“Neighbours Beyond Storms” is the theme for the 2018 Malliouhana Poetry Competition. According to the Organising Committee, the theme underscores the dissonance of connection and separation within national boundaries and across international borders as humanity grapples with the challenges and upheavals that characterise our modern world. Poems may refer to any experiences arising from natural or man-made hazards, personal or social friction, their impact and opportunities for healing and recovery. The subject matter of the poems can range widely and may include topics such as the environment, disasters, migration, communication, social media, politics, local communities, cooperation, loss, aid/relief, connectivity and human rights.
Now part of the annual Anguilla Day Celebration activities, the Malliouhana Poetry Competition is organised by the University of the West Indies Open Campus Anguilla, in collaboration with the Anguilla Library Service, the Department of Youth and Culture and the Anguilla Community College. The goal is to encourage literacy and artistic expression, as well as to promote an ethos of social, cultural, and political awareness. It is open to all persons residing on Anguilla and features two categories: Poetry on the Page and Performance Poetry. Junior poets (those in the 8-15 age range) and the Seniors (ages 16 and up) are invited to submit their unpublished works for one or both categories. Poets in the Performance Poetry/Spoken Word category will be required to perform their submissions for judging in front of a live audience at the annual Awards Ceremony scheduled for 3rd May 2018. Winners of the Poetry on the Page category will be invited to read their submissions at the ceremony. All the Winners will also have the option of sharing their work at The Anguilla Lit Fest.
Over the years the literary competition has attracted more than three hundred submissions from poets of all age ranges. Last year Savannah Croft and Rhonica Connor took first place honours in the Junior Categories, while Sharon E. Lake and Vanessa Croft-Thompson were adjudged winners in the two Senior Categories.
As part of the 2017 Awards, the Organisers also paid tribute to five Anguillian culture bearers: Mrs. Verna Bryan, Mrs. Iona Hodge, Mrs. Olive Hodge, Mrs. Carmencita Woods and Mr. Winston Harrigan. They were presented with the Malliouhana Poetry Culture Bearer Award in recognition of their active role as reservoirs of oral history and their sharing of their memories of the Revolution across the generations.
Entry forms, as well as the rules and regulations for the 2018 Competition may be obtained from the Anguilla Library Service and the UWI Open Campus Anguilla at Pope Hill on the Queen Elizabeth Avenue. The deadline date for entries is 9th April 2018.
For further information please contact the Anguilla Public Library at 497-2441 or the University of the West Indies Open Campus at 497-8156 or email anguilla@open.uwi.edu.
– Press Release
(Published without editing by The Anguillian newspaper.)
