to read.

Dispossessed. An emotive description of a harrowing time.

The Bush, Shelley Beach.  A well rhymed story of childhood days.

In conclusion, I read many poems which expressed heartfelt feelings, some better expressed than others.
I commend all the entrants for having a go and encourage each one to continue to develop their writing
skills which will contribute a great deal to our understanding of life today.

Adelaide Plains Poets Poetry Competition 2019 Location

Here are the entry form and guidelines for the 2019 poetry competion, on the theme of Location:

********************************************************************

ADELAIDE PLAINS POETS Inc.

POETRY COMPETITION 2019

‘LOCATION’

1st, 2nd & 3rd cash prizes, plus Highly Commended & Commended certificates as awarded
by judge.
Total prize pool over $700

ENTRY GUIDELINES

Work entered in this competition must be original, in English, unpublished and not have
won a prize in any other competition. Authors retain copyright.

Theme ‘Location’ - Poems entered must in some way refer to the theme

Open Class - poets 18 years & older

Junior sections – Primary School student (one poem only), Secondary School student
(one poem only)

To maintain anonymity, entrant’s name should appear on entry form only, not on poems.
Entry forms are to include entrant’s name, address, phone number, titles of poems submitted.

Entries should be typed, on one side of paper only, one poem to a page

Poems to be no longer than 60 lines

Entry fees: Open class $10 for first poem, $5 for every poem entered thereafter

Junior classes - no entry fee, only one poem per student

Cheques/money orders to be made payable to Adelaide Plains Poets Inc

Or electronically using these details: BSB 105-009 Acc 105 954 340 (please give poet’s name
with electronic payment)

Entries to: Competition Secretary, 1594 Germantown Rd REDBANKS SA 5502

Entries to be received by close of business  5 July 2019 – entries received after this date
may not be considered for the competition.

Authors should retain a copy of their work

For further details contact: Competition secretary, Ms C Cordon

at 0418 806 490, kittycordo@gmail.com

or

http://carolyn-poeticpause.blogspot.com.au/

*******************************************************************

ADELAIDE PLAINS POETS Inc. POETRY COMPETITION 2018

‘LOCATION’

ENTRY FORM

Name……………………………………………………………..…..……………………Phone…………………………………

Address……………………………………………..………………….………………………………………………………………

……………………..………………….…………………………………………………………………………..………………….…..

Email……………………………..……………………..

Title of poem/s - ……………………………………………………..…………..………………….……………………………

……………………………………………………..…………..………………….………………………………………………………

……………………………………………………..…………..………………….………………………………………………………

(use back of page for additional entries)

Entrants’ names or other details must not appear on poems

Declaration by author: I agree to comply with the Entry Guidelines and declare that the
written work submitted in my name is my own original work and has not been copied in part,
or in full, from any other source.

Author’s signature…………………………………………………………..date…………………………..……..………...

Date of birth (if entering a junior section) ……………………………….…………………………

Secondary School or Primary School - Circle to indicate which section, for Junior sections

Name of school (if entering junior section) ……………………………………..………….……………………..    

Entry fees: Open class $10 for first poem, $5 for every poem entered thereafter

(OPEN CLASS ONLY – NO FEE FOR JUNIOR ENTRIES)

CLOSING DATE FOR ENTRIES – 5 July 2019

Cheques/money orders to be made payable to Adelaide Plains Poets Inc, and sent with entries
to Competition Secretary, 1594 Germantown Rd REDBANKS SA 5502

Or electronically using these details: BSB 105-009 Acc 105 954 340

Authors should retain a copy of their work, entries will not be returned without provision
of a stamped self-addressed envelope, and a written request.

Adelaide Plains Poets Next Poetry Competition

Well, 2018 is almost finished, just a week or so of shopping, then Christmas, then New Years Eve, and then Bang! it's 2019. The theme for the 2018 poetry competition was a big one, "Truth". We received a wide range of responses to this theme, and the Judge chose from that wide range, with many differing versions of Truth in his poems to hunt for winners through.

