Today in our poetry news roundup we take a look at the John McCrae poem that has been brought to life, the winner of this year’s Hunt prize laureate and also the poet Dareen Tatour who may be returning to court.

John McCrae Poem Brought to Life

A playwright in Guelph has created a play about the writing of the famous poem written by John McCrae. The play takes place entirely in the backyard of the childhood home of the poet.

The play is set in 1915 in the Spring, the audience is sitting in the backyard whilst McCrae is near the canal at Ypres in France

He had been at the French line for days under unrelenting German bombardment, the toll of the dead and wounded, horrifying. Whilst he is sitting there with heavy artillery fire going off he writes the 15 lines that makeup “In Flanders Fields”.

This is the sixth year of the McCrea House Backyard Theatre and the play is called “What I Gave, I Have”.

The play is the work of Catherine Frid a local playwright who was keen to write something biographical about the poet. This is a one-man play that draws on the simplicity and power of the script.

2019 Hunt Prize Laureate

Mary Szybist has been named as the 2019 laureate of The George W. Hunt prize which is given for outstanding works of poetry.

The award is given by the trustees of Saint Thomas More: The Catholic Chapel & Centre which is located at Yale University. It recognises those works created by young writers which promote and inspire the best of the faith.

Sybist will also be awarded a cash prize of $25,000 at a ceremony which will take place at the Catholic Imagination Conference on 21^st September in Chicago. During the ceremony, she will also present a new piece of work which will then appear as the cover story of America magazine.

The poet is originally from Pennsylvania and studied at the University of Virginia. She now works as an associate professor in Portland. In 2013 she won the National Book Award for Poetry for “Incarnadine”. She has also a number of other awards as well as being a finalist for several others during her career so far. Her work has appeared in a number of publications.

Case Against Dareen Tatour May be Reopened

It has been just nine months since Dareen Tatour the Palestinian poet was freed from prison. She served a five-month sentence and spent three years on house arrest.

Earlier this month her world was once again placed in turmoil when the Israeli prosecutors made it known that an appeal had been filed in the Supreme Court. They want to reopen her case.

Tatour was originally convicted of incitement and support of an organisation linked to terrorism. This was due to some poetry she published on social media.

Her lawyer has until 22^nd July in order to file a statement that the charges should not be brought back to the public eye if the court is not happy then it would seem that Tatour may be forced back to court.