Emerging poets celebrated on Montana Poetry Day

News release

For immediate release
26 June 2007

Attached: Montana Poetry Day national events listing

Emerging poets celebrated on Montana Poetry Day

Poetry comes to the people this Montana Poetry Day on Friday, 27 July. With more than 45 events happening throughout the country, this year’s annual celebration of our most creative literary form is the biggest and most ambitious yet.

And for the first time the nation will celebrate our best emerging poet on Montana Poetry Day; the winner of the NZSA Best First Book for poetry will be announced.

Established in 1998, Montana Poetry Day has become one of the most anticipated events on the arts calendar, with poetry-related events for all ages in town and cities from Northland to Otago.

Montana Poetry Day Coordinator, Laura Kroetsch says the variety of events throughout the country mean you don’t need to be a regular poetry admirer to enjoy the occasions.

‘This is not only a fun day for everyone, it’s an important one. Montana Poetry Day brings poetry into our homes, offices, cars and footpaths; breaking down perceptions of it as an untouchable medium and bringing it to new audiences. Poetry is now a big noise in New Zealand.’

The Day’s organised events range from performance poetry competitions and kids’ poetry parties to street murals and open microphone nights. Some of the country’s established poets will read their works and emerging writers will mix with those who simply want to share a favourite poem or verse.

A few of this year’s event highlights are:

The Great New Zealand Digi-Poem at the Auckland Public Library: A competition to find the best digital transformations of poems by well-known New Zealanders.

Poetry read in escalators also at Auckland Public Library.

Poetry on Buses in Hamilton. A selection of poetry will be read by actors on a number of Hamilton bus routes.

The Murky Giggle Flicker poetry contest held in Tauranga Public Libraries.

A literary evening with award winning poet, Bill Manhire in Palmerston North City Library

Off the Page Poetry at Mahara Gallery, Kapiti Coast. Featuring some of New Zealand’s best known poets: Hinemoana Baker, Glenn Colquhoun, Dinah Hawken and friends.

Best New Zealand Poems in Wellington. Featuring Jenny Bornholdt, James Brown, Alistair Te Ariki Campbell, Geoff Cochrane, Anna Jackson, Gregory O’Brien, Chris Price and Alison Wong. This free event will be held at the City Gallery, Civic Square.

Poetry by the disabled at New Dowse Hutt Valley from noon.

Events featuring Sam Hunt and Mayor Wayne Guppy at Upper Hutt Library.

Eat your words: An afternoon of poetry and entertainment at Christchurch’s University Bookshop.

The ABC Poetry Curtains. An ambitious event inviting all Dunedin primary and intermediate school students to submit poems on coloured card. These poems will be hung on chains and will be on display in all Dunedin Public Libraries.

The finalists of the NZSA Best First Book Award for poetry are: After the Dance by Michele Amas (Victoria University Press), Cup by Alison Wong (Steele Roberts), Secret Heart by Airini Beautrais (Victoria University Press).

The 2007 Montana New Zealand Book Awards poetry category winner will also be announced on Montana Poetry Day.

The finalists of the poetry category are: One Shapely Thing: Poems and Journals by Dinah Hawken (Victoria University Press), The Goose Bath by Janet Frame (Vintage) and The Year of the Bicycle by James Brown (Victoria University Press). Extracts from these books feature in the Montana Poetry Day samplers which are available from participating bookshops and libraries.

The winner of the poetry category competes alongside the fiction category winner for the Montana Medal for fiction or poetry. (This was formerly called the Deutz medal). The winner of the Montana Medal for fiction or poetry will be announced at a gala dinner to be held at Sky City in Auckland on Monday 30 July 2007.

The principal sponsors of the Montana New Zealand Book Awards are Montana and Creative New Zealand. The awards are managed by Booksellers New Zealand and supported by Book Publishers Association of New Zealand, the New Zealand Society of Authors and Book Tokens (NZ) Ltd.

ENDS

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