The theme for the competition this year is going to be another big one, and the competition secretary is looking forward to reading a wide variety of responses to our theme again. One of the highlights for the competition secretary, when bringing in the mail, once the entry forms and guidelines are sent out all around Australia, is to read the new entries as they arrive!

So enough about the past, now onto the present and then future. The theme for the Adelaide Plains Poets Poetry Competition for 2019 is "Location"! So you can write about your favourite state, country, or simply your favourite place to sit and think! If I could enter this competition, (I can't, because I am the competition secretary), I would perhaps write a poem about where I live, my property, or the closest town, or perhaps the closest big town, where I often go because my writing group meetings are held there.

Do you have a favourite location? A skiing spot perhaps, or favourite and best place to fish? Think about it, put on your poetry hat, and get writing about the theme of Location! After the New Year, the entry form and guidelines will be posted to this blog, and you can get serious about what poem/s you might send to this competition.

Entries are not being accepted yet, so don't send in anything. Any entries received before the end of the year will not be allowed, they will be sent back to you unopened.

Anyway, think about location. Maybe about your cat's favourite place to be, or how your dog gets excited when it realises where you are taking it in the car ... Or do you have an interesting Real Estate experience on the theme of location, location, location? Whatever it is, looking forward to reading it next year!

Adelaide Plains Poets 'Truth' Poetry Competition

Adelaide Plains Poets Poetry Competition – Judge’s Report 2018

The winners of this competition were announced during the Adelaide Plains Festival of Words, as the penultimate event of the Festival.The Competition Judge, Alex Robertson, read his report (below). Some of the winning Open Section poets were present and their winning entries were read.

'This year there were nearly 90 entries in the open section and smaller (under 20 each) for the secondary and primary sections. There were a range of formats dealing with the topic with varying degrees of success presenting the theme of Truth.

We had the entry from young and old providing perspectives from aged and some naive experiences… There were perspectives from family violence, prison terms, political and current affairs viewpoints as well as traditional ballad formats. Interestingly, whilst politics featured in a couple of poems, the topic of relationships (family violence, unequal associations and love interests) were high on the agenda with many poems in the open section dealing with those concerns. The entries that piqued the interest of the judge were those that had a tale to tell, were true to form given the format of the sub-genre of poetry, and left a resounding impression after the piece was read. 

For the winners, whilst unique stories to tell featured highly, there was not a discrimination on rhyming verse or older formats.  All of the place getters and highly commended had tried and true devices, imagery and/or other features which set them apart from other entries. Those who didn’t “make the cut” were perhaps a little vague in their description, not being precise enough in their ability to label their content effectively. Sticking to the theme was also a tricky matter, with some entries not showing enough of a direct relationship to tackle the theme of truth in their work. A minor situation for some authors didn’t suitably break up their content into different stanzas.

The primary section had a clear winner, with content talking about a leader, a highly descriptive piece, revealing the identity in the final lines.  Second place recipient spoke of a lion’s truthfulness, using imagery to personify this big cat’s traits. Third place drew on personal experience, looking upon reflection – a moment of indecision and black thoughts as opposed to the brightness and colour of a normal personality. 

The secondary section drew a complexity of emotions. The first-place getter looked at friendship as an issue where in today’s society it is difficult to do. The second place looked at a brief but effective poem, considering a proposal. The third winning entry considered emotion as a battleground in the theme of war.

The Open section had one outstanding piece that showed the bleak but necessary topic of understanding family violence. This was a deep understanding on a very complex issue. Second place somewhat shared the domestic theme of first place but put it into the view of first person, considering the issue of stolen children from a child’s perspective. The winner of third place had a jovial tale of whether a grandfather told the truth in a tale of rhyming verse, allowing reflection at the end of the poem.

All in all, there were tales and truths to be told, many effectively done on a range of topics. It is pleasing to see that the standard set was very high, especially in the open section. The theme was a worthy one, allowing personal experience and imagination to flow and give the judge much to think about in a Twenty-first Century setting. 

Congratulations to all who entered and for those who didn’t place, there is always next year.'

