National Poetry Day, on Thursday 4th October, sees the launch of Funeral Services Northern Ireland’s first National Poetry Competition.
As the theme of this year’s National Poetry Day is “Stars”, Funeral Services Northern Ireland anticipates that this inaugural poetry competition will give entrants the opportunity to honour those stars who watch over them with their eulogy poems.
The closing date for entry is Friday 26th October and an awards event to celebrate the creativity of those entering the competition will be held at Parliament Buildings, Stormont, on Friday 2nd November. Regional winners will be invited to read their poems at the event before the overall winner is announced in front of an invited audience.
Judges, Beverley Brown, general manager Funeral Services Northern Ireland; Marie-Louise Muir, BBC arts and culture broadcaster and author of blog “Marie-Louise Muir’s Arts Extra”; Patsy Horton, Chair of Publishing NI and managing editor Blackstaff Press; and poet Paul Maddern, Tutor in Creative Writing at the Seamus Heaney Centre, Queen’s University, Teaching Fellow at Leed’s University and author of poetry collection “The Beachcomber’s Report”, gathered at Belfast’s oldest library, The Linen Hall Library, to launch the competition with up and coming poet Stephanie Moore.
Beverley Brown, Funeral Services Northern Ireland, says, “Caring is at the heart of Funeral Services Northern Ireland and this competition allows us to give a voice to people who want to honour those they care about. We’re excited to be launching our first poetry competition in celebration of National Poetry Day and look forward to reading entries from aspiring poets.”
Speaking about the relevance of poetry in today’s society, Paul Maddern said, “The eulogy is one of the most relatable forms of poetry. Not everyone has read “The Iliad” but most people can recall a eulogy that had the power to touch them and make them think fondly of someone they cared about.”
Patsy Horton, of Publishing N.I., says, “This Funeral Services Northern Ireland poetry competition is a fantastic opportunity for aspiring poets to showcase their work and Publishing N.I. is delighted to be a part of it. Northern Ireland is rich in literary history and we hope entrants will be able to draw on this inspiration when it comes to submitting their work.”
Since 1994 National Poetry Day has engaged millions of people with poetry through a range of live events and web-based activities. Such a variety of poetry is written and read that each year the day is given a new theme, in order to highlight particular poets and styles of poetry.
Funeral Services Northern Ireland invites entries from poets over the age of 18 who are resident in Northern Ireland and are currently unpublished. The closing date for entries is 26th October and the total prize fund is £950. Full details of how to enter and terms and conditions can be found online; www.fsni-nationalpoetrycomp.co.uk