National Poetry Day

One of New Zealand's poetry legends, Hone Tuwhare has often written of his hunger for the bounty of Tangaroa, and is therefore the ideal poet for a National Poetry Day that falls within Māori Language Week, which this year celebrates the theme of Kai.

Steele Roberts have given us permission to reproduce one of Hone's kai-themed poems here:

Friday is National Poetry Day but poets up and down the country like to make a week of it – Tuesday Poem is no exception.  The usual Tuesday Poem is up today and on Friday the blog will host poems by the NZ Post Poetry finalists, and in the live blog roll the Tuesday Poets will post poems with a NZ theme or, for the overseas poets, poems about the joys of writing poetry.

 - while stocks last. Request your supply now, in time for National Poetry Day, Friday 30 July, 2010.

Three varieties of National Poetry Day postcards are available AT NO CHARGE. Request a supply for your bookshop, library or school by emailing anna.hutchison@booksellers.co.nz

From rap artists and performance poets to poetry slams and 24-hour poetry marathons, Friday 30 July marks a vintage year for National Poetry Day with more events than ever before happening throughout the country.

From Whangarei to Dunedin, Poetry Day is a unique opportunity to hear some of our best-known poets share their work. Poetry stars Sam Hunt, Michele Leggott, Kevin Ireland, Albert Wendt, Jenny Bornholdt, and Poet Laureate Cilla McQueen are among the line-up in more than 50 events planned around the country.

A dab hand with haiku? An expert at sonnets and sestinas?

To celebrate National Poetry Day 2010, Time Out Bookstore, in conjunction with the Sunday Star-Times, is holding a nationwide poetry competition.

Submissions will be accepted by email only to competition@timeout.co.nz, subject line ‘poetry’, and close 5pm, Thursday 15 July.

Upper word limit is 300 and the competition is open to previously unpublished poets over 16 years of age only.

The winner will be announced on National Poetry Day, Friday 30 July and will receive a $500 Time Out Voucher.

National Poetry Day is a celebration of poetry in New Zealand. It’s a day which gives communities all over New Zealand an opportunity to enjoy the written word out loud. What makes the day work is a series of public events and activities that aim to involve as many people as possible in celebrating the extraordinary world of New Zealand poetry.

National Poetry Day is timed to generate excitement and increased interest in both poetry and the New Zealand Post Book Awards in general. In 2010 National Poetry Day will take place on Friday 30 July.

The following comes from the poets.org website, based in the US, which was created to help American booksellers promote poetry on National Poetry Month (April 2010).

Many of these suggestions may be helpful for NZ's National Poetry Day (30 July 2010). Take a look!