Poets present Wokingham prizes
Budding bards from across the Wokingham borough and beyond celebrated National Poetry Day on Thursday October 4, congratulating the winners of Wokingham Library’s poetry competition, and enjoying a special session of readings and workshops at the library with award-winning local poets Susan Utting and Allison McVety. More than 20 people gathered in the library to share their poetry and read aloud favourite poems, and the winners of the competition were presented with their prizes.
First prize, £25 in book tokens, went to Martin Haslam of Wokingham for ‘The Dream Gift’. Second prize was won jointly by Gill Learner of Reading for ‘Night Comers’ and Wendy Klein of Pangbourne for ‘Some Midnights’, who won £10 each in book tokens. A number of other poets were highly commended, including Jean Jennings from Reading with ‘Shop of My Dreams’, Norman Pope from Henley with ‘Come Forth’ and Gill Learner with ‘3am’. The winning poems are now on display in Wokingham library.
The two special guests who presented the prizes are both well-known local poets. Susan Utting currently teaches poetry at Reading and Oxford Universities. She was Community Laureate for the Arts Council's Year of the Artist 2000/2001 and spent a year as Creative Writing Fellow at Reading University’s School of English and American Literature. Published collections include Something Small is Missing (a Poetry Business prize winner) and her latest collection Houses Without Walls. This year she was the winner of the Peterloo Poetry Prize.
Allison McVety’s poems have appeared in several journals including The North, Rialto, Smiths Knoll, and Poetry News, and have been broadcast on BBC Radio 3. She has recently completed an MA in Poetry at Royal Holloway University of London where she was awarded the pfd poetry prize. She also won the Poetry Business Book and Pamphlet Competition this year.
Wokingham Borough Council executive member for community development Cllr Dianne King said: “National Poetry Day is a lovely event and a good way to make more people aware of the rich world of poetry that is out there to be discovered. This popular competition has really proved how many talented poets there are in the Wokingham borough.”
Note:
More from reader development officer Heather Dyson on (0118) 974 3712 or from executive member for community development Cllr Dianne King on (0118) 974 977 2397.
First prize, £25 in book tokens, went to Martin Haslam of Wokingham for ‘The Dream Gift’. Second prize was won jointly by Gill Learner of Reading for ‘Night Comers’ and Wendy Klein of Pangbourne for ‘Some Midnights’, who won £10 each in book tokens. A number of other poets were highly commended, including Jean Jennings from Reading with ‘Shop of My Dreams’, Norman Pope from Henley with ‘Come Forth’ and Gill Learner with ‘3am’. The winning poems are now on display in Wokingham library.
The two special guests who presented the prizes are both well-known local poets. Susan Utting currently teaches poetry at Reading and Oxford Universities. She was Community Laureate for the Arts Council's Year of the Artist 2000/2001 and spent a year as Creative Writing Fellow at Reading University’s School of English and American Literature. Published collections include Something Small is Missing (a Poetry Business prize winner) and her latest collection Houses Without Walls. This year she was the winner of the Peterloo Poetry Prize.
Allison McVety’s poems have appeared in several journals including The North, Rialto, Smiths Knoll, and Poetry News, and have been broadcast on BBC Radio 3. She has recently completed an MA in Poetry at Royal Holloway University of London where she was awarded the pfd poetry prize. She also won the Poetry Business Book and Pamphlet Competition this year.
Wokingham Borough Council executive member for community development Cllr Dianne King said: “National Poetry Day is a lovely event and a good way to make more people aware of the rich world of poetry that is out there to be discovered. This popular competition has really proved how many talented poets there are in the Wokingham borough.”
Note:
More from reader development officer Heather Dyson on (0118) 974 3712 or from executive member for community development Cllr Dianne King on (0118) 974 977 2397.
Wokingham Borough Council
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