Winning Poem Open Section Adelaide Plains Poets 'Truth'

Pulling Strings by Cathy Hinder

His circular conversations, a word salad ensemble,
a deliberately designed instrument of concussion to
an abused, bruised mind, as it slowly implodes,
diminishing the ability to focus, or foster self-worth.

Manipulated and controlled,
independent thinking insidiously erased by
covertly pulling strings,
spinning an alternate distorted version of reality.

Unfathomable, akin to psychological pain on steroids.
Cunning lies, shaming, blaming,
intuition rendered redundant,
his twisted truth eroding her fragile core.

Tip-toeing through hair triggered landmines,
aware, always anticipating
the next round, the inevitable explosion
of toxic words, warfare and inexplicable terror.

The last shreds of sanity collapse
as another shattered woman
slips silently into statistical oblivion ...
collateral damage from a private war at home.

Sensational news headlines, broadcasting crimes of passion.
Commercial interests embellish, sexualize and distort facts.
An audience of self-appointed judges and jurors, aghast,
“Why didn’t she just leave”?

Those asking that brutal question
uninformed, uneducated, unwilling to accept the truth,
seek to blame the victim,
“It must be her fault”.

The defendant smirks, entitled, triumphant,
deflects responsibility, holds no accountability,
a player winning a game ...
leaving no whisper of forensic evidence.

The truth, adjourned in an empty Courtroom,
awaits verdict, seeking justice while
details are dissected amongst the chosen few
on a deadly yet invisible crime, not one of them previously knew

Winners Will Be Announced

The judge has made his decision, and the winners of the Adelaide Plains Poets poetry competition will be announced on 29 July, so that's next Sunday. I know who the winners are now, and am looking forward to the big day!

This will be a part of the final day of the Adelaide Plains Festival of Words, where there will be lunch at the P/A Hotel, then the announcement of the winners, then te reading of the winning entries and then the usual Gawler Poets at the Pub event, where poets from all over can come along, put their name down in the book, pay their gold coin donation and then they'll have up to three minutes to read their creative words!

I love poetry, creative writing, I love being with my friends and I love this hotel where the friendship is warm and the coffee wonderful! I'm told the cold drinks available are pretty good too. Lunch there is worth checking out as well, fine food indeed!

'Truth' Poetry Competition entries have closed

So the entry date is passed now, and the competition secretary is waiting for a few more entries to roll in with the post. On Thursday the judge will receive the entries that have come in so far. Numbers in the Open section were lower than the last competition, but the entries on the two student sections were higher.

The theme of 'Truth' was a broad one again, and poets have taken some very different angles on the theme. It will be interesting what the judge ultimately awards as the winners, but there will be a special prize if entries deemed as important by the competition don't attact similar recognition from the judge.

Such are the benefits for being both the competition secretary and the president. Some themes will always attract different thoughts, depending on gender and lived experience. There may be a collection published if sufficient entries are likely to fit into a particular theme. Talks have begun on this issue, and will continue once the judging and awards are done.

Speaking of the awards 'being done', the winners will be announced on the final day of the Adelaide Plains Festival of Words, just before the running of the Gawler Poets at the Pub. The competition secretary will contact all of the award winners, once they are known, so they can come along to collect their certificate and/or cheque.

The Adelaide Plains Festival of Words event will be at the P/A hotel in Gawler on 29th of July, 1.30pm. Whether you're a winner or not, you will be able to hear the winning poems read on the day, by the winner, if they are available, or by another poet if not. It should be a fun afternoon!

Details for Poetry Competition Available Here!

Yes, the next poetry competition details are now available and available right here! The theme for this competition is "TRUTH", and the competition secretary and the Judge are keen to see what the entrants are going to do with the theme, interesting things indeed, going by previous competitions, that's for sure!

