The Humber Mouth - Hull Literature Festival 2000 - Thursday 9th November - Sunday 19th November 2000
Open Poetry Competition

The Humber Mouth Writing Competition
in association with The Humber Mouth - Hull Literature Festival 2000

This year's anthology is the result of two writing competitions, the Open Poetry Competition and the Short Stories & Poetry Competition for Secondary Schools.

The Humber Mouth Web-site gives you the ten winning poems from the Open Poetry Competition.

The anthology booklet is available from:

City Arts Unit of Hull City Council,
Central Library,
Albion Street,
Kingston upon Hull.
HU1 3TF.

With your order please enclose a cheque for �3, made out to: Kingston upon Hull City Council.

Acknowledgements:
Many thanks to C.A.Coiffait, Gerard Benson and Bernard Young for being the adjudicators for the various competitions, Louise Carroll from Hull City Council Learning Services for organising the schools competition, Claire Bennett and Barry Ward from Hull City Libraries for their input.

Special thanks to the hundreds of people who sent in their poems and stories.

The ten winning poems of the Open Poetry Competition are:

Go.. Today I Went To Football by Michel Reeve (age 11), Hull
Go.. Parrots by Holly Kitt (age 9), Hull
Go.. Oetzi by J.D.Taylor, Huddersfield
Go.. Descent by J.E.Murphy, Huddersfield
Go.. 4am Latitudinal by Keith Valentine, Hull
Go.. Spring by David Seddon, Bury St.Edmunds
Go.. Meeting - Hayward Gallery by Martyn Chalk, Hull
Go.. Magpie by Malcolm Watson, Hull
Go.. After Market Day by Simon Wood, Pocklington
Go.. Foreign Body by Jenny Hockey, Beverley

The adjudicator for the Open Poetry Competition was C.A.Coiffait who lives and works in East Yorkshire. A member of both the Mutiny Writers and the Subtle Flame Writers and Musicians and a regular reader at the Hull Literature Festival , her work includes writing for dance drama, a visual art installation and video productions. Published in children's anthologies and in many poetry magazines, she is currently working on a verse play for radio.

"There is such a wealth of literary talent in this area that to choose only ten poems from the hundreds that were sent in, has me between a rock and a hard place.

I have read all the entries many times over and have tried to pick those that meet the following criteria: Use of vivid/unusual language and imagery, well matched form and subject matter, emotive content and a strong sense of place.

I hope you enjoy this selection and without detracting from the 'winners' at all, I just want to say don't let my omissions discourage you, remember this selection is purely personal. Above all, keep on reading, writing and enjoying poetry."

C.A.Coiffait (October 2000)