Saturday 31 October 2009
WHEN ALL IS SAID AND DONE...
Thursday 17 September 2009
AND THE WINNER IS.....
Commended Koel Mukherjee
Commended Simran Dovedi, Joe Young
Rida Hasan - Changing Face
2nd Prize
Gordon Kirkley - The Changing Face
2nd Prize
ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE Category
2nd Prize
2nd Prize
PRIMARY SCHOOL Category
2nd Prize
2nd Prize
Remya Unnithan - Tom Cruise’s Diary
2nd Prize
ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE Category
2nd Prize
2nd Prize
1966 Born in Newham was I
Bobby Moore, Hurst, and Peters had taken us to a new high
East London , Born and Bred
Names like Ethel, Bill, Elsie and Fred
Changes over the decades we have seen some
But still Newham remains popular, and still they come
From around the world to see Cockney Life
Trying to forget their ‘Troubles and Strife’
From Forest Gate to Canning Town
So many changes No need to frown!
The sixties came the sixties went
‘Love and Peace’ surely words that were heaven sent
Our proud Newham Heritage from years gone by
Leave for Barking, Hornchurch and farthest Essex?
I wonder why?
People from different countries came
But underneath we’re all the same
We still have our pie, We still have our mash
Now at Christmas, and Dilwali, we All have a bash!
In the Seventies we had disco and flares,
Reggae and Skins, Kids without any cares
Markets at Rathbone, East Ham, and Green Street,
Get your Saltfish, Fruit n Veg , Halal Meat
The eighties gave us New Romance,
Punks, well they never really had a chance.
Famous places and Famous faces, all with lots of style
Businesses that stand the test of time just like Tate and Lyle
Lennox Lewis, Vera Lynne and The Brave Jack Cornwall
And FANTASTIC buildings like our Newham Town Hall
If it’s Sport you want to play until dark
We have Wanstead Flats and West Ham Park
Exercise everywhere at Newham’s Leisure,
Never forget, West Ham United, our local treasure.
Labour, Tory, Liberal or Respect
We also have Newham Police to serve and protect
We need Someone who really CARES,
That’ll be Sir Robin, he’s OUR Mayor
Past the nineties, into a new millennium
From Eastern Europe our newest friends have come
Different, yes, but people the same,
Lets make them PROUD it’s to Newham they came,
We have to invest in our youngsters TODAY
More jobs, No KNIVES, let them have a say,
We must give them the tools to cope
To give them a future a place with HOPE,
Our biggest victory was yet to be won,
The chosen borough, for Olympic fun,
To show the world stage, what we are about,
Newham is PROUD, Newham is Great, Let’s hear you shout.
Julian Hilaire
I do not know how to speak Chinese
The words you can hear are all the same
Why do they like to talk about dragons?
But I do know how to speak Polish
The sound of my language
Hearing it every day and every night
And even the dark moon
And the bright shiny stars talking to me.
I do no know how it feels to die and be under the ground,
The feel of the sand on my face,
The dreams of what is happening in the real world.
But I do know how the 02 Arena looks like,
The big empty field and suddenly people
Surrounding around me.
The sound of Michael Jackson having a practice lesson.
I do not know how it feels like to be a twin.
People staring at us, our mums and dads.
We look the same like two plums in a large field.
But I do know that my name is Piotr
And it belongs to me forever.
Piotr Ambrozik, Plaistow Primary School
1st Prize Poetry - Under 21
So many people dream of Caribbean Isles
Enriched with golden sands
Or thermal spa getaways
Complete with manicures and cocktails.
However pleasant such places may be
The destination my soul craves rests at home
And more precisely
My bed.
For it is the transition of moon to twilight
Where my eyes twitch
And from twilight to eve
Where my breathing slows
And the tight clothing that binds me are released.
Truly this is bedtime.
A haze of slumber wafts before me
And the dots of light beneath my shut eyelids
Dance in synch with my thoughts
Like glitter ballerinas.
Then I drift
And I sail
And I fly.
I have asked God why the world is round
And questioned my mother of my existence
I have asked Rosa why she didn’t just stand up
And Martin why he didn’t just sit down
I have touched the serenity of Mount Everest
And felt the wrath of Mount Vesuvius.
As I am roused bitterness engulfs me
As I realise that my unconscious adventures
Bear no significance
In what we call reality.
Natasha Mwansa
MODESTY
Depends on what you mean.
The changing face of me, or the country?
I remember I was a baby when I was born.
My face, my self have changed since then.
‘Cos I was all wrinkled,
Like a prune
And as I got older,
The wrinkles appeared again!
