Poetry judge impressed by the standard of writers 2000 poems

The Writers 2000 held its annual writing competition prize-giving ceremony on July 30.

The competition judge, Ms Judy Croome was impressed by the excellence shown by the poetry entrants.

“What also struck me about the 2016 poetry entries was the excellent use of imagery. Whether the poem was about love, evolution or drought, the imagery was vivid and appealing,” said Ms Croome.

The function is held to celebrate the talents of the group’s members. Independent judges from the writing field judge entries, all submitted under noms de plume. Member, Ms Tessa Whelan coordinated the decor this year and chose the theme “Carnival”. Members were challenged to wear masks to the function and this added a fun atmosphere.

Ms Croome is a South African author and poet who has published a number of books. She gave very comprehensive feedback on the entries submitted in general as well as individual feedback on each poem.

Winners selected were:

•  First prize went to Ms Meggan Preuss for her poem You and I
•  Second prize was received by Ms Jill Jacques for Shedding
•  Third prize was received by Mr Duncan Stepto for Emergence

Highly Commended:

•  Ms Meggan Preuss for Rulers of the Forest
•  Mr Duncan Stepto for The Great Buddha of Leshan

In 2017, Ms Croome will be a speaker at a Writers 2000 meeting and will also conduct a workshop on poetry writing. Diarise September 30 to ensure you don’t miss this opportunity to hone your poetry-writing skills.

The next meeting of Writers 2000 will take place on August 27 in the Inyoni Creek Clubhouse, corner of Wordsworth and Modderfontein roads, Lyndhurst at 1:30pm for 2pm. The guest speaker will be author Ms Joanne MacGregor and she will be speaking about her writing and publishing experiences. There is a door fee of R20 payable by visitors.

Contact chairperson Ms Nicolette Bosman for more information about this meeting or the group at w2000@telkomsa.net or on 082 924 5735.