SCHOOLS POETRY WRITING COMPETITION

14th Poetry Africa 2010 invites learners to submit poems by September 17.

The Centre for Creative Arts (University of KwaZulu-Natal) with principal funding from the National Lottery Distribution Trust Fund, will present the 14th Poetry Africa, International Poetry Festival from October 4 to 9, 2010.

Poetry Africa has a long-standing commitment towards nurturing a culture of reading and writing poetry, especially amongst the youth. To this end, the festival runs a schools programme which allows learners to interact with poets as well as a schools poetry writing competition. School visits bring established poets to schools to share their expertise while the poetry competition affords learners the opportunity to actively participate in this craft.

Learners should submit poems by September 17 2010 for the judges to make the final selection of winners. Entries received after this date will not be accepted.

There is no particular topic for the poems and they can be written in English, Zulu or Afrikaans. Poems must be written neatly or printed if possible. Illegible entries will not be considered. No more than two poems per pupil are to be submitted, with a maximum length of one A4 page per poem.

The learners with the best entries will receive complimentary tickets to attend the festival on the evening of October 8. An awards ceremony will be held where prizes will be given out, with the Mazisi Kunene Foundation awarding the prizes for the Zulu winners. Winners will also have the opportunity to read their poems. All winning entries will be displayed in the foyer of the Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre for patrons to view.

Learners wishing to be involved in this competition should submit their poems, together with their school’s name, teacher’s name, and the school’s telephone number to the Centre for Creative Arts by no later than September 17, 2010. Entries may be e-mailed to cca@ukzn.ac.za, hand-delivered to the Centre, faxed to 031 260 3074 or posted to Poetry Africa, Centre For Creative Arts, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa, 4041.

The evening events of Poetry Africa will take place from October 4 to 8 at the Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre (19h30), University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, and at the BAT Centre on October 9. Workshops and seminars will be held in venues across Durban. For more information click on the Centre for Creative Arts advert (above) and move to the Poetry Africa page.