But I’m still a very handsome chap.
Gordon Kirkley
Dear old man,
What have you seen?
The evolution of concrete mountains?
The multiplying tittering of tongue?
Deal old man,
where have you been?
Crow’s feet have trampled your legs.
Your lifetime mapped on your skin.
Dear old man,
birthed from war,
living on tar river banks,
cannibalised honour eating on Newham floor.
Old man,
hear whispers say:
“Change is earned
when effort’s displayed.”
Annette du Plessis
Thursday 23 July 2009
LET THE SUMMERTIME FESTIVITIES COMMENCE...
Friday 10 July 2009
PHEW, WHAT A SCORCHER!
2009 NEWHAM WRITING COMPETITION POETRY SHORTLIST
GENERAL CATEGORY
Elaine Baker - I have seen
Jacqui Durand - That Battle
Julian Hilaire - Newham is Proud
Koel Mukherjee - Newham’s Face
UNDER 21
Shuhena Bhanu - The Ghostly Face of Newham
Sophia Mahmood - The Changing Face
Natasha Mwansa - The Changing Face
POETRY OVER 60'S
Gordon Kirkley - The Changing Face
Sheila Madge Lee - A Morning In The Park
Janet O’Brien – Hurdler’s Dream
Lilian Rabey - I Was Old Before I Was Young
PRIMARY SCHOOL
Piotr Ambozik - I Do Not Know But I Do Know
Joshua Brian - I Do Not Know But I Do Know
Jamie Brooks - I Do Not Know But I Do Know
Simran Dovedi - Changing Face
Joe Young - If I Was A Cabbage
SECONDARY SCHOOL
Ann Adesolabomi - Love at First Bite
Oluwatunmise Daniels - The Giraffe
Rida Hasan - Changing Face
Fahima Khanum - The New Building
Akil Job Omari - Looking Forward
Klaudija Viscockyte - The Changing Face
ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE
Annette du Plessis - Hopeless Homeless
Barry Freedom Taylor - The Changing Face
Klaudia Visockyte - The Changing Face
2009 NEWHAM WRITING COMPETITION SHORT STORY SHORTLIST
GENERAL CATEGORY
Jacqueline Applebee - Mother, Maiden, Crone
Annette du Plessis - Forgotten
Colette Fleming - Nellie
Sylvester Onwordi - Galleon’s Reach
Joy Stone - Changing Places
UNDER 21
Zele Huma Butt - Aurora Borealis-The Lady Aiken
Remya Unnithan - Tom Cruise’s Diary
OVER 60'S
Cynthia Adejayan - The Changing Face
Christine Edwards - Rose’s First Telegram
Trevor Hadley - The Wallet
Alan Lancaster - A Face In The Mud
Carol Price - Life Could Be A Dream
PRIMARY SCHOOL
Dise Ockri - The Changing Face
Grace Raj - The Changing Face
SECONDARY SCHOOL
Billy Tonks - Chasing A Dream
Afrida Alam - Envisioning Glory
Zeenat Abdoolwahed - For The Better
Irsalan Ahmed - The Greenway
Sherena Hamilton - The Changing Face Of Hope
ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE
Sandra Nam - A Day in Newham
Annette du Plessis - Forgotten
R. Giridharan - From East With Glory
Chiedza Penelope Mwandiambira - Picture Perfect
2009 NEWHAM WRITING COMPETITION SHORT PLAY SHORTLIST
SHORT PLAY
Paula David – Second Chance
Annette Kamara – The 104 Bus Stop
Clive Power – Hollow The Leader
Deb Scott-Lovric – Keeping Abreast
Monday 18 May 2009
AS THE DAYS ROLL BY...
Friday 13 March 2009
SPRING HAS SPRUNG!
1. The Changing Face Newham Writing Competition 2009 creative writing taster workshops are still ongoing with workshops at North Woolwich Library (March 19), Plaistow Library (March 26), Stratford Library (April 4), The Gate Library (April 11)...
Charlie Dark is one third of Attica Blues, the critically acclaimed hip hop inspired trio. Charlie has toured around the globe to places such as Japan, US, Germany, Africa, Australia, Canada and most of Europe. Charlie was featured at Poetry International at the South Bank and as well as being the poetry Judge for Changing Faces Newham Writing Competition 2009 he was a Poet Coach for the London Teenage Poetry Slam for three years running.
