Word up - the Young Poet Laureate for 2018 has been found!
The youngest ever Young Poet Laureate for Worcestershire has been announced, following the final at The Hive on Sunday (14 January).
Rachel Evans, 13, a student from Woodrush High in Wythall, saw off strong competition from the other 10 finalists, to take the 2018 title with her poems 'NATO' and 'Prisoner: DF8421'.
The runners up were Sophie Green aged 17 from Redditch, Dani Ncube aged 15 from Bromsgrove and Heather Rodgers aged 16 from Pershore.
The judges included outgoing Young Poet Laureate, Oakley Flanagan, who was alongside current Birmingham Poet Laureate, 'The Poet with Punch' Matt Windle and Gail O'Malley from Worcestershire County Council, Children Families and Communities Directorate.
Rachel Evans, winner of the Worcestershire Young Poet Laureate for 2018, said: "The final was unbelievable. I met so many different people whose poems were about such different things that I didn't want to leave by the end of it. I heard my name and I was speechless. I am the youngest ever Poet Laureate and that smashed my doubts completely. I am so excited to be added to a list of such successful and passionate young poets and hope that I am, someday, as successful as they have been".
The MC at the event was performance poet Spoz, aka Giovanni Esposito.
All finalists were presented a certificate by Hannah Needham, Assistant Director for Children, Families and Communities at Worcestershire County Council.
Catherine Driscoll, Director of Children's, Families and Communities, who presented the winning trophy said: "It was a real honour to be part of the selection of the Young Poet Laureate for Worcestershire 2018, and to see first-hand the incredible talent and passion for poetry that the county's young people have. Well done to all involved."
Cllr Lucy Hodgson, Cabinet Member for Localism and Communities added: "The young people of Worcestershire, entrants and finalists should be really proud of their efforts in this year's competition. The event continues to go from strength to strength, and always brings a smile to the faces of all involved."
Word up - The search is on again!
Our exciting Word Up competition is appealing to teens to put to pen to paper and compete for the coveted title of being Worcestershire’s next Young Poet Laureate.
We are looking for young poets aged 13-19 with something to say and who love saying it with words. We're not necessarily looking for the next Shakespeare or Kate Tempest but if one is found, they won't be turned away!
What is a Poet Laureate?
Worcestershire's Young Poet Laureate is a prestigious title that will last for one year. The winner of our Word Up competition will be asked to:
- Act as a champion for poetry to encourage and inspire other young people.
- Write poems to celebrate special events or occasions in Worcestershire
- Perform at events in libraries, schools, festivals, and other community events.
Who can enter the Word Up competition?
Our competition is open to 13-19 years olds who live in Worcestershire or attend school, college, University or youth club in Worcestershire.
What do you need to do to enter?
Young people need to submit two poems, one of which needs to be on the subject of 'Freedom'. The other can be on any subject. The poems can be any length, and in any shape or form you like. Entry is free but only one entry per person.
Find out more at www/worcestershire.gov.uk/wordup
What is the prize?
As well as being known as Worcestershire's Young Poet Laureate (what a great thing for future CVs!), the winner will get a great trophy. They will also be paid to write and perform more poems throughout the year.
When is the closing date?
Midnight on 31 December 2017
When will the winner be announced?
It is planned to shortlist all the entries into a final 12 by Friday 5 January and hold a grand final, where the winner will be announced, at The Hive on Sunday 14 January 2018. All finalists will be asked to perform both of their poems at the final. Coaching will be provided for nervous or inexperienced performers.
If you have any further questions, please don't hesitate to contact Natalie McVey on 07876 144905 or email wordup@worcestershire.gov.uk
New Young Poet Laureate for Worcestershire!
The young poet from Hanbury, near Droitwich who takes up the mantle of Worcestershire's Young Poet Laureate 2017 can't wait to get started. On Sunday January 15, following a closely contested live final at The Hive in Worcester, Oakley Flanagan was announced as the winner. Our sixth Young Poet Laureate said: “I’m so grateful to be the Worcestershire Young Poet Laureate for 2017, there were so many great poets who competed and it still hasn’t quite sunk in yet that I get to be the next person to continue the legacy. "Poetry is more important now than ever and I’m thrilled to be given the gift of this year’s tenure to have my voice heard. "Thank you to everyone at The Hive in Worcester and the WordUp team for championing young people. I can’t wait to get started!"
Oakley, 18, was selected as part of the annual county-wide search by Worcestershire County Council's Libraries and Learning service to encourage young people to engage with poetry and find a talented young person who can both represent the county and inspire others through poetry.
Natalie McVey, Service Lead for Young People said: “Oakley is a wonderfully exciting and well deserved winner of Worcestershire's Young Poet Laureate. His commitment to poetry is evident and he is both an accomplished and enigmatic performer and writer."
Councillor Lucy Hodgson, cabinet member for Localism and Communities, added: “It was an honour to be present at this year's final and to hear the talent of the finalists. Congratulations to Oakley on winning Word Up! and becoming Worcestershire's Young Poet Laureate for 2017. This county has inspired many writers and produced a wealth of literary talent in the past so I’m eager to see what other works he produces as our new poet laureate."
