Nova Prize 2016: “in the wake of e e cummings” by bruce greenhalgh

The Nova Prize is awarded by the Anthology editors to the best poem by a poet who has not been previously published in an FSP anthology. This year’s winner is in the wake of e e cummings by bruce greenhalgh.


in the wake of e e cummings by bruce greenhalgh

what no punctuation he cried
without an exclamation mark
without quotation marks
hovering over his words

but words remain
and fall like rain
from grey verbose clouds
onto grey receptive roads
at first the worddrops make
distinct marks
then patterns
then spreading like gossip
they join together
and whole discussions tumble along gutters

and dive noisily
into the mouths of drains

while i’m…
i’m feeling lower case
splashing iambic feet through prolix puddles

as conversation forms on cooling windows
i peer into a distance obscured
by the mists of cliché
and feeling a non sequitur coming on
i take a line break
to consider the meteorology of enjambment
the syntax of clouds
full stop

Satura Prize 2016: “Courage” by Elaine Barker

The Satura Prize is awarded to the best poem in the FSP Anthology according to an external judge. This year the judge was Richard Tipping and the Prize Winning poem is Courage by Elaine Barker. See more of Elaine’s work here and read Richard’s award commendation speech here. (pics: Martin Christmas and Ian Gibbins).


Courage by Elaine Barker

Like his mates he slept upright night after night.
The sheepskin jacket was not enough to warm him –
even his bones were racked.
The whale oil he rubbed into his feet
never enough to stop the rot.
A mild-mannered man, he was always last
over the top, then he’d charge like a barbarian
shouting obscenities as he ran,
all of them madmen shooting and stabbing
in the red fire, rolling smoke and the filthy mud.

Click for more

Gala Launch of Anthology #40 – Nova and Satura Prize winners

Front Cover of Anthology

The FSP June City Meeting was devoted to the launch of Friendly Street Poets Anthology 40 “Many Eyes, Many Voices” edited by Murray Alfredson and Margaret Clark and launched by FSP founding member, Richard Tipping.

 

The Nova Prize for best poem by a poet not previously published in an FSP anthology went to Bruce Greenhalgh for his poem, in the wake of  e e cummings.

The Satura Prize for best poem in the anthology went to Eileen Barker for her poem Courage.

FSP 40th Birthday / Anthology Celebration @ Halifax Cafe

Interesting times indeed, on November 11th, 1975, when a gathering of Adelaide poets took place at the Sim Choon fireworks factory in Union Street, Adelaide. After forty years of regular poetry readings in city, suburban and country areas, thousands of poems published, the occasional controversy and metaphorical firework, Friendly Street Poets remains alive and well, providing both a venue and an audience for poets.

Following the Gala Launch of FSP Anthology 40 at the SA Writers’ Centre (Tuesday, 7th June),

on Wednesday 8th June,

FSP will host a special

Open Mic and Celebration

at the Halifax Cafe, 187 Halifax Street, Adelaide,

beginning at 6:30pm.Click for more

FSP Featured Poet Series @ The Halifax Cafe, 25th May 2016: Jill Jones & Thom Sullivan

JillJ_ThomS_BW1

Leading off the return series of FSP Featured Poets at the wonderful Halifax Cafe, two of Adelaide’s best known and successful poets, Jill Jones and Thom Sullivan.

Jill Jones has published nine books of poetry, and a number of chapbooks. Her latest books are Breaking the Days (Whitmore Press), and The Beautiful Anxiety (Puncher and Wattmann), which won the 2015 Victorian Premier’s Literary Award for Poetry. Her work is represented in a number of major anthologies including the Macquarie PEN Anthology of Australian LiteratureThe Turnrow Anthology of Contemporary Australian Poetry and The Penguin Anthology of Australian PoetryClick for more