Reading the winning poem

After the NZ Poetry Conference ended this afternoon, the NZ Poetry Society's 2017 Anthology was launched. The anthology contains the poems of the prize winners, and those whom the Judges Highly Commended, and in addition the editor's choice from all the submitted poems, to fill out the book.

S won first prize and my blip shows her about to start the reading of her poem, titled after the cyclone. The choice of title is the editor's prerogative, and the editor (seen with S in the first extra) chose to use S' poem title as the title for the collection as a whole. As last year's editor chose the title of S' 2nd place poem last year for the anthology title, she is feeling rather chuffed.

In the first extra, behind S and the editor (Gail Ingram) is the flyer advertising the book launch and reading, which was held in the Auckland central Library. The second extra is the cover of the anthology; S was given two copies and I set them up like this to show the cover art, which was the work of Gail Ingram's daughter.

All very exciting and pleasing from the position of a staunch supporter, observer, and admirer of the poet who writes in a way I can feel connected to. So much of what else I hear and/or read seems remote from me.