The Gods of Literature were well and truly focused on Newham on Saturday 12th
September, particularly on Stratford Library where not only were we blessed with stunningly glorious weather, but more than 200 people showed up to the awards ceremony for the Changing Face Newham Writing Competition.
September, particularly on Stratford Library where not only were we blessed with stunningly glorious weather, but more than 200 people showed up to the awards ceremony for the Changing Face Newham Writing Competition.
As Newham writer in Residence, I, along with poetry judge, Charlie Dark, Short Play judge, Georgia Fitch and Short Story judge, Maureen Duffy welcomed Councillor Corbett (left) from Newham council, who wished all the winners well as they received medals, trophies and cash prizes for their literary efforts. 
Maureen Duffy as ALCS President, spoke about writing and copyright on behalf of the Authors' Licensing and Collecting Society, recounting the exceptional work they do on behalf of writers, and I must say it was indeed a pleasure to have the support of the ALCS who were the kind sponsors of the young people's awards which meant every entrant under 21 received a leather-bound notebook.
We were also blessed with sublime performances from local poets Marc Seetal, 
Samuel Jimah and Holli Wood as well as readings from some of the winners. Highlights for me were 7 year old Dise Ockri overwhelmed at winning the short story prize in the Primary School section, 79 year old Lillian Rabey receiving a commendation and 88 year old Sheila Madge Lee winning a prize in the poetry section; the shock on Klaudija Visockyte's face on picking up a 2nd award for poetry and the same for Annette du Plessis grabbing a 1st, 3rd and commended prizes in poetry and short story followed by whoops of joy for Julian Hilaire as he won the poetry 1st prize.
Samuel Jimah and Holli Wood as well as readings from some of the winners. Highlights for me were 7 year old Dise Ockri overwhelmed at winning the short story prize in the Primary School section, 79 year old Lillian Rabey receiving a commendation and 88 year old Sheila Madge Lee winning a prize in the poetry section; the shock on Klaudija Visockyte's face on picking up a 2nd award for poetry and the same for Annette du Plessis grabbing a 1st, 3rd and commended prizes in poetry and short story followed by whoops of joy for Julian Hilaire as he won the poetry 1st prize. The full lineup of winners is listed below with some of the winning poetry entries published below them. if you want to see a comprehensive catalogue of photographs of the event courtesy of Camilla at Spread the Word, check out: http://www.flickr.com/photos/42495411@N08/sets/72157622348437284/
Also don't forget for further information on events and literature opportunities in Newham email nathalienewham@spreadtheword.org.uk and for info on opportunities across London and beyond go to http://www.spreadtheword.org.uk/
So until we meet again under the great oak tree... Tally Ho!
Newham Writing Competition 2009 Results
Newham Writing Competition 2009 Results
POETRY
1st Prize
Julian Hilaire - Newham is Proud
1st PrizeJulian Hilaire - Newham is Proud
2nd Prize
Jacqui Durand - That Battle
3rd Prize
Elaine Baker - I have seen
Commended Koel Mukherjee
Commended Koel Mukherjee
PRIMARY SCHOOL Category
1st Prize
Piotr Ambrozik - I Do Not Know But I Do Know
2nd PrizeJoshua Brian - I Do Not Know But I Do Know
3rd PrizeJamie Brooks - I Do Not Know But I Do Know
Commended Simran Dovedi, Joe Young
SECONDARY SCHOOL Category
1st Prize Rida Hasan - Changing Face
2nd Prize
Fahima Khanum - The New Building
3rd Prize
Klaudija Viscockyte - The Changing Face
Commended Ann Adesolabomi, Oluwatunmise Daniels, Akil Job Omari
UNDER 21 Category
1st Prize
UNDER 21 Category
1st PrizeNatasha Mwansa - The Changing Face
2nd Prize
Sophia Mahmood - The Changing Face
3rd Prize
Shuhena Bhanu - The Ghostly Face of Newham
POETRY OVER 60'S Category
1st Prize Gordon Kirkley - The Changing Face
2nd Prize
Janet O’Brien – Hurdler’s Dream
3rd Prize
Sheila Madge Lee - A Morning In The Park
Commended Lilian RabeyENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE Category
1st PrizeAnnette du Plessis - Hopeless Homeless
2nd Prize
Barry Freedom Taylor - The Changing Face
3rd Prize
Klaudia Visockyte - The Changing Face
SHORT STORY
1st Prize
SHORT STORY
1st PrizeSylvester Onwordi - Galleon’s Reach
2nd Prize
Joy Stone - Changing Places
3rd Prize
Colette Fleming - Nellie
Commended Jacqueline Applebee, Annette du Plessis
PRIMARY SCHOOL Category
PRIMARY SCHOOL Category
1st PrizeDise Ockri - The Changing Face
2nd Prize
Grace Raji - The Changing Face
SECONDARY SCHOOL Category
1st Prize
SECONDARY SCHOOL Category
1st PrizeIrsalan Ahmed - The Greenway
2nd Prize
Sherena Hamilton - The Changing Face Of Hope
3rd prize
Afrida Alam - Envisioning Glory
Commended Billy Tonks, Zeenat Abdoolwahed
UNDER 21 Category
Joint 1st Prize = Zele Huma Butt - Aurora Borealis-The Lady Aiken
Remya Unnithan - Tom Cruise’s Diary
Remya Unnithan - Tom Cruise’s Diary
OVER 60'S Category
1st Prize
1st PrizeAlan Lancaster - A Face In The Mud
2nd Prize
Trevor Hadley - The Wallet
3rd Prize
Christine Edwards - Rose’s First Telegram
Commended Carol Price, Cynthia Adejayan
ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE Category
ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE Category
1st PrizeSandra Nam - A Day in Newham
2nd Prize
Rajagopalan Giridharan - From East With Glory
3rd Prize
Annette du Plessis - Forgotten
Commended Chiedza Penelope Mwandiambira
SHORT PLAY
1st Prize
SHORT PLAY
1st PrizeAnnette Kamara – The 104 Bus Stop
2nd Prize
Clive Power – Hollow The Leader
3rd Prize
Paula David – Second Chance
Commended Deb Scott-Lovric
Congratulations to all the winners and everyone who took part in this, Newham's first ever borough-wide creative writing competition for residents and those who work or study in the borough. We're already looking ahead to next year's competition, but in the meantime, take a look below at some of the winning poetry submissions...
Poetry 1st Prize
NEWHAM IS PROUD, NEWHAM IS GREAT
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
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
1st Prize Poetry - Primary School
I DO NOT KNOW BUT I DO KNOW
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
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
THE CHANGING FACE
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
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
1st Prize Poetry - Over 60's
THE CHANGING FACE:
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
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
1st Prize Poetry - English as a Second Language
Hopeless Homeless
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
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
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