In today’s poetry news round-up we bring you articles about the winners of the Sahitya Akademi award for 2017 and the Glenna Luschei Literary Prize. We also have an article about a poets visit to a school to inspire the pupils with his poetry.

Family of Late Poet Decline Award

The winner of the Sahitya Akademi award for 2017 has been announced. The late poet Inquilab has been selected to win the award posthumously, however, his family are set to decline the award in his name.

The reason behind this is believed to be that Inquilab always spoke out against the government. His daughter, Amina, says that this is not the first time her father’s name had been on the list of poets under consideration for the award and whilst he might, had he been alive, have accepted the award there is a good chance that he would not have done. As a poet he always wrote about the people and gave a voice to their opinions, expecting to receive criticisms for his work rather than awards. He was interrogated by the police a number of times for things that he wrote.

1. Ma Vasuki is another Tamil writer who has been selected for the award.

Juliane Okot P’Bitek Winner of the Glenna Luschei Literary Prize, 2017

Born in 1982, Juliane Okot P’Bitek is a Ugandan born poet who now resides in Canada. Kenyan born, the poet has been selected as this year’s winner of the

The prize has been awarded for her works in memory of the Rwandan genocide.
The work was described by judges as a

The prize which carries a $1,000 award is given annually to an African poet for works they have published in the previous year. The award has ben going for four years, and has significant importance to African literature, not only recognising the work of African poets but also the publishers who publish their works.

Juliana Okot P’Bitek, who is currently studying at the University of British Columbia’s Liu Institute for Global Issues, is no stranger to poetry; her father Okot P’Bitek was also a gifted poet. She has been widely published both online and in a number of well known literary publications.

Young Writers Inspired by Poet

The writer and poet Paul Cookson, who has been a poet for more than 25 years and has written over 60 books, recently visited Norham High School and Collingwood Primary School to help inspire the pupils to become involved with poetry.

The event was organised to coincide with the pupil’s studies of poetry and they were encouraged to get involved in the poet’s recital of interactive and funny poems that included singing, funny gestures and chanting. After the recital the pupils got a chance to meet with the poet and ask questions. The idea behind the recital was to show the pupils that poetry has many sides and can be funny as well as being a serious method of communication.