New Zealand Poetry Society Te Hunga Tito Ruri o Aotearoa
Congratulations
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Joanna Preston has won the prestigious Mary Gilmore Award for best first book of poetry for her title The Summer King, which was reviewed in a fine line in November 2009. You can read the review at: http://www.poetrysociety.org.nz/summerking
Fantastic news!
Charlotte Trevella had a poem singled out for "special praise and recognition" in the youth section of this year's UK Poems on the Underground competition. The theme was science, to celebrate 350 years of the Royal Society, and Charlotte's poem, ‘Genetics 2', can be read at: http://www.poetrysociety.org.uk/content/competitions/potu2010/#Trevella
Jenny Powell was short listed for the 2009 UK Plough Poetry Prize Competition. There were 1026 entries.
Nicola Eastwood has a poem in the forthcoming The Great American Poetry Show 2 - http://greatamericanpoetryshow.com/ - and another in Mark Pirie's anthology of cricket poems, currently in production.
Robin Fry is the featured poet in the June 2010 issue of Valley Micropress, the journal edited, produced and distributed by Tony Chad.
Laurice Gilbert is the featured poet in the May 2010 issue of Valley Micropress, the journal edited, produced and distributed by Tony Chad.
Long-standing NZPS member and regular contributor to our annual anthologies (among many others), Andre Surridge, won the Jane Reichhold International Haiku Prize at the Ukiah haiku festival, USA.
Vaughan Rapatahana is the featured poet in the March 2010 issue of Valley Micropress, the journal edited, produced and distributed by Tony Chad.
Siobhan Harvey has had four poems accepted/ published in the invitation-only online literary magazine International Literary Quarterly, edited by Argentina-based Scottish poet Peter Robertson and English novelist Jill Dawson. ILQ has featured some very significant names in the world of international poetry in its 10 issues, including Rita Dove, Lavinia Greenlaw and, in the last issue, Ruth Padel. In the current issue there's Charles Bernstein, Amy Bloom and Mario Petrucci. Fantastic to have 2 New Zealand poets added to the mix - Kapka Kassabova is also included in the current issue. The link is: http://www.interlitq.org
Helen Lowe is going global! Writers House have concluded a deal which will see her The Wall of Night quartet published in the UK and Australia/New Zealand, as well as in the USA/Canada. And in May 2010 her first novel, Thornspell, will be out in paperback. http://www.thornspell.info/
Phillip Donnell won The Nancy Jervis Prize (£150) in the Café Writers 2009 Poetry Competition with his poem 'Reconciliation'. Nearly 1600 poems were entered in total. Read Phillip's poem at: http://cafewriters.awardspace.com/nancy_jervis_2009.htm
Ginny Sullivan won the Indigo Dreams Press (UK) poetry competition for the second year in a row, with 'Bringing the Bone Carving'. Read it at: http://www.indigodreamsonline.com/#/poetry-comp/4536312528
Vaughan Rapatahana has had a great year as a New Zealand poet based in Hong Kong. He's had poems in: Bravado, Poetry New Zealand, Cha, an Asian literary journal, and Valley Micropress. He was longlisted for the inaugural Proverse Literary Prize, an international competition. Last year he had work published in Takahe, Blackmail Press, and Deep South. Vaughan made the cogent point that "expatriate New Zealand poets - Marvus Turner, Robert Sullivan et al - are doing a damned good job of keeping the runic banner flying offshore". He also has a co-written poetry teaching resource, English Through Poetry (User Friendly Resources), books A to D, available online.
Keith Westwater was awarded first prize of AU$100 in the International Tertiary Student Poetry section of Australia's Bauhinia 2009 Literary Awards with 'The West Winds Gang is back'.
Congratulations to the NZPS members numbered among the winners in this year's Bravado international poetry competition: Laurice Gilbert (Second), David Gregory (Third), Carol Cromie and Nick Williamson achieved Highly Commended, and Carol also won the prize for an unpublished poet. Full results and the judge's report at http://www.bravado.co.nz/images/2009Competitionresults%26comments.pdf
And Bravado's co-ordinating editor Jenny Argante won the Timaru Festival of Roses 2008 Poetry competition with Domestic Jungle. Jenny's poem is online at http://www.bravado.co.nz/images/DomesticJungle.pdf
Zarah Butcher-McGunnigle is the featured poet for the current issue of Poetry NZ (number 39). In addition, her poem 'between you and me' was chosen as the Wednesday poem in The Dominion Post on 9th September. Great work, and a talent to watch.
Helen Lowe scooped the prizes she was nominated for in the Sir Julius Vogel Awards, announced at the beginning of June. Her novel Thornspell won Best Book: Young
Adult, while Helen herself won the prize for Best New Talent. The Best Book: young Adult was especially sweet, as the field was a strong one, including in the short list: Margaret Mahy's Magician of Hoad, Fleur Beale's Juno of Taris and Anywhere But Here by Ella West.
Zarah Butcher-McGunnigle, Kerrin P Sharpe, and Mary Cresswell have poems in Snorkel 9, the online literary magazine with a special interest in bringing together the creative writings of Australians and New Zealanders.
Zarah Butcher-McGunnigle, who brought herself to our attention by having poems selected for our annual anthology, Before the Sirocco, in both open and junior open categories, has had a poem selected for Turbine, the online journal of the International Institute of Modern Letters. Another talented young poet is launched. Other NZPS members with poems included in Turbine are: Johanna Aitchison, Michele Amas, Frankie McMillan, Kathy McVey, Emma Neale, Tim Upperton and Sue Wootton.
Joanna Preston has won the inaugural Kathleen Grattan Award for a collection of poetry. Judge Fleur Adcock chose Joanna Preston's The Summer King. Joanna will receive $16,000 and have her book published by Otago University Press.
Ginny Sullivan won the Indigo Dreams Press (UK) poetry competition in August 2008, with 'The Long Goodbye'. Great going, Ginny - it's good to see New Zealand Poetry Society members making a mark on the international poetry scene.
Please share your success stories with us by notifying the National Coordinator.