Diving In! Book Launch and panel: My Thoughts Are All of Swimming by Rose Collins

 A very special event to mark National Poetry Day this year with the inaugural winner of the John O'Connor first book award launching with readings and a panel featuring the three shortlisted writers in conversation with Erik Kennedy.

Presented by Sudden Valley Press and Canterbury Poets Collective in association with National Poetry Day, join the poets and Erik to celebrate the launch of My Thoughts Are All of Swimming by inaugural winner, Rose Collins.

Along with Jeni Curtis and Ciaran Fox, Rose Collins was chosen for the shortlist by judge, former poet laureate Elizabeth Smither who described the winning manuscript as a: 'highly accomplished, beautifully ordered collection of consistently stunning poems'. 

Join all three as they discuss the award experience, writing and probably much more with matchless raconteur and writer Erik Kennedy. 

Diving In

Friday 26th August (National Poetry Day) 5.30pm

Foundation Cafe, Tūranga 

Spring: Breakdown, Breakthrough - poetry at Tūranga

 

It's National Poetry Day 'eve' and Foundation Cafe at Tūranga is hosting an even earlier 'spring' poetry smorgasbord. Presented by Canterbury Poets Collective with MC - RikTheMost and featuring a broad selection of young, emerging and er, emerged? poets. And even a tiny, wee open mic. 

Catalyst's own Ciaran Fox is in the line up and it's even early enough to be home in time for an early night with a good book.

Readers:
Break through: Elizabeth Ayrey, Lucy Barge, Amelia Kirkness, Sarah-Kate Simons
Break down: Vana Manasiādis, Philip Armstrong, Ciaran Fox, Claudia Jardine, Gail Ingram, Anna Heraskina Foster

Thursday 25th August, 5.30pm

Foundation Cafe, Tūranga

THE RULES! - Christchurch Poetry Slam 2022 - preliminary heat & grand final

 

 To compete in the Grand Final, poets must make the top 10 in the preliminary heat on Wednesday 3rd August, 7pm at Space Academy. 

(The Grand Final will be contested on 31st August also at Space Academy)

 

Here are the official rules of the Christchurch Poetry Slam as per the NZ Poetry Slam.

Sign-up is on the night only - places are limited so get there early.

Rules for NZ Poetry Slam

• 3 minutes or less with no minimum time (10 second grace period before points deduction)

• Time starts when poet speaks, however while poets can have time to settle and adjust microphone etc, this time is not limitless; ideally a poet should start before 10 seconds.

• Original (i.e. your own) poems only

• No props no music no costumes (i.e. clothing related to the content of your poem)

• In the case of a tie a slam-off will be required

• Random draw, for performance order.

 
Judging and scoring:

• 5 Audience Judges (chosen by MC and/or organiser) display score cards 0-10 (Decimal points allowed)

• Top and bottom scores drop off and total of remaining 3 scores is the total

• If Poet goes over grace period MC or Timekeeper to ask scorer to mark down points after the judges score… (Half a point penalty for every 10 seconds over time)

• After 4 minutes the MC can shut down the poet

• 'Sacrificial Poet' (non-competing) to start the night, to help calibrate scores.

• Slams are equally about writing, performance and audience response.

• Slammers should have at least 3 poems, as there will be three rounds for the Regionals and NZ Slam
  …

As always, remember: the point is the poetry not the points!

Drinking With Li Bai - 100 haiku from China and India by Doc Drumheller (Cold Hub Press 2022)

 

Book Launch - Drinking With Li Bai by Doc Drumheller

 

It's nice to collaborate with fellow independent publishers and we're proud to support the launch of this latest collection by Doc Drumheller from Cold Hub Press - Drinking With Li Bai - 100 haiku from China and India.

Drinking With Li Bai features one hundred haiku composed by New Zealand poet Doc Drumheller while he was visiting Enshi, Guangzhou, Guizhou, Suiyang, Shengze, Shanghai, and Beijing in China, and Odisha, Bhubaneswar, Kolkata, New Delhi, Varanasi, Agra, Bodh Gaya, and Allahabad in India.

On his travels Doc Drumheller has represented the Waimakariri District as a Cultural Ambassador to Enshi in a Sister City Cultural Exchange. He was appointed as the New Zealand Director of the Silk Road Poetry Project, and has represented New Zealand at international poetry festivals in China and India.

Drinking With Li Bai, 100 Haiku from China and India, by Doc Drumheller is published by Cold Hub Press 2022, and features Chinese translations by Liang Yujing, and calligraphy by Gong Qin.

Haiku from this collection were selected for Ōrongohau Best New Zealand Poems 2018, and Ōrongohau Best New Zealand Poems 2020.

Special thanks to the Asia New Zealand Foundation for funding Doc’s travels to Asia, and to Waimakariri District Creative Communities for funding the publication of this book.

Links:

https://www.bestnewzealandpoems.org.nz/past-issues/2018-contents/doc-drumheller/

https://www.bestnewzealandpoems.org.nz/past-issues/2020-contents/doc-drumheller/

NZ Poetry Slam 2021 goes ONLINE in 2022!

 

After two postponements due to COVID-19 in 2021, the NZ Poetry Slam national final for 2021 is happening online on 12th February 2022.

Here we go! It's a tough decision but the crew really have to take people's health and safety in consideration - poets flying into Christchurch from around the country are taking a risk and possibly facing 10 days isolation away from home, if they happen to be a close contact on a flight or at an airport.

Details for the event and the link to join in from the comfort of your own home are on the Facebook event page here. It is happening at the same date and time as the scheduled live event.

Existing tickets will be refunded and new tickets available for the online version.