Having received rave reviews in South Korea and amongst foreign audiences, ‘Poetry’ is Chang-dong Lee’s fifth feature film and has also won an award from the International Federation of the Cinematographic Press as well as best screenplay award at the Cannes Film Festival of 2010. The film is certainly one for audiences who like to see the complexities of life laid bare and will most certainly appeal to international movie buffs who enjoy East Asian cinema. For poets, it is a must-see.

Mija, the central character, is a strong woman who faces one hardship after another. She knows her grandson is guilty of a terrible gang-rape of a young teenage girl who later commits suicide. Her angst is further intensified by the way the boys fathers cover-up the crime. Her strained relationship with her grandson, who is addicted to modern technology, as well as her battle with encroaching dementia, all seem to point to a woman on the edge of breaking.

That is until she discovers the magic of poetry and enrols herself onto a course to better understand how to compose a poem. The catalyst for this is a long forgotten memory from her childhood when a teacher told her she had a gift for writing verse. Some of the most beautiful and poignant scenes in the film take place in the poetry class where discussions on poetry and life are seen and heard. For poets watching this film, many wonderful lessons and ways of viewing the world and poetry writing will be gained. It is a reflective salute to the art of poetry from South Korea.

It was released in the United States on 11 February 2011.

One of the most fascinating aspects of this competition is the mystery prize donor. The as yet unnamed sponsor is likely to be someone who has a deep love for poetry and the written word in general.

As one of the Montreal Prize’s three founders, Peter Abramowicz, said of the mystery person: “We were lucky to find someone generous and forward-thinking enough to kick-start this project with a catalyst donation.”

The top 100 and then the top 50 poems will be published in two different anthologies, both by Véhicule Press. Organisers are hoping the yearly prize will make a major change in cultural and literary awareness both in Canada and the wider world. All poems must be submitted by July 8 to be eligible for the potential prize money and the largest of its kind.

You can read more about it here: Montreal International Poetry Prize.

The Alaska Association of Student Governments (AASG) has arranged a media contest to take place in April of this year. During this period, students from across the northern American state are invited “to enter skits, songs, poems, digital stories and posters, among other things, to encourage others to mindfully make healthy choices”. The Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium has also joined forces with the AASG and has sponsored the event.

Organisers hope that the media coverage and beautiful creations will spread awareness both to potential victims and also to family, friends and employers that suicide is a big problem and needs to be addressed and understood. Creative practices such as poetry, art and drama are also useful tools in helping traumatised or depressed individuals and thus the connection between this contest and the subject at hand is a particularly apt one.

The results of the contest will be announced in mid-April at the AASG Spring Conference in Cordova and winners will receive $2,000 in prizes and cash. A member of Alaskan Careline Crisis Intervention said that the awareness of suicide and the aim to highlight the problem through poetry, writing, theatre and art has really galvanised children throughout the state and made them think that they can really make a difference.

You can find more information on this here: AASG Suicide Prevention and Media Contest.

He was initially bitten by the haiku bug in the early Noughties, by way of a friendly relationship with the man recognized as “Flanders’ Father of Haiku” (a senior priest, Bart Mesotten who gifted him one of his poetry books). Van Rompuy continues to be criticized as incredibly dull since he ended up being selected for the EU’s leading position in the Autumn however some declare his haikus as more energetic.

A devout Roman Catholic and a man of simple pleasures, he takes part in frequent retreats at Affligem Abbey, a Benedictine monastery situated in his homeland. He decided not to campaign for the position of European president, and prior to the Belgian king persuading him into becoming leader, he seemed to be moving in the direction of a comfy retirement centered on literature, faith, country strolls and moreover family life.

Everyone who makes an attempt to understand his personality through his haiku, may ponder as to whether he may have favored that tranquil life to the actual position he’s finished up in. Nevertheless he claims this isn’t the case. Fiona Sampson, who is the editor of Poetry Review, suggests reading through Mr Van Rompuy’s haiku is similar to taking a look at “someone’s holiday snaps”.

The book of haiku is due to be published on the 15th of April.

The winner of the Million’s Poet competition will be announced on the 31st of March this year and Hissa Hilal, the Saudi housewife in question, is one of the favourites to pick up the hefty financial prize. The poetry competition results will be aired on Abu Dhabi state television which receives a large following across the globe. Nabati poetry, or Bedouin poetry is the main theme of the competition and is widely popular amongst Gulf Arabs.

