This Saturday a Showcase of new writing on the theme of ‘Walking Together’ was entertainingly compered by Electra Rhodes, and included poems and stories that had been shortlisted in this year’s Write about Walking competition, read by their authors.
The Showcase is the final step in the writing competition that began back in April, at which the winners in the poetry and story categories were announced. Damaris West was the winning poet, with her poem “Sharing” that related how two people can view their surroundings very differently.
Poetry judge and former Poet-in-Residence, Lydia Kennaway wrote: “There was more than one arresting poem in the competition shortlist, but ‘Sharing’ stood out as lyrical and well-crafted, with an assured use of assonance throughout. Through something approaching a metaphysical conceit, the poet describes the intimacy between two people where outlooks differ but converge ‘…somewhere at some wavering line…’ where the ‘two horizons meet’. Our focus is directed cinematically until it settles on this point of triangulation, the point that defines every close relationship. Musical and succinct, this poem stayed with me long after my first reading.”
Chantal Lyons‘ story “Flower Key”, was inspired by Chantal’s experience of falling in love, and exchanging names for wild flowers.
Story judge Nick Sayers wrote “I really enjoyed ‘Flower Key’. The writing gives a feeling of movement and development, with a sensuous use of names and carefully chosen rhythms. The piece celebrates the pleasures of walking, and of finding beauty in Nature… and more! It tells a story, and it leaves the reader feeling uplifted. Altogether, it achieves a lot.”
Each of the winners become online Writer-in-Residence for walk · listen · create for 2024/5 and take home a cash prize of €100, an artwork by illustrator Alban Low and one year’s Silver membership.
Runners-up were Matthew Wignall with his story “Walking to Independence” and Sarah Leavesly with her prose poem “An Unlikely Pair“.
This year we were delighted to have an Australian prize sponsored by Orana Arts in regional New South Wales, and they chose Bronwyn Birdsall‘s story “Connecting…” as their winner. About her win, this is what Bronwyn wrote::
“I’m now working on my second book and I’ve been experimenting lately with writing shorter pieces to enliven the marathon that is novel writing. As a novelist, it’s also a good reminder to be concise in your storytelling: a paragraph can have the narrative impact of an entire chapter. I really enjoyed the challenge of writing a 250-word piece for Walking Together, and was thrilled to have it recognised on the shortlist and by Orana Arts with the Regional writers prize.”
Bronwyn’s first novel Time and Tide in Sarajevo was published by Affirm Press in 2022 and was shortlisted for the 2023 Readings Prize for New Australian Fiction. It was inspired by the four years she lived in post-war Sarajevo in her twenties, particularly by the wide range of remarkable people she met while living there.
WALKING, an illustrated chapbook anthology that includes all the shortlisted poems and stories from this year’s competition is now published and with stock running out fast – to order a copy, please use the contact form below.
