Today on My Poetic Side, we bring you the winner of the 2022 Derek Walcott Prize, the Sir Walter Scott-inspired visitors centre, and a US poet honoured by Australia.

2022 Derek Walcott Prize for Poetry Winner Announced

Saddiq Dzukogi, a member of staff based on the English Faculty at Mississippi State University, has been named as the third winner of the annual Derek Walcott Prize for Poetry. The prize is a prestigious one that is presented to a living poet who is a citizen not from the US who has produced a full-length volume of poetry that was published in the year before their win.

Dzukogi is originally from Minna in Nigeria, and his book “Your Crib, My Qibla” is all about the rebellion that his own father had against death and the realities it brings. It also looks at loss, the death of a child and the desire of a parent to find the language needed to talk about the grief that brings. The book was named one of the 29 best poetry collections last year and was also shortlisted for the Nigerian Prize for Literature, as well as being a Julie Suck Award finalist.

Dzukogi is also a recipient of a number of grants and fellowships from the Nebraska Arts Council. He joined the faculty at MSU this autumn and teaches the Craft of Poetry and Introduction to Creative Writing.

Dzukogi joined MSU’s faculty this fall and currently teaches Introduction to Creative Writing and the Craft of Poetry.

View Which Inspired Sir Walter Scott Poem to Have Visitor Centre

The epic stories and poems of Sir Walter Scott charmed his readers and brought many people to the areas that had inspired his works. His 1810 poem “The Lady of the Lake” is believed to have inspired a huge wave of visitors to Scotland. When it was published, it achieved record sales, reaching 25,000 copies sold in just 8 months and making Scott an internationally known name.

The Sir Walter Scott Trust has now been successful in securing a grant of £231,000, which will be used to create two viewpoints and a lookout tower that will be linked to the Loch Katrine Trossachs pier visitors hub. Planning permission was given last year for the work to begin, and this is part of the work that the Trust intend to undertake in order to update the visitor’s centre and make a worthy place for people to come and hear about the poet.

A number of other projects in the area are also looking to secure funding that will help to bring in more tourists to the area that is often referred to as the “birthplace of Scottish Tourism.”

US Poet Paul Kane Receives Australian Honour

Paul Kane, the US poet, author and editor who has more than 20 books under his belt, has been recognised for his work with the Order of Australia for his contributions to literature in the country.

His interest in poetry began in 1979, and he has visited Australia more than 60 times. He has worked as the Mildura Writers Festival art director and even built a house there.