Event: Changing Face Teenagers' Creative Writing Workshop
Venue: Canning Town Library, Barking Road, Canning Town E16 4HQ
Date: Saturday 21st March
Time: 2pm - 4pm
The workshops are facilitated by poet and playwright Heather Taylor and community poet and novelist Evlynn Sharp. Participants will also be invited to contribute oral histories which will be recorded and form part of the exhibition. The workshop dates, times and venues are:
Authors on the night are Sara Hiorns, Frank Goodman, Emily Bromfield, Kate Henderson, Katy Darby, Richard Tyrone Jones. A children's club with art facilities and reading will be available at The Gate making this a real family-friendly event.
Venue: The Gate Library, 4-20 Woodgrange Road, Forest Gate E7 0QH
Date: Tuesday 24th March 2009
Time: 5.30pm for a 6.00pm start
Finishes: 7.30pm
4. And finally Stratford Library plays host to the official launch of Vincent De Sousa's 2nd collection of poetry called Resurrecting Knives published by Salt Publishing on Tuesday 31st March at 7pm.
Vincent studied English and Philosophy at the University of East Anglia and for many years worked as an advertising copywriter. He set up and ran the 1980s experimental London workshop Physical Poets and currently co-hosts the poetry and short story reading series Ride the Word. In 2007 his first collection Weightless Road was published by Salt Publishing. Vincent is currently one of the facilitators on the Changing Face Writing Competition workshops.
The evening also features readings and performances from local writers. Light refreshments available.
Venue: Stratford Library, 3 The Grove, Stratford E15 1EL
Date: Tuesday 31st March 2009
Time: 7pm - 9pm
Wednesday 4 February 2009
'THE CHANGING FACE' Newham Borough Writing Competition 2009
Live, work, study or go to school in Newham?
Want to win a prize and have your work published?
Then why not enter the Newham Borough Writing Competition?
With prizes totaling well over £1000 Newham Libraries and Arts & Festivals Service in association with London’s leading writing organisation, Spread the Word, launches its first borough-wide writing competition for poetry, short stories and stage-plays.
In recognition of dramatic changes taking place in Newham today the theme for the competition is ‘The Changing Face’ and the submitted work, in some way, should reflect this in its content. The deadline for entries is 29 May 2009.
Aimed at writers of all ages and abilities the competition seeks to capture the essence of London’s most diverse borough with additional awards for under-represented groups such as schoolchildren, the Under 21’s, the Over 60’s and those with English as a Second Language.
Don’t worry if you’ve never written before, Spread the Word will be hosting a series of Free creative writing workshops in Newham Libraries to help you get the most from your work.
The workshops will cover poetry, short stories and writing for the stage and will be tutored by playwright and novelist, Laura Bridgeman (left, seen here teaching at Beckton Globe) Laura, who has a PH.D in Creative & Critical Writing teaches at the London Metropolitan University and was recently shortlisted for the Charles Pick Fellowship for her latest novel, Raphael Coombs.
The second workshop tutor is poet Vincent De Souza (below right). An experienced tutor and experimental poet, Vincent ran the central London based experimental workshop Physical Poets and in 2007 he launched his first collection
Weightless Road. He currently co-hosts Ride the Word a poetry and prose reading series and his second collection of poetry Resurrecting Knives published by Salt Publishing is due out in March 2009.
The Workshops will be taking place at these venues and at these times and do call the numbers below to book your place:
Saturday 14 February 2pm - 4pm
Canning Town Library Barking Road, Canning Town E16 4HQ
Tel: 020 7476 2696
Thursday 19 February 6pm – 7.45pm
Custom House Library
Prince Regent Lane, Custom House E16 3JJ
Tel: 020 7476 1565
Saturday 28 February 2pm – 4pm
East Ham Library
High Street South, East Ham E6 6EL
Tel: 020 8430 3648
Thursday 5th March 6pm – 7.45pm
Green Street Library 337-341 Green Street, Upton park E13 9AR
Tel: 020 8472 4101
Thursday 12 March 6pm – 7.45pm
Manor Park Library
Romford Road, Manor Park E12 5JY
Tel 020 8430 2207
Thursday 19 March 6pm – 7.45pm
North Woolwich Library
5 Pier Parade, North Woolwich E16 2LJ
Tel: 020 8430 5900
* Special Teenagers’ Creative Writing Workshop
Saturday 21 March 2pm - 4pm
Canning Town Library
Barking Road, Canning Town E16 4HQ
Tel: 020 7476 2696
Thursday 26 March 6pm – 7.45pm
Plaistow Library North Street, Plaistow E13 9HL
Tel: 020 8472 0420
Saturday 4th April 2pm – 4pm
Stratford Library
3 The Grove, Stratford E15 1EL
Tel: 020 8430 6890
Saturday 11th April 2pm – 4pm
Library @ The Gate
4-20 Woodgrange Road, Forest Gate E7 0QH
Tel: 020 8430 3838
The Competition Judges are:
Maureen Duffy – Short Story
Maureen was born in 1933 in Worthing, Sussex but lived for a large part of her life in Newham. After a career as a schoolteacher she made her debut as a novelist with That’s How It Was, published to wide acclaim in 1962. Duffy has published around 30 other books, including five volumes of poetry. Her latest collection of Poetry, her first in almost twenty years is called Family Values and was published by Enitharmon Press in 2008.
