Innocence and Experience Celebrated on National Poetry Day

Innocence and Experience Celebrated on National Poetry Day

Dunedin

Wednesday, 20 August 2014

The top three placegetters in the inaugural Dunedin Secondary Schools’ Poetry Competition will join four of the country’s most revered poets, as the Dunedin City Library opens its doors for an evening of celebration on National Poetry Day.

Dunedin Public Libraries Events Co-ordinator Kay Mercer says Master of Ceremonies Sue Wootton will welcome four award-winning writers to the event Poet Laureate Vincent O’Sullivan; Wellington author, poet and publisher Helen Rickerby; award-winning author Owen Marshall and Dunedin’s own multi-award winner Emma Neale.

Keen to ensure upcoming poets also had their voices heard, Ms Wootton launched the schools’ competition in the lead-up to National Poetry Day. The competition attracted an impressive 51 entries.

“It was wonderful to see this enthusiastic response from young writers in our community. The standard of writing overall was impressively high,” she noted as the winners were announced.

“Several poems were especially striking, and have been highly commended. The three winning poems were works that stretched things to a more demanding level, linguistically, poetically and philosophically.”

The top placegetters in the competition, Josephine Devereaux (1st), Molly Crighton (2nd) and Jacobi Kohu-Morris (3rd), will read their poems on the night. There will also be readings from some of those placed as highly commended.

National Poetry Day will be celebrated throughout New Zealand on Friday, in events large and small, by poets new and established.

Friday 22 August, 6pm
Dunningham Suite, 4th Floor, Dunedin City Library
Bookings essential: 03 474 3690 or library@dcc.govt.nz
FREE

ENDS

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