Announcing the Winner of the 2012 Takahe Poetry Competition

 The TakaheEditorial Committee and Takahe Collective are pleased to announce that the winner of its 2012 Poetry Competition judged by Christchurch poet and creative writing teacher, Kerrin P. Sharpe is New Plymouth poet Rachel Sawaya for her poem, The Baobab Tree. Sawaya wins $250 for her poem.

“This is a sustained and mysterious poem,” Sharpe says of the prize-winner, “which draws you into its mystery. I found myself being drawn into an African setting, perhaps along with others crowding round me, to witness the tree’s mysterious influence.”

Rachel Sawaya completed a Masters in Creative Writing at Victoria University and won the Biggs Poetry Prize in 2011. She has been published in magazines such as Sportand Poetry New Zealand, and has self-published a YA novella under the pen name Joey Deleen.

2012 Takahe Poetry Competition’s second-place and winner of $100 goes to Otaki writer, Karen Butterworth for her poem, family re-union 2 which Sharpe referred to as “a memorable and clever poem”. Butterworth’s family re-union 2 will appear in Takahe 78.

The two Highly Commended prizes, a year’s subscription to the magazine, go to Levin’s Janet Newman for her poem Hammer and to Wellington poet, Jo Thorpe (Highly-Commended in last year’s competition also) for her poem The Pool.

The 2012 TakahePoetry Competition attracted nearly 400 entries. Kerrin P. Sharpe’s full judge’s report and Rachel Sawaya’s winning entry can be read in the forthcoming issue of the magazine, Takahe 77 which will be on sale from mid-December onwards.