Islamists have become infuriated with the contents of Hissa Hilal’s poetry which condemns the rigid Islamist social conditions placed upon women in Saudi Arabia. She also criticises the use of fatwas and has labelled the actions by extremist clerics as evil as well as writing a poem about such issues which is titled ‘The Chaos of Fatwas’. As Hilal says herself, she wants to “fight extremism which has become a worrying phenomenon”.

As well as condemning the separation of the sexes in Saudi society, the brave poetess has also damned the phenomenon of Islamic suicide bombings and has labelled the perpetrators as “monsters wearing belts”. The panel members of the contest which is held in the relatively moderate city of Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates have so far been impressed with the Saudi housewife and have praised her outspoken attitude and bravery in the face of severe punishment.

In a nation where women are forced to cover from head to toe, including their faces and be unable to move around or work freely without a male relative, the freedom and expression of poetry becomes so much sweeter and indeed vital.

The epic poem tells of the love, magic, jealousy and tragedy that surrounds the story of Sigurd the Völsung and the fall of the Niflungs. The character Valkyrie Brynhild is rescued by the hero Sigurd after he kills the dragon Fafnir. Experts believe this storyline might have influenced Bilbo’s encounter with Smaug in The Hobbit. Unfortunately Sigurd is later murdered and Brynhild commits suicide.

JRR Tolkien’s son has recently expressed concerns that his father’s many fans might be “put off” by the book’s verse form. Most people know the great writer for The Lord of the Rings and not for poetry. Christopher Tolkien 84, who lives in France, recently completed another un-seen manuscript of his father’s and had it posthumously published. Middle-Earth The Children of Húrin went on to see more than one million copies worldwide.

When asked about the publication of The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrún earlier in the week, Christopher Tolkien replied:

“I dare say that a good many will be instantly put off by the very idea of ‘long narrative poems in verse’ and pursue it no further. It is equally possible that their form will lend them an unexpected impact.”

During his childhood, young Tolkien’s father would pay him two pence for every mistake found in his rough drafts. Ever after, the great writer would ask his son for ideas and inspiration, even when Christopher was an RAF pilot during World War 2. For the last 36 years he has been the chief literary executor of his father’s work. Amongst the titles to have come from this dedicated hard work was The Silmarillion which was published in 1977.

When asked further about the most recent publication of JRR Tolkien’s epic poetry, he said:

“My hope is that some of those who appreciate and admire the works of my father will find it illuminating in respect of Old Norse poetry in general, in his own treatment of the fierce, passionate and mysterious legend, and in this further and little known aspect of him as both philologist and poet. Above all I hope they will take pleasure in this poetry.”

The book is available to buy here and has so far received glowing customer reviews: The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrun by JRR Tolkien

You can read the full interview here: Christopher Tolkien answers questions about Sigurd and Gudrún

Back then and in the decades and centuries that came after, the great Czech poets could not have foreseen quite how high the works of modern poets would go. That is, into space! The likes of Hynek z Poděbrad, Karel Hynek Mácha, Jan Neruda and Jaroslav Seifert would be astonished by plans to put a Czech flag and book of poetry into outer space.

U.S. astronaut Andrew Feustel will be doing just this in May 2009 when NASA will make repairs on the Hubble telescope orbiting the Earth. This action has been labelled the STS 125 mission. It’s hoped the astronauts can prolong the telescope’s life until the year 2013.

Feustel, who has Czech ancestry hopes his actions will be a nice gesture to the Czech people and nation as well as the Czech Astronomical Institute. This isn’t however the first time that the nation’s national flag has been in orbit. In 1972 an American astronaut by the name of Eugene Cernan took the Czech flag to the moon. He had Czech-Slovak ancestry.

The volume of poems Andrew Feustel will take on-board with him will be ‘Cosmic Songs’ by Jan Neruda. This poet lived in the 19th Century and looked fondly upon the growth of science and technology. His works often incorporate praise for the human desire to progress in all ways possible.

It’s interesting to note that the famous and most loved Chilean poet Pablo Neruda took the surname of Jan Neruda as his own, so inspired and full of admiration for the Czech poet was he.

You can read more poetry by this great Czech poet in this book available at Amazon:

Prague Tales by Jan Neruda

The 53-year-old openly lesbian poet will join the ranks of great literary masters including John Dryden (the first to hold the post), William Wordsworth, Alfred Lord Tennyson and John Betjeman. Her work will include penning poems for major state occasions and events involving the Royal Family.

