“A Climate of Courage” is the theme for the 2019 Malliouhana Poetry Competition. According to the Organising Committee, this multifaceted theme calls to mind the choices we make in our lives. Whether related to our personal relationships, our political stance, or our financial arrangements, each daily decision, small or significant, often demands taking risks, moving from zones of safety and comfort to deal with challenges, and is therefore an opportunity to create “a climate of courage”.
The Competition 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 Junior poets (those in the 8-15 age range) and the Seniors (ages 16 and up) are invited to submit their unpublished works for one or both categories.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 8th May 2019. 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.
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.
Over the years the literary competition has attracted more than three hundred and fifty submissions from poets of all age ranges. Last year Rhonica Connor took first place honours in the Junior Category, while Claushaun Richardson and Alexis Ryan were adjudged winners in the two Senior Categories.
As part of the 2018 Awards, the Organisers also presented the “Good Neighbour Award” to the Anguilla Electricity Company and paid tribute to three more Culture Bearers, Mrs. Bernice Fahie-Richardson, Ms. Lena Gumbs and Mr. Felix Fleming.
Entry forms, as well as the rules and regulations for the 2019 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 31st March 2019.
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
