The editor this week, Saradha Koirala, has chosen an
excerpt from "Brave Like", a prose poem by Kirsti Whalen, one of the
finalists in the inaugural Sarah Broom Poetry Prize.
The prize commemorates the life of poet, Sarah Broom, who
passed away just over a year ago. Kirsti was named one of three finalists along
with established poets Emma Neale and C.K Stead, who was the overall winner.
The head judge was Sam Hunt - a personal friend of
Sarah's - and judging was aided by Paula Green and Sarah Ross.
The judges said of Kirsti's work:
"Kirsti is a fresh young voice on the poetry horizon
line. Her submission indicates she has an astonishing ear for the way sounds
soar on a line, the way they dip and fall. Her syntax is bold and on the move,
but she is unafraid of neither simplicity nor silent beats. The poems take you
into the heart of family from a mother’s x-rays to kitchen dinners to a
grandmother’s quince trees. Each poem is brought alive to a startling degree
with sensual detail, electric connections, canny ellipsis, judicious
repetition. It is a voice that feels original, that is willing to take risks
and that exudes a love of writing in every nook and cranny."
No comments:
Post a Comment