News location:

Canberra Today 13°/16° | Friday, March 29, 2024 | Digital Edition | Crossword & Sudoku

US poem wins UC poetry prize – again

quill

A POEM inspired by fatherhood and loss has won the $15,000 University of Canberra Vice-Chancellor’s International Poetry Prize for 2016,  while a piece on a German general using the estate of Leo Tolstoy claimed the $5,000 runner-up award, it has been announced by the University.

First prize went to US poet  Michael Lavers for “Your Father at Fourteen”, who said he was “shocked and thrilled” to have won with the  poem he had written  over a two-week period last spring, describing his teenage self for his four-year-old son Isaak. Mr Lavers was unable to attend the announcement ceremony. Last year’s prize was won by US poet Elisabeth Murawski.

The runner-up was  South African poet  PQR Anderson for “Heinz Guderian at Yasnaya Polyana,” who was also  unable to attend the announcement ceremony. His poem tells the story of how the German general set up headquarters at writer Leo Tolstoy’s former home at a pivotal point during World War II.

More than 1,200 poems were submitted by over 700 poets worldwide. Writers were asked to submit a previously unpublished poem, in English – translations were not eligible – and up to 50 lines in length.

The prize is facilitated by the University’s International Poetry Studies Institute, with entries coming from as far as Macedonia, Qatar, Slovakia, and the Philippines and as close as Belconnen.

Vice-Chancellor Professor Deep Saini said,  “This prize demonstrates that poetry is a global art, and one that has the capacity to connect people from many different nations, cultures and languages through their own, particular and careful ways of speaking.”

 

 

Who can be trusted?

In a world of spin and confusion, there’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in Canberra.

If you trust our work online and want to enforce the power of independent voices, I invite you to make a small contribution.

Every dollar of support is invested back into our journalism to help keep citynews.com.au strong and free.

Become a supporter

Thank you,

Ian Meikle, editor

Helen Musa

Helen Musa

Share this

Leave a Reply

Related Posts

Follow us on Instagram @canberracitynews