All Poetry Competition Results 09

First
‘Head of the Table’. Susan McCreery   Thirroul  NSW
Second
‘Malachite’. Dale Harcombe. Sanctuary Pt. NSW
Third
‘Marry I Would’. Alexandra Taylor. Mt Colah  NSW

Highly Commended
‘Asperger’s Eyes’. David Campbell. Beaumaris Vic
‘Did I Tell You?’ David Campbell

Commended
‘Deconstructing Dan Brown’. John Carey. Chatswood NSW
‘Downstream’.  John Egan. Ashfield NSW

Shortlisted
‘Memory’.  Joanne Mills. Darlington WA
‘Mute’.  Joanne Mills
‘High Summer’. Dorothy Swoope. Milton  NSW

Congratulations to everyone. These poems gave us as much pleasure in the reading as you must have had in the writing. Enthusiasm shines through.

Comments have been sent to as many poets as possible. We hope that, after further work, these poems can be sent out again. Even those poems that have won cash prizes can still be accepted by some magazines as we do not publish your work anywhere.

Tips
Stick to the rules ie  Line Limit , SSAE, number of copies.
Watch rhythm, Even free verse should show a subliminal rhythm.
Edit your work for typos, omissions, and spelling mistakes.
Be wary of too many adjectives.
Make your choice of word match the subject, tone.
Avoid cliché.
Improvement can be made by listening to criticism and by reading modern poetry ie Best Australian Poems, Best Australian Poetry. Blue Dog etc. By all means read all those classic poems you love but take care not to use archaic language in your own poetry. Use the speech of today.

We look for innovation and difference in imagery, language and subject. Humour and wit are always welcome.
From The Kitchen Table Poets whose book, Tangents is now available.
To buy Tangents, email Kitchen Table Poets. ($22 – postage included)