News from Peterborough City Council

If you're a poet and you know it then get your pen and paper at the ready and enter yourself in the running for the title of Peterborough's Young Poet of the Year.

 

Peterborough Libraries is searching for the second junior poet laureate and young people are being encouraged to get their entries in as soon as possible.

 

The competition was launched last year to celebrate and encourage poetry from and for Peterborough's youngest residents. The winner of this year's competition, which has a theme of Dreams of Gold, will replace the current Peterborough Young Poet of the Year, Anne Burberry.

 

Young people can enter the competition by picking up an entry form from any Peterborough library. Short-listed entrants win free entry for themselves and an accompanying adult for the first day of the Flag Fen Eisteddfod on Saturday 14 June.  During the day they will be asked to read or perform their poem as part of this celebration of poetry, storytelling and creativity. Prizes for the winners will be donated by Waterstone's.

 

"Last year was the first time we organised an event of this kind," said Gill Benedikz, reading promotion and events co-ordinator for Peterborough Libraries.

 

"However, we were overwhelmed with the great response and we hope to be able to build on that success this year.

 

"I would encourage as many budding young poets as possible to enter the competition. It is a great event to be able to showcase the talents of Peterborough's young people."

 

The competition is open to young people between the ages of eight and 12-years who are either a member of Peterborough Libraries or lives or goes to school in Peterborough.

 

Poems, of no more than 20 lines, along with the completed entry form, should then be sent to Gill Benedikz, reading promotions and events co-ordinator, Peterborough Central Library, Broadway, Peterborough, PE1 1RX by Monday 2 June.

 

The competition is being organised by Peterborough Libraries in partnership with Read.Write.inspire, Waterstone's and Flag Fen.

 

A whole host of events are being organised by Peterborough Libraries as part of the National Year of Reading, which is being co-ordinated by Peterborough City Council's READ.WRITE.inspire literacy campaign in conjunction with the city council's libraries services.

 

National Year of Reading aims to change the culture of reading in Britain forever by creating and encouraging life-long reading for pleasure.

 

Libraries, schools, community groups and local businesses are working in partnership to support reading in every section of the community. To find out more about the National Year of Reading visit www.yearofreading.org.uk and for local information visit www.peterborough.gov.uk/libraries.