The Tom Collins Poetry Prize 2009
Trisha Kotai-Ewers FAWWA President, Karen Dixon 2nd Prize Winner, Peter Bibby Presenter of Prizes, Chris Konrad 1st Prize Winner
I was a guest at Tom Collins House in March last year. Alongside an enormous quantity of my own new work I had my first opportunity to immerse myself in to the substantial and varied writing communities around Perth. The experience enriched and humbled as I saw so much energy poured into making these communities thrive.
Judging competitions for me always has a moment of terror when the “kilograms” arrive. This comp’s quality submissions did little to ease my apprehensions – how to pick a winner. Believe me; the short list had a lot of substantive material. Subjects ranged from God to chairs using a variety of poetic voices and tools. I was as open to the Bush poem, the sonnet as I was to the experimental. All formats have intrinsic strengths that deserve respect.
Dylan Thomas once said “a good poem is a contribution to reality”. I think that covered the less tangible qualities, but it needed something to cover the craft aspect of our work so I supplement this with a line of my own – “poetry breaks the habits of words”. I’m happy with the two combined.
My final choices were based on four criteria; poems that made the cut had to have some degree of each to qualify. Firstly, veracity — a poem has to be made real for me. It has to be a space in which I can live for however long the author plans. The old imperative… show don’t tell. Secondly, I seek a kind of ferocity. I’m not talking about serial killers; it can be a deep empathy, a belly laugh etc. But a core of the poem has to go fundamental, deep or wide as only poetry can. Thirdly, it has to be linguistically sharp. We have to be craftspeople with our language, rhythm, rhyme; stanza breaks… all poetic choices must enhance the whole. With so many good entries one lazy stanza or even line can sour a whole poem. Finally, another atrocious ask – it is good to be fresh. That search for a new subject or an original slant on an old subject can be maddening but the process of opening the reader’s eyes is so often enhanced by that shock of the new. I believe we all try; we all fail to conquer these four peaks. But I don’t want those mountains gone.
Judges are often asked if they can pick the identity of the entrants. Most of the judges I’ve spoken to argue it happens only rarely and when they do think they “pick one” as often as not they are wildly wrong. I had no idea who these poets were when I chose them, even the genders of most of these winners were obscure. I find that is a joy for me as I potentially discover not only a great poem but maybe a great new poet.
First prize went to number 100 – the Thaumaturge. This poem is an intriguing journey across aeons with a very deliberate, spiralling structure. With an at times quite simple language, the poet has constructed a glorious certainty in the play of man and god. Second prize was awarded to number 77 – halfway across the desert. This poem too has a marvellous exploration in the mythic – a quite different journey to revelation.
None of this was easy! The four highly commended were all poems of substantive quality. 171 and 110 also touch on matters of the spirit though they are so widely disparate they stand as a shining example of the range poetry can deliver. Number 156 and 231 are also linked as they experiment to capture the voice, the nature of (I assume) another culture — China and Indonesia respectively. They are both real contributions to that body of work which attempts this.
Those who have been commended also display deftness in their art. Number 86 is a powerful moment around Chester Pass Road. Number 194 sparks off a painting as so many other good poems have done before. Number 182 is a deceptively simple but delightful celebration of generations of women whilst number 104 is a powerful portrait of a moment… a mother and son.
I was honoured to read all the entries, could easily have awarded more prizes as a number of entries were very reluctantly shed from my fat shortlist. My thanks to all of the entrants plus Patricia Johnson and Trisha Kotai-Ewers who have worked so tirelessly to make this competition such a success.
Les Wicks
Winning Poems – Judge: Les Wicks
First prize: “The Thaumaturge” by Christopher Konrad (WA) Download
Second prize: “Halfway Across the Desert” by Karen Dixon (WA) Download
Highly Commended:
“Worship” by Mags Webster (WA)
“The Crescent and the Cross” by Paula Jones (WA)
“China Landscapes” by Glen Phillips (WA)
“The Balinese Sonnets” by Roland Leach (WA)
Commended:
“Dispersion of Seed” by John C. Ryan (WA)
“From Lighthouse Hill” by Dick Alderson (WA)
“My Grandmothers” by Julie Watts (WA)
“Change” by Kathryn Lomer (TAS)