2013 Burns Fellow Celebrates Bard’s Birthday

Dunedin (Friday, 11 January 2013) – The 2013 Burns Fellow at the University of Otago, David Howard, will talk about the goals he has for his tenure at a Dunedin Public Libraries event next week.

Mr Howard’s talk at the Dunedin City Library on Friday 25 January will be part of annual public celebrations for Robert Burns’ birthday. The celebrations will also include a prize-giving and live reading from the winners of the 2013 Robert Burns Poetry Competition, for which Mr Howard is co-judge with the City Library’s Paul Veart.

Mr Howard has always had a passion for poetry, even during his former career in pyrotechnics, which saw him work for artists including Metallica and Janet Jackson. He co-founded literary magazine, Takahe in 1989, and established the Canterbury Poets Collective in 1990, before settling in Purakanui to dedicate himself to his writing in 2003. He has since received several awards that have helped him to collaborate with writers, artists and musicians across the globe.

His latest collection, The Incomplete Poems (2011), was 35 years in the making and was received with great acclaim. His typescript, When Things Are Dirty, was joint winner of the University of South Pacific Press Poetry Award in the same year. Last year, Mr Howard worked with artist Peter Ransom and Peter Simpson of the Holloway Press to publish a limited edition of his new book, You’re So Pretty When You’re Unfaithful to Me.

The poetry competition has attracted a record number of entries, with 41 entries received – a third more than the 31 last year - from published, unpublished and young aspiring poets, from as far afield as Scotland.

The winners will be announced on Tuesday 15 January. They are invited to join Mr Howard, and to read their poem, as part of the Dunedin City Library celebrations.


For He's A Jolly Good Fellow!

Celebrating Robert Burns' Birthday and the Robert Burns Fellowship
Join David Howard as he talks about his hopes for the year ahead as the University of Otago's Burns Fellow and hear the winning poems from the 2013 Robert Burns Poetry Competition.

Friday 25 January, 12.30pm - 1.30pm

Ground Floor, City Library
FREE

ENDS

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