Spanish poetry project National Poetry Day winner announced

The Spanish poetry project ‘Palabras Prestadas’ meaning ‘Given Words’ is delighted to announce the winners of the special version of the project in English for National Poetry Day. As well as the overall prize for best poem we have decided to award an extra prize for children under 16.

Congratulations to Sue Wootton from Dunedin for her poem Spring break at Right Whale Cottage and also to Elizabeth Milne, aged 11, from Christchurch for her poem Estuary Playground.

Their poems have both been translated into Spanish on the Palabras Prestadas website and they will each receive a copy of the poetry book Antípodas by Charles Olsen (published by Huerga y Fierro, Spain, 2016, bilingual edition). They will also be included in the collection ‘Palabras Prestadas 5’ to be published in Spain in early 2017, which includes all the winning poems from the fifth year of this project.

Each poet could submit one poem but there was a twist: the poem had to include five words which were chosen especially for the occasion by the Australian poet Les Murray. These came from his poem ‘High Speed Trap Space’ and they were: walled, crane-swing, jaw, blubber and blurts.  You can read all the poems here: Given Poems – NZ National Poetry Day 2016

This was one of a number of poetry competitions in which you could participate in the run up to the 26^th of August, Phantom Billstickers National Poetry Day 2016 – New Zealand’s 19^th annual celebration of poetry and poets. This year almost 100 events unleashed the power of poetry across the country.  

The ‘Given Words’ project has been running since 2011 and a number of New Zealand poets have donated words to the Spanish editions including New Zealand’s current poet laureate C. K. Stead.

Further Info:

Given Poems – NZ National Poetry Day 2016
www.nzbookawards.nz/national-poetry-day/2016-national-poetry-day