Charlie Dark – Poetry
Charlie Dark is a London-based poet, writer, producer and DJ. He makes up one third of the hip-hop inspired trio Attica Blues and is the founder of Blacktronica, a monthly club night featuring the best acts currently working the black electronic music scene in the UK. He makes regular appearances on the performance poetry circuit, is an experienced tutor and was a Poet Coach for the London Teenage Poetry SLAM for three consecutive years.
Georgia Fitch – Playwriting
Georgia was born in Plaistow. Her plays for the stage include adrenalin …heart, I like Mine With A Kiss, The Footballer’s Wife (Old Red Lion), Come Dancing, Arrivals and Dirty Dirty Princess for the RNT/Connections 2008 Season. Georgia also writes for radio and television.
‘The Changing Face’ Rules
CONDITIONS OF ENTRY
1. The theme for this competition is ‘The Changing Face’
2. There is one entry per person.
3. Poetry, short stories and short plays can be submitted
4. There is one award category for Short Plays.
5. There are five award categories for poetry and Short Stories:
(i) General – for all entrants
(ii) Entrants aged under 20
(iii) Entrants aged Over 60
(iv) Entrants who have English as a second language
(v) Entrants attending School
6. Each Entry must be the undisputed work of the Entrant
7. No covering letter or other material should be enclosed with your entry. 8. Once submitted, entries cannot be withdrawn from the competition or alterations made.
9. Entries will not be returned so please do not send your only copy. 10. Acknowledgement of receipt of entry will only be given if a stamped, self-addressed envelope marked ACKNOWLEDGEMENT is enclosed.
ELIGIBILITY
11. Entries will be accepted from writers of any nationality provided that: (i) they live, work, study or attend school in the borough of Newham (ii) they are written or translated into English (iii) they have not previously been published in any form (including appearing on the internet) (iv) they are not translations of another author’s work 12. Employees of Spread the Word and members of its Committees and Management Board and their immediate families are not eligible to enter.
GUIDELINES
13. Stories must be no longer than 1,000 words.
14. Poems must be no more than 42 lines in length
15. Entries must be typed or clearly written on one side of the paper only.
16. Plays must be maximum 30 minutes (As a guide: 1 page per minute, double-spaced) with a maximum cast of five characters.
JUDGING
17. Winners will be decided by professional judges.
18. The judges’ decision is final and no correspondence can be entered into. 19. The closing date for receipt of entries is 6pm Friday 29 May 2009. All entries must reach us by this date.
20. Shortlisted entries will be notified in writing by end of June 2009. 21. Competitors who want to receive a printed list of prizewinners must enclose a separate stamped, self-addressed envelope marked “prizewinners”
PRIZEWINNERS
22. The list of prizewinners will be available after the prize giving ceremony in August 2009
23. Prizes for short story and poetry are:
£100 for 1st Prize, £50 for 2nd Prize and £25 for 3rd Prize.
In addition there will be supplementary prizes for commended work as well as prizes for winners currently attending school.
24. Prizes for Short Plays will be rehearsed, public readings with professional actors, staged at Theatre Royal Stratford East.
25. All winners will agree to participate in any reasonable request by the Organisers to fulfill marketing obligations relating to the Competition and their own Entry.
26. Winning and commended poems and short stories will be published in an anthology and the authors offered mentoring and professional advice. The authors of the winning plays will be offered future dramaturgical support with their writing.
COPYRIGHT
27. Copyright will remain with the author, but Spread the Word and Newham Writing Competition reserves the right to arrange the first publication in an anthology.
28. Submission of a poem, short story or play implies the competitor’s acceptance of the conditions set out above.
COMPETITION RULES
29. These terms and conditions are the Competition Rules (‘Rules’) and by entering the competition, all entrants agree to be bound by them.
30. You can enter online by requesting a submission form from writingcompetition@newham.gov.uk
Postal entries can be sent to: Newham Writing Competition, Library at The Gate, 4-20 Woodgrange Road, Forest Gate, London E7 0QH