We've just had a blissful five days of skiing in Whakapapa and hot-pooling by the shores of Lake Taupo, while staying with friends in Tokaanu's beautiful Old Post Office (pictured).
The littlest LeafSalonistas - Alex (9), Maddy (6) and Tom (3) - got their first proper taste of snow and had a whale of a time.
But now it's back to literary matters, and another young 'un who will be very happy. Alisha Vara from Christchurch is the winner of the Bell Gully National Schools Poetry Award 2006, which is organised by the Institute of Modern Letters (IIML).
Upon first reading, Award judge James Brown knew Alisha’s poem was going to take some beating:
Although other poems also impressed me, ‘strawberries strung on lines’ withstood all challengers. It is so accomplished that it wouldn’t look out of place in the pages of literary magazines such as Landfall or Sport.
A year 12 Student at Rangi Ruru Girls' School, Alisha wins $500 cash, a 12-month subscription to said lit journals, a year’s membership of the NZSA and the Book Council, and $50 Booksellers Tokens.
James Brown believes the competition will help all those shortlisted to develop their talent:
The really great thing about this competition is that it isn’t just a case of entering a poem and then finding out whether you’ve won anything or not. The day of masterclasses will give me and others a chance to discuss the poems with the poets and suggest ways to improve them.
Quite. And well done, Alisha. We look forward to seeing your name regularly in print.
Other news of note is an upcoming Rare Book Auction at Bethunes, the Auckland auction house.
Bethunes' last auction, on June 8, racked up some impressive results: a diary by James Paton, a boatswain on Shackleton's Trans-Antarctic Expedition, sold for $8,500; Anderson's New, Authentic and Complete Collection of Voyages Round the World, 1784-6 fetched $4,500; and a Map of the Kuaotunu Goldfield from 1895 fetched $1,050.
This time we've got a copy of Gould's Century of Birds from the Himalaya Mountains (1832, plate pictured), two editions of Buller's Birds of New Zealand, and several shelves full of New Zealand literature - from James K Baxter to Ngaio Marsh. There are even three lots of railway literature FAO of M Lush, Esq.
The auction is on Wednesday 30 August 30 at 10am, at 18 Manukau Road, and the full catalogue is right here.
22 Aug 06 | Filed by Chris | Add your comment (2 so far)
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Comment by Mary Mac ~ August 23, 2006 11:35 PM
Alisha was genuinely amazed by her win too, telling a terrific story about dropping her entry into a puddle and wondering if it was worth sending 'because the words might have all run off' and then thinking 'what the hell' and putting it in the postbox anyway. It was lovely to see all the keen young finalists delighted to be in Wellington (staying in a nice hotel) and to be reading their poems and looking forward to attending a master class in poetry the next day, The only downside for half of them was having to ride in my pranged-up car to get back to the hotel. Good on Bell Gully! And Bill M for coming up with the idea and James Brown for his warm and funny judgement.
Comment by smp ~ August 26, 2006 2:31 PM
So that Mark doesn't feel left out, I'll hijack this thread (which seems slightly relevant to my question) to ask whether Leaf Salon folk can procure and post a transcript of Nigel Cox's speech at the Montanas. I've heard so many references to it, but only the shortest of quotes from it, and would love to read what he said.
Any possibility?
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