ABPA - Australian Bush Poets Association

Hi All

The results of the 2017 "Freedom" themed Adelaide Plains Open Poetry Competition are now online, with the full judge's report, here:
http://carolyn-poeticpause.blogspot.com.au/

While this competition is open to poetry of all styles and genres, yet again traditional rhymed verse features among the winners. This is particularly pleasing to see, because each year's competition has a different theme, and a different judge, and there are no guarantees that bush poetry will be elevated to a winning position.

The competition organiser, Carolyn Cordon, is a passionate devotee of all Australian poetry, and is herself the author of several books. She puts in an enormous amount of time each year to source sponsors and facilitate the competition, and should be applauded for her efforts.

David Campbell and I have both won this competition in the past - and Tom McIlveen has picked up a 3rd prize this year. So when it comes around again (usually announced December or January), please consider supporting it with an entry.

Congratulations, Tom!

Cheers
Shelley

Thank you to Shelley for posting these results and the judge's report and congratulations to you and to Tom on being among the winners in this open competition. What a delightful title Child of my Heart -- I have actually used this in a line of one of my songs "Child of my heart you have been found..." -- wonder if the subject matter is similar? We must compare one day when they are both 'free'.

Great to see bush poets entering open competitions and making inroads -- little by little people will come to realise the wonderful expressive dimensions of our genre.
BJ

Thank you Brenda!

Yes, we will compare - but as you might guess, with a competition theme of "Freedom", my poem involved a child about to spread wings and fly. It does rhyme, but in a structure somewhat different from "standard", and the subject matter does not reference anything about Australia - so that's why I chose it for an open competition. Seems it caught the judge's eye. I was quite surprised, because I submitted two entries - and the other one (also unconventionally rhymed) was much more hard-hitting in its subject. I believed it would be marked the higher of the two - but not so. Of course, I'm not complaining - any recognition is most welcome.

The judge's comments indicate that Tom's 3rd placed poem is a bush poem on a historical Australian subject - which is great for us!

As you probably saw, I also posted the results on our ABPA Facebook page, where the organiser Carolyn Cordon has expressed her thanks to us for promoting her competition to our members, thereby bringing in a much larger range of poetry entries. It's great to see that she has also been well-supported in the junior sections this year - something she has struggled with in the past. Apparently some schools got behind the competition, which is a fine reward for all of her hard work.

Cheers
Shelley

Thankyou Shelley and Brenda, and congrats to you too Shelley for recognition amongst the free versers. Perhaps if we keep chipping away, we can convert them to rhyme and meter?
Tom McILveen.