ADELAIDE PLAINS POETS Inc. POETRY COMPETITION 2018 
‘TRUTH’ 

1st, 2nd & 3rd cash prizes, plus Highly Commended & Commended certificates as awarded by judge. Total prize pool over $700 
ENTRY GUIDELINES 
Work entered in this competition must be original, in English, unpublished and not have won a prize in any other competition. Authors retain copyright. 
Theme ‘Truth’ - Poems entered must in some way refer to the theme 
Open Class - poets 18 years & older 
Junior sections – Primary School student (one poem only), Secondary School student (one poem only) 
To maintain anonymity, entrant’s name should appear on entry form only, not on poems. Entry forms are to include entrant’s name, address, phone number, titles of poems submitted. 
Entries should be typed, on one side of paper only, one poem to a page 
Poems to be no longer than 60 lines 
Entry fees: Open class $10 for first poem, $5 for every poem entered thereafter 
            Junior classes - no entry fee, only one poem per student 
Cheques/money orders to be made payable to Adelaide Plains Poets Inc Or electronically using these details: BSB 105-009 Acc 105 954 340 (please give poet’s name with electronic payment) 

Entries to: Competition Secretary, 1594 Germantown Rd REDBANKS SA 5502 
Entries to be received by close of business 6 July 2018 – entries received after this date may not be considered for the competition. 
Authors should retain a copy of their work 

For further details contact: Competition secretary, Ms C Cordon  at 0418 806 490, kittycordo@gmail.com  or  http://carolyn-poeticpause.blogspot.com.au/ ******************************************************************* 
ADELAIDE PLAINS POETS Inc. POETRY COMPETITION 2018 
‘TRUTH’ 

ENTRY FORM 
Name……………………………………………………………..…..……………………Phone………………………………… 
Address……………………………………………..………………….……………………………………………………………… 
……………………..………………….…………………………………………………………………………..………………….….. 
Email……………………………..…………………….. 

Title of poem/s - ……………………………………………………..…………..………………….……………………………………………………… 
……………………………………………………..…………..………………….……………………………………………………… 
……………………………………………………..…………..………………….……………………………………………………… 
 (use back of page for additional entries)  
Entrants’ names or other details must not appear on poems 
Declaration by author: I agree to comply with the Entry Guidelines and declare that the written work submitted in my name is my own original work and has not been copied in part, or in full, from any other source. 
Author’s signature…………………………………………………………..date…………………………..……..………... 
Date of birth (if entering a junior section) ……………………………….…………………………  
Secondary School or Primary School - which?  (circle one if appropriate) 
Name of school (if entering junior section) ……………………………………..………….……………………..     
Entry fees: Open class $10 for first poem, $5 for every poem entered thereafter  
(OPEN CLASS ONLY – NO FEE FOR JUNIOR ENTRIES) 
CLOSING DATE FOR ENTRIES – 6 July 2018 
Cheques/money orders to be made payable to Adelaide Plains Poets Inc, and sent with entries to Competition Secretary, 1594 Germantown Rd REDBANKS SA 5502 Or electronically using these details: BSB 105-009 Acc 105 954 340 


Authors should retain a copy of their work, entries will not be returned without provision of a stamped self-addressed envelope, and a written request. 

Competition is judged, life moves on

So the Adelaide Plain's 'Freedom' poetry competition has been judged, awards handed over, or in the post, and now the next thing is approaching fast. The annual poetry brings out wonderful poetry, competing to be the best of the best, all around Australia.

And my, was the best certainly the best. If you read the Judge's Report, you can see that Jude Aquilina was definitely of the opinion that these poetry entries were quality poems. As the competition secretary, I agree. I felt the overall quality of the entries was outstanding, and many poems could have been the winners.

Entering competitions though, means that you may not win ... And of course on another day, or under another judge, another poet may have won. I would not have liked to have to try to choose between poems for this event, there was only very little between the entries. I did enjoy reading all of the poems sent to me, in my position of Competition Secretary - all of those wonderful poems sent to me in the mail, and I didn't have to pay a thing for the privilege!

I thank all of the poets who sent work in, and congratulate the winners. I also thank the teachers who helped and encouraged their students to enter this competition, and all of the other things they do to encourage the writing of poetry. Poetry and the writing and reading of it can open the young mind to many different things, and with the thinking on different things, comes knowledge and understanding.

