Today our poetry news roundup looks at the Saolta Arts poetry competition and the King’s Speech.
Irish Poetry Competition Opens to 2023 Entries
One of the most prestigious poetry competitions in Ireland that is open to the public has now begun accepting entries for 2023. The competition, which is run by Saolta Arts, has announced that the series, Poems for Patience, which has run for the last 19 years, will once again be accepting entries.
The competition offers the opportunity to the winners to join a long line of rather prestigious names, including the late Seamus Heaney, Jane Hirschfield, Michael Longley, Vona Groarke and Naomi Shihab Nye. Not only will the winner for 2023 join these names to become a part of the series, but their winning work will also be placed on display throughout hospitals in the west and also on the Arts Corridor, which is at University Hospital Galway.
The overall winner will also be given an invitation to Galway, where they will read from their work at the launch of the 2023 edition which will take place in April at the Cúirt International Festival of Literature. They will also be asked to compile six poems which will be considered for possible inclusion as Over The Edge’s Featured Reader, which is an open reading series that takes place at Galway City’s Library. Their winning piece of work will also be framed and used as a poster for the series, and the original copy will form part of their award.
All of the poems that are submitted for the competition must be 32 lines or less and written by the person entering the poem. They may not be poems that have previously been published. Each entrant may submit multiple entries with a €10 entry fee applying for an individual entry and €7.50 applying for two or more poems.
All of the poems will be read and then judged anonymously to give all the entries an unbiased chance at winning. All of the details regarding the competition can be found on the Saolta Arts website.
The King’s Speech
Yesterday at 3 pm a high percentage of the nation turned on their televisions to listen to King Charles III’s first Christmas speech to the nation. For many listening to the speech plays an important part in their festivities, a sit down after Christmas lunch and a chance to relax.
What few know, however is that the tradition of the monarch’s speech has links to poetry and one poet in particular. The very first King’s speech was broadcast in 1932 by King George V and was in fact written by Rudyard Kipling the famous English poet and novelist wrote the poem “If” and The Jungle Book.
The first televised speech was made by Queen Elizabeth II and was broadcast in 1957.
This year’s speech was marred by a breaking of the strict protocols that apply to the timings surrounding the address. It was leaked by the Australian media in its entirety a full 9 hours before it was due to be shown by the BBC.
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