We will award a prize for the Best Poem and a prize for the Best Poem by Under-16s. The winner of Best Poem will receive a copy of the New Zealand Poetry Yearbook 2018, courtesy of Massey University Press and the winner of the Under-16 category will receive a copy of Slice of Heaven by Des O'Leary courtesy of Mākaro Press. Further details of these books are below. In addition the winning poems will be translated into Spanish and published on the Spanish version of the project Palabras Prestadas.
And the five words are…
(If for some reason you cannot see or hear the words in
the video you will find them at the bottom of this post.)
the video you will find them at the bottom of this post.)
The rules:
– The poem must include the five words.
– The words can be in any order.
– You may change the tense of verbs.
– Maximum length 200 words.
– Entry is free and open to all NZ citizens and residents.
– Only one poem per person.
– Poems by under-16s must also include the age of the poet. We would prefer parents or teachers to send the poem on the child's behalf.
– FOR TEACHERS: You are very welcome to get your classes to participate, but please help us out by only sending in a selection of up to 10 of the best poems from your students. We have prepared a lesson plan for teachers.
– Participation means you allow us to reproduce your poem on Given Words.
– The deadline for entry is midnight on 24 August 2018.
– The words can be in any order.
– You may change the tense of verbs.
– Maximum length 200 words.
– Entry is free and open to all NZ citizens and residents.
– Only one poem per person.
– Poems by under-16s must also include the age of the poet. We would prefer parents or teachers to send the poem on the child's behalf.
– FOR TEACHERS: You are very welcome to get your classes to participate, but please help us out by only sending in a selection of up to 10 of the best poems from your students. We have prepared a lesson plan for teachers.
– Participation means you allow us to reproduce your poem on Given Words.
– The deadline for entry is midnight on 24 August 2018.
Submit your poem by email including your full name and town of residence to: nzgivenwords@gmail.com
To receive updates about the competition please subscribe to our newsletter here. We only send emails related with this competition and you can easily opt out at any time.
The poems will be judged by the poet and artist, Charles Olsen.
Charles Olsen (b. Nelson, NZ, 1969) has published two collections of poetry, Sr Citizen and Antípodas. In 2017 he was awarded the XIII distinction Poetas de Otros Mundos by the Fondo Poético Internacional, in Spain, in recognition of the high quality of his poetic oeuvre. In 2018 he has been awarded the III Antonio Machado Poetry Residency in Segovia and Soria. Listen to an interview with Charles Olsen on Upbeat RNZ
| Prize for Best Poem: Poetry New Zealand Yearbook 2018 Edited by Jack Ross Massey University Press, 2018  'This issue features the winning entries of the Poetry New Zealand competition, as well as over 100 new poems by writers including Albert Wendt, David Eggleton, Johanna Emeney and Bob Orr. Issue #52 also features essays by Owen Bullock, Jeanita Cush-Hunter, Ted Jenner, Robert McLean and Reade Moore, and reviews of 33 new poetry collections.' More details on Massey University Press | Prize for Best Poem by Under-16s: Slice of Heaven by Des O'Leary Mākaro Press, September 2018  'Life for Sione and his mates at Manawahe East High in South Auckland is pretty sweet – a slice of heaven. But one day when they’re in after-school detention there’s an emergency. Another school’s turned up for a softball game but the Manawahe junior boys team has gone awol.' More details on Mākaro Press |
Listen to Charles reading The Hospice by Antonio Machado:
The Hospice
It's the hospice, the old provincial hospice.
A decrepit building with blackened roof tiles,
Where in summer in the eves swifts nest
And the caw of crows sharpens winter nights.
Set between two strong ancient turrets
The squalid north-facing entrance,
Its cracked façade, its grimy thick walls,
Lies in eternal shadow. The old hospice!
As the January sun casts its weak rays,
A sad veil over the barren terrain,
There appear in a window at the fade of day
Some pale faces, speechless and ailing,
To contemplate the mountains' blue girth
Or, from white skies, as onto a tomb,
The snow, falling onto the cold earth,
Onto the earth, cold, the silent snow…
It's the hospice, the old provincial hospice.
A decrepit building with blackened roof tiles,
Where in summer in the eves swifts nest
And the caw of crows sharpens winter nights.
Set between two strong ancient turrets
The squalid north-facing entrance,
Its cracked façade, its grimy thick walls,
Lies in eternal shadow. The old hospice!
As the January sun casts its weak rays,
A sad veil over the barren terrain,
There appear in a window at the fade of day
Some pale faces, speechless and ailing,
To contemplate the mountains' blue girth
Or, from white skies, as onto a tomb,
The snow, falling onto the cold earth,
Onto the earth, cold, the silent snow…
(Translation by Charles Olsen of El Hospicio)
You can read about Antonio Machado on Poetry Foundation.
(The five words are: decrepit, nest, window, snow and cast.)
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