Poetry on the Lake Festival, Giulio San Orta, Italy 2024

 

Isola San Giulio (Lago di Orta)

 Lovely to be back in Giulio San Orta. The weather not so good but misty and atmospheric and some brilliant poets, especially Imtiaz Dharker.

It was a great honour to have a reading slot to unleash my sea-monster poems.

                                                        Reading in the Palazzotto.

                                                  The Palazzotto in the main piazza.

                                                             

Reading at Perdu Bookshop, Amsterdam.

 

           Outside the Perdu. Milla and I front row. Walco 2nd from right.

I was delighted to be invited to read in Amsterdam with Milla Van Der Have, founder and M.C. of PoetryLit (online monthly  poetry reading event) which I co-curate.  But here we are not hosting other poets on PoetryLit, but launching Milla's collection 'Ox and Mandarin',  mythological creatures, sort of invented by Milla.  I loosed my sea-monsters poems which, being mythological, were a good pairing.Walco Van Loon (also a member of the PoetryLit team)  accompanied Milla's film poem with live saxophone.

A great event, followed by an Indonesian meal (appropriately) with friends and family.

Such a pleasure to spend a few days in A'dam, then visit Utrecht where Milla lives. Equally cool, though Milla and Walco say it is cooler than A'dam, of course.  It is just as pretty and less touristy. Lovely relaxing in a bar, then walking along the canals viewing the tall houses.

                                                Relaxing in an  Utrecht bar.

Troubadour International Poetry Prize 2023

 Delighted to be commended in the Troubadour International Poetry Prize, 2023.

Sign up for our  International Poetry Prize 2023

The following prizewinning poems were chosen by our 2023 judges, Mona Arshi & Tom Sleigh (see judges’ reports & poems below):
       

• First Prize, £2,000, Traceries, Jennifer Harrison, Windsor, Victoria, Australia
• Second Prize, £1000, A child’s Christmas in alcohol, Simon Walsh, Brattleboro VT, USA
• Third Prize, £500, Zebra haworthia, Jane Wilkinson, Norwich

       

Commended poems:

• The King’s Raven, Afra Kingdon, Northam, Devon
• The Influencer’s Prayer, Anne Casey, Northbridge NSW, Australia
• Generational Trauma, Bronagh Mallon, Belfast
• Zulu, Catherine Edmunds, Bishop Auckland, Durham
• This is also true, Charlotte Salkind, London
• The Second Law of Thermodynamics, Deb O’Rourke, Toronto, Canada
• Sometimes Life, Deveraux Baker, Mendocino CA, USA
• The Ilium, Diana Valk, Surbiton, Surrey
• Landscape with inner child, Jane Lovell, Lynton, Devon
• Dust, Jane Williams, South Launceston, Tasmania
• hostage situation, Kate Kruimink, Cygnet, Tasmania
• Five Sleep Potions for Troubled Nights, Leah Larwood, Plumstead, Norfolk
• my mother, wearing a pencil skirt, in a meadow, Liz McSkeane, Dublin
• Olly and Pepper are safe, Martyn Crucefix, London
• Calling on the New House, Mick Wood, London
• Sharing a Koch with You, Nicky Melville, Edinburgh
• No More Wind, Peter Ross, Honiton, Devon
• The House Where Benjamin Zephaniah Didn’t Live, Sallie Durham, Lewes, East Sussex
• Mary Shelley’s Babies, Stephanie Green, Edinburgh

2023 judges’ reports

Mona Arshi writes…

Judging an international poetry competition is both a joyful and fretful task – fretful as it’s always filled with some level…

Read full judges' reports, & 2023 prize–winning & commended poems

Poems: copyright © various named authors. All rights reserved.

Other content: copyright © Coffee–House Poetry 2008–2024. All rights reserved.

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Milla and myself aka PoetryLit at StAnza 2024

 Another photo of PoetryLit at StAnza, Scotland's International Poetry Festival in St Andrews - our usual online event was also live. Here are Milla van der Have and myself outside the Byre Theatre where it all goes on.

It was a great festival - congrats to Ryan Van Winkle for curating a really cool festival for his first one as new Artistic Director.

PoetryLit! at StAnza, 2024

PoetryLit!, the monthly  online poetry reading event founded by Milla Van Der Have and co-curated by myself.  Now in our 4th year, it was great to have this 'stage' at StAnza, Scotland's International Poetry festival in St Andrews. The event was live at the Byre Theatre but also online as usual.

This event featured four of the winners in different categories of the Wigtown Poetry Prize, 2023.

Top left: Craig Aitchinson and right, Stephanie Green

Bottom left: John Wheway and right, Robin Leiper

From Milla Van Der Have's Facebook:

Over here at Poetry Lit! Stephanie Green and Milla van der Have - Writer are super-stoked about our upcoming StAnza stint! And not just that, we get to feature the Wigtown Winners John Wheway Craig Aitchison Rob Leiper and our very own Stephanie Green (#proud). These incredible talents will read their winning poems and participate in a Q&A.

Stephanie and I will be on the ground at StAnza, so this time we will broadcast live from Byre Theatre.

To read more about the poets see https://shoutout.wix.com/so/aaOt83C6V?languageTag=en