An official announcement will be made by the Culture Secretary Andy Burnham in the coming hours or days informing the public of the new Poet Laureate. Having missed out on the position before due to Tony Blair’s concern over Middle England’s views of a lesbian holding the post, the news will be greeted warmly by gay rights groups.

She succeeds Andrew Motion who stated earlier in the week that he was “relieved” to be leaving the job. The announcement will be made at Manchester University’s John Rylands Library.

You can read an earlier post of mine on this subject here: Carol Ann Duffy to be First Female Poet Laureate.

One of her most well known poetry books is Rapture which is a T.S. Eliot Prize winning collection. It’s a book-length love-poem and a moving act of personal testimony through the human emotions of infatuation, longing, passion, commitment, rancour, separation, and grief. With poems that will find deep resonance in the experience of most readers, it is a collection that can and does speak for us all.

“Poets are inspired by what is happening in the outside world. Their imagination absorbs it,” says veteran Pashto poet in the city of Peshawar, Rahmat Shah Sael. “That is why Pashto poets are writing about violence in one way or another.”

Poetry has a long history in the region and has often be used as an expression of cultural pride and indeed of identity. Regular poetry gatherings are arranged, despite the many dangers and threats from the Taliban. Large crowds gather to listen to poets recite their work and that of the historical figures.

Khushhal Khan Khattak, who was a warrior poet in the 17th Century is still greatly revered as is the mystic poet Rahman Baba (pictured) who died in the year 1711. They are both considered giants of Pashto poetry and literature.

“It is not the poets’ choice to write about war and violence, they are compelled to do so – to express their reaction and hatred to bloodshed,” says Darwesh Durrani, a popular Pashto poet and professor of literature in Quetta.

Young poets from across the country have written poems describing events they have witnessed with their own eyes, including the deaths of parents, children and whole villages. Some address their poems directly to the suicide bombers who sow so much destruction and pain.

Zarlasht Hafeez, a female Pashto poet has managed to publish a collection of poetry about the events in her homeland. The collection is called “Waiting for Peace” and here is a brief extract:

“The sorrow and grief, these black evenings,
Eyes full of tears and times full of sadness,
These burnt hearts, the killing of youths,
These unfulfilled expectations and unmet hopes of brides,
With a hatred for war, I call time and again,
I wait for peace for the grief-stricken Pashtuns”

If you want to read some Pashto poetry then the book below will be of particular interest to you.

Songs of Love and War: Afghan Women’s Poetry

The active voice of the Afghan woman affirms simple pleasures and bemoans widespread suffering. The poems celebrate nature, mountains, rivers, dawn, and night’s magnetic space. They are songs of war and honor, shame and love, death and beauty.

This is not the first time she has been put forward for the position. In 1999, after the death of the then incumbent Poet Laureate Ted Hughes, she narrowly lost out to Andrew Motion. Many critics claim her loss was because of Prime Minister Tony Blair’s concern with how her homosexuality would fare with Middle England.

A rather bitter Duffy said retorted: “I will not write a poem for Edward and Sophie (Earl and Countess of Wessex). No self-respecting poet should have to.”

Carol Ann Duffy was born in the Scottish city of Glasgow in 1955. At the age of 4, she and her family moved to Staffordshire in England. She went on to be educated at Saint Austin Roman Catholic Primary School, St. Joseph’s Convent School and Stafford Girls’ High School before studying philosophy from Liverpool University in 1977.

Her first collection of poetry Standing Female Nude was published in 1985. Ten years later, in 1995 she was awarded an OBE and then in 2001, a CBE. Duffy’s popularity has soared over the last couple of decades and she has even become part of the school syllabus in England and Wales.

Journalist Katharine Viner said of Ms Duffy:

“Her poems are accessible and entertaining, yet her form is classical, her technique razor-sharp. She is read by people who don’t really read poetry, yet she maintains the respect of her peers. Reviewers praise her touching, sensitive, witty evocations of love, loss, dislocation, nostalgia; fans talk of greeting her at readings ‘with claps and cheers that would not sound out of place at a pop concert’”.

An announcement on whether she will become Britain’s next Poet Laureate is expected in the coming week after the Queen’s approval. If she is promoted to the position she can expect to earn an annual salary of £5,000 in place of the ancient stipend of a “butt of sack”. She’s also be expected to write poems for the Royal Family and attend major literary events.

See: Carol Ann Duffy is the New British Poet Laureate.