Recently I made the longlist of the Sol Plaatje European Union Poetry Award. ‘The longlisted poems are in a range of South Africa’s official languages, and will all appear in volume six of the Sol Plaatje European Union Poetry Anthology,’ according to the press release.
My poem was among those ‘highly commended’. I was thrilled. Although I have been writing poetry for a number of years, I always have this nagging doubt about its quality. This will go a long way towards dispelling that doubt.
A shortlist of three poems will be selected by the famous poet, Professor Mongane Wally Serote, and announced on 24 September, National Heritage Day. The winner will be revealed at the Mail & Guardian Literary Festival in Johannesburg on 9 October.
I don’t have much hope of winning. I’m just happy to run with the big gnus 🙂
Cornelia Smith Fick 