Here's a poem by Oakley:
Business as usual
the winds will change
the tides will turn
the papers will predict the worse
at first we’ll blame God
and then terrorists
who’ve finally succeeded
in turning the sky against us
the names of hurricanes will chill parental bones
mother’s will whisper them into the ears of their young
like childhood monsters
the waters will withdraw
from Britain’s banks
will churn and circle
like a pack of ravenous wolves
fighting over the last bone
before they burst their banks
reduce cities to myth
and still
we won’t be convinced
we will live in the solitude
of our newfound sovereignty
our buildings reaching higher than God
soaring like Icarus in the glory of our new empire’s sun
we will look to the screen
so we don’t hear the planet’s cries
the prophets will rage on street corners
the poets into pages of digitalised poetry
kindle killed paper
because man killed the trees
suited men cowered in underground bunkers
will promise worthless coins and an overnight stay
to the prostitutes they fuck
research papers of disgraced postgrads
will be vindicated
pass into platitude and proverb
no one will enter a building without an escape plan
the oceans will boil like kettles
and curdle to milk
as landmass
returns
to the sea
words such as freak
extreme
unexpected
and unprecedented
will become
obsolete
those foolish enough to swim in the oceans will blister and crack
burned by the sulphur
the few natives and tribesmen left alive will die of the water
those too poor to afford gas masks will die of the air
crops will drown
villagers perish
food will be grown in chemical soil
then starvation rations will become the solution to overpopulation
ice will burn
to gas
fires will break out spontaneously
and burn the forests starved by drought
the children will soak up the view with terrified eyes
the first words of the newborn
uncurling itself between the bloodied legs and effluent
of its mother will be
is this the future you left us?
and still
amidst all this chaos
we will not blame ourselves
or the part that we have played
collectively to total the sum
of this ravenous destruction
so it’ll be business as usual in Britain
we will frack and burn and bleed
unmoved by the destruction
of Nature prostrated on her knees
shouting curses to the pylons
that murdered all her trees
this our mountainous inhumanity
to feed our insatiable greed
Worcestershire's new Young Poet Laureate is announced
An 18 year-old from Earls Croome has been announced as Worcestershire's fifth Young Poet Laureate for 2016
Ellie Courtman is a pupil at Hanley Castle High School. Her winning poems were entitled 'The Little Match Girl' and 'The Importance of Shakespeare'.
She said: "It hasn't really sunk in yet, but I feel very honoured to be Young Poet Laureate, especially when I was up against such talented other young writers. I'll try to do as good of a job as Chloe did."
The runners up were Jodie Young aged 14 from Lower Moore, Near Pershore, and Eleanor Roberts, aged 16 from Pershore.
Twelve young people made it to the final round and performed two poems each in front of an audience of friends and family at the final at The Hive in Worcester on Sunday 17th January.
The judges included outgoing Young Poet Laureate, Chloe Clarke, who presented certificates to the finalists. Other judges were Matt Windle 'The Poet with Punch' and County Arts Officer Steve Wilson. MC at the event was performance poet Spoz, aka Giovanni Esposito.
Cllr Lucy Hodgson, Cabinet Member for Localism and Communities, who presented the winning trophy, said: "It is a tremendous pleasure to be involved with the Young Poet Laureate for Worcestershire 2016. I am continually amazed by the talents of our young people in Worcestershire the standard of entries was incredible. Well done all our winners."
Natalie McVey, from the Libraries and Learning Service, said: "I cannot explain how proud I am of our young poets. The exuberant audience were spellbound by all of the performances. Some made us laugh and some brought tears but all of them made us think, and enjoy the moment that we were amongst such talented young people."
The 'Word Up' competition is open to anyone aged between 13 and 19 living in, or going to school, college, university or a youth club in the county.
This year's competition required poets to submit two poems, one on the subject of 'Light' and another on a subject of their choice.
Here's Ellie's second poem:
The Importance of Shakespeare
He’s in every star-crossed lover standing alone beneath a window,
His pen is mightier than his sword.
But of all his wit, wisdom, banter and flair,
Every English teacher knows that twinge of despair,
When a student raises their hand and says,
“Miss – why do I have to learn about Shakespeare anyway?
It’s not as if he relates to the world of today.”
But he does - you see Shakespeare was a literary Jedi Master,
Sprouting flowers of greats faster
Than you can say,
Thou puke–stocking, pox-marked, pigeon livered, tickle brain, swag bellied flap dragon!
A linguistic innovator,
Cross generational communicator.
One man who sums up the way we all feel after each and every age,
Because hundreds of years on and all the world is still a stage.
Othello’s misguided sense of a justice ruled by rage,
Echoes the terrorism stamped on every cover of today’s front page.
‘To be or not to be’ – the question that still blisters the brain,
It’s concepts like these that universally remain
Constant,
In the cracks of conscience.
Splintered in life, death, vengeance, love,
To rather bear the arrows of this world,
Than soar to where you know not of.
You may think his words are ancient, archaic,
Dried up and left for dead.
But the truth is you’ve quoted him if these words you’ve ever said:
Kill with kindness,
Love is blind,
Fie Fo and Fum.
Phrases that such stuff of dreams are made on!
The world is your oyster,
I wear my heart upon my sleeve,
The word ‘puking’ – which is harder to believe.
Knock knock, who’s there?
Shakespeare!
His discretion is the better part of valour,
And his verse – with baseball cap tilted and tracksuit hung loose swaggers,
To the ends of its phrase,
Pirouette and promenade across each and every gold-tinted page.
A ship drawn in divine ink that sails through centuries,
Gobbets that hang on our language like invaluable accessories.
Standing hand in hand with royal and ruffian,
Nestled deep in the heart of every peasant and nobleman.
An Elizabethan societal commentator,
Idiomatic generator.
Baiting the breaths of an audience,
With his poetical hooks of pentameter.
And in no better words can I think to bow him out,
Than in his illustrious semantics,
A desolate language ours would be without.
Because hearts hath from the gems of thy treasured book,
These merited lines with deep impression took.
And in such remembrance this man doth lie,
In a tomb for which a King would die.
Ellie Courtman