Helping young people in this way is surely a wonderful thing for the students initially and for the entire country. Having young people growing up and moving into the workforce, when they are open to many different ideas and options, surely that bodes well for us all!

My New Poetry Collection

Today the postie brought me some lovely mail. One of the pieces was an event invitation, the other was a book. The event isn't relevant to poetry at all, but the book sure is. The book was my first copy of my newest book - a poetry collection, published by Ginninderra Press, a fine South Australian publisher, which many of my b=clever writer friends have been published by.

I've wanted to become a Ginninderra writer, and now I finally am one, hooray to me! My book is "Tense & Still", and is a book of my poetic thoughts about the creatures in my life, from the dogs I love, to cats, rabbits, lambs, foxes, insects, lizards, and a variety of less lovely critters. I don't hesitate to look at the darker side of living, and that is the sometimes bloody end, when creatures may die, as we all will, in the end.

I don't hide from death, and I'd like to think this book may be a way to help older children to think about both life and death. I would love to take this book into classrooms, and discuss these matters at some stage ...

Life and death, are both real, and there is no way to hide from either one.

Playing games with Haiku

Today I was thinking about a new form of Haiku. Or it may not actually be a 'new'; form at all, I don't know. I'm prepared to hear what others think about my ideas concerning Haiku in Australia. I will call this form AussieKu or perhaps Ausku.

This form is about the idea of writing haiku which are Australian. Australia is a great big country, and many of the things about Australia are unique to our land. The wide open lands, where a kangaroo hopping past with her baby or babies in her pouch can certainly be there in the paddocks, by the roads, in the bushland ...

So this line of thinking jumped into my mind this morning when three crows flew overhead, calling as they went,  and then began circling overhead, above a paddock not far from my house. I thought about sheep in the paddocks, and the new lambs I've been seeing in these past few weeks, and a small poem was suddenly in my head.

This is an edited version of the initial poem:

The crows overhead
cawing, then circling over lambing ewes ...
Faaaaak, faaaark!

I've lived in the country long enough now, to imagine the mayhem that might occur, if one of the ewes were to get into trouble as they bring their new lambs into the world. Childbirth can be a worrying time, whether you're human or an animal. My heart aches for the bloodied babe that becomes a victim of Nature at its further bloodiest times.

I may not be a farmer, and for that I am often thankful, but I am a caring person, and I have been a small animal breeder in my past. Every new creature is a blessing, and every life is to be helped as much as possible. Farming is all a gamble though, and Mother Nature doesn't care either way, I don't think. Lamb or crow, it means everything, and it means nothing to Mother Nature ...

So what do you think? Do you have thoughts about any of this? I'd love to read about your thoughts ...

Poetry is Many Things

Hi, I've been thinking about poetry, and enjoying the way my thoughts have been going. Poetry is indeed many things, and I wrote the following on a friend's Facebook page recently, in response to " Writers Write"

"Poe-try"

By posting that, what was I trying to put across? My initial thoughts were just to play with the word/words. That's certainly one of the ways at looking at it. But poetry is many things, and playing can lead to doing, and can lead further to presenting in a variety of different ways.

I've been thinking about identity lately, in response I suppose to the Gawler Friends of the Library poetry competition with Identity as its theme. Who am I? What do I do? How do want others to think about me? How do I want to think of myself?

Last week, thoughts like these led me to thinking about, and then writing a 'Rap-style" poem. The poem felt so good to write, that I felt I had to share it with others, so that's what I did on Monday. I'm the "Writer-in-Residence" at Poetic Justice Cafe Gallery three times a week, and Mondy is one of my days there.

I printed out my Rap, on card rather than paper, and in a larger than usual font, so I could more easily read my words, and keep them handy as needed. I read that poem at least five times on Monday, and apparently, every time I read it, I got more into the "Rapper" mode.

