Hawke’s Bay Poetry Conference – Time to Register!

Hawke’s Bay Poetry Conference – Time to Register!

A weekend poetry conference, marking the 21st year of the Hawke’s Bay Live Poets’ Society (HBLPS), is being held in Havelock North on 1-3 November.

More than 100 Poets from throughout New Zealand have completed conference questionnaires and said they hope to attend. More than 85 have already paid the registration fee. But we still have room for more a few more poets, performers and poetry lovers to attend this unique event – if you’re quick enough!

This will be Aotearoa/New Zealand’s first truly national poetry conference, and it comes at an opportune time, as poets and poetry in this country are faced with some major issues. We need to get together and discuss how to address them. It’s not just about celebrating the past - it’s about finding some ways forward.

This will be an unprecedented opportunity for poets to meet and network with their national peers in a relaxed and inclusive environment, share some of their own poems, listen to the poems and thoughts of others, and take part in open discussions on topics of current poetic and practical interest.

The poetry conference will include:

• Four two-hour plenary poetry sessions – on Friday evening, Saturday morning, Saturday evening and Sunday morning - giving 48 poets

• 10 minutes each to read/comment on some of their own poems.

• A working lunch on Saturday with an entertaining guest speaker.

• Small group poetry readings with a convenor to allow 26 other poets to share some of their own poems and thoughts with 7-8 others.

• Chaired panel discussions, with audience participation, on:

• current approaches to getting poems published;

• form and content in contemporary poetry; and

• what poetry editors are looking for.

• A hosted visit to the famous Te Mata winery (limited to 40 people).

The registration fee of $25 will cover coffee/tea/nibbles, admission to all poetry sessions, and bus transport for the winery visit. The working lunch for registered participants is another $15/head. Unregistered people can pay $10 to attend a morning session (including tea/coffee) or $5 to attend an evening session.

Please advise us of your contact details, and your level of interest in participating in the various poetry conference activities, by filling in the questionnaire and emailing it to suttb@xtra.co.nz .

HAWKE’S BAY POETRY CONFERENCE - DRAFT PROGRAMM
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Friday 1st November

6.00pm registrations2 / tea / coffee / nibbles / ticket sales

7.00pm welcome: Bill Sutton / notices: Carole Stewart

7.30pm plenary poetry readings one: chair Fiona Farrell;

readers/performers: tbc

Saturday 2nd November

9.30am late registrations / tea / coffee / ticket sales

10.00am plenary poetry readings two: chair: Lewis (L.E.) Scott;

readers/performers: tbc

12.00pm poets’ working lunch: guest speaker: Harry Ricketts.

All participants must register and pay $15 lunch fee

1.00pm inside poetry group readings: organiser: Ian McQuillan; conveners: Gill Ward; Genevieve McClean; group members: tbc

2.00pm panel discussion one: current approaches to getting

poems published: chair: Dave Sharp; panelists:

Alistair Paterson, Ali Jacs, Vivienne Plumb; Mary-Jane Grandinetti.

3.00pm tea / coffee break

3.30pm panel discussion two: form and content in contemporary poetry: chair: Janet Newman; panellists: Jack Ross, Niel Wright; Ben Fagan; Mary-Jane Duffy; Gail Romano.

4.30pm either Te Mata winery visit (limit 40): host: John Buck;

preference given to visitors from out of town

or outside poetry group reading/s in Keirunga Gardens: organiser: Marie Dunningham; conveners: Madeleine

Slavick; Rachel Murphy; group members: tbc

or workshop on vocal techniques and tricks: organiser: tbc

6.00pm dinner break

7.30pm plenary poetry readings three: chair: tbc;

readers / performers: tbc

Sunday 3rd November

9.30am ticket sales / tea / coffee

10.00am plenary poetry readings four: chair: Maris O’Rourke;

readers / performers: tbc

12.00pm panel discussion three: what are editors looking for?

chair: Laurice Gilbert; panellists: Siobhan Harvey;

Owen Bullock; Nicholas Reid; Helen Rickerby.

1.00pm conference ends.

ENDS

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