So who am I? Wife, mother, writer, dog lover

- yeah sure, I'm all of that. But I'm a Rapper now too, and I'm sharing my word with all of my Sistas, fighting to get the word out about who they are, what they want, all of those things - we all have lives and stories to tell, and don't get in our way, dude, 'cos we are on our way to GOOD things!

Haiku, rap, villanelle, ballads, these are all poetry, give them a TRY and you may be thrilled with the results.

Adelaide Plains Poets "Transitions" Poetry Competition 2016 Judge's Report Judge: SB Wright

'Transitions' Adelaide Plains Poets 2016 Poetry competition Judge's Report

Adelaide Plains Poetry Inc

"Transitions" Competition

Judges Report

Judge: SB Wright

Rankings

Open Division

1st place:         Fade Out (poem 57) Damen O'Brien 

2nd place:       raptor (poem 104) Glen R Jones

3rd place:        Change of Heart (poem 96) Rees Campbell

Commendations:

Schoolies (poem 79) Melinda Kallasmae, Bigger on the Inside (poem 98) Jenny Blackford, Wood turning (poem 78) Melinda Kallasmae

Secondary School Division

1st place:        Timeless Despair (poem 2) Alexandria Walker

2nd place:       Under an Army of Clouds (poem 1) Valini Goorha

Primary School Division

1st place:         Pinery (poem 3) Sarah Pettina

2nd place:       Once (poem 2) Ashleigh Dowling

General Comments:

Open division:

The poems submitted this year displayed a wealth of variety and inventiveness, covered subject matter from the comical to the tragically personal.  It was a privilege to read a number of fine poems and personal narratives.  The theme of Transitions was approached directly and indirectly with life changes featuring prominently.  The place winners and highly commended poems excelled not just in their tackling of the theme but in those elements of poetry they chose to promote.

Secondary School Division:

While not as highly subscribed as the open category all entrants were courageous in their attempts to tackle heavy subject matter.  There was plenty evidence here of students using the emotional power of poetry.

Primary School Division:

There was great variety in the poetry, as to be expected considering the different age groups and levels of development.  The place getters though were hard to differentiate, displaying skill and judgement that could have seen them compete in the Secondary School Division.

Commentary on winners:

Open Division:

The Fade Out :

From the outset it’s the music of this poem that begins to seduce you.  There’s a definite iambic rhythm, with enough variation in feet and line length for it to form a strong under current rather than a steady trot. 

This is further complemented by repetition and reversal of phrases (especially in the first stanza and the end of the fourth and beginning of the fifth) and subtle and sparingly placed internal rhyme.  The effect is one of subtle echo or melody which I find aligns exceptionally well with the content.

The rhetoric, the logical structure and unfolding of the poem is again a well articulated use of the theme.  There were other poems that were far more subtle in their construction around the theme of “Transition” and there were others that were more blatant. 

What the poet achieved here was a good balance, using Transition in both the literal and metaphoric sense. Surrounding the keyword with other film terminology that supports the extended metaphor made it settle into the poem far better than if it had focussed entirely on Transition.

The imagery was an enticing mix of staple images of natural transitions or nature transitions and the aligning of film terminology with our internal psychology of self was engaging both on an intellectual and emotional level.

Secondary School Division

Timeless Despair:

In judging the secondary school division the hardest part was judging excited young poets who were throwing all their learning and talent at the piece. Timeless Despair emerged as clear winner for much the same reasons that the winner in the Open section did. 

The poem presented, was a well rounded piece using a number of poetic elements.  Other poems in this division sported more complicated diction and more formal registers, but fell down in presenting a clear narrative or logical unfolding of the poem’s ideas .  This poem has a simpler diction and a more common register and this aligns with a straightforward narrative.  The end rhymes don’t feel forced or too cliched - indeed the poet displays as good a handle on rhyme as some of those in the open division.

.

Primary School Division:

Pinery:

Not a great deal separates 1st and 2nd place in the primary division.  Pinery, though displayed a clearer sense of the theme, managed seven end rhyming couplets  and gave this reader a rounded and complete movement of both idea and poem.  But above all there was a sense of it being firmly bedded in lived experience, beautifully articulated.