Spine Poems

The Stolen Children our Stories
Talking Ink from Ochre
Words and Silences
Haunted by the Past
The Music of the Soul
Writing us Mob – new Indigenous Voices

Recently I entered our local library’s Spine Book Poetry Competition. This above photograph and words are one of my entries.

The library were chuffed with the response to the competition, with over 280 entries and a massive support from Local businesses to provide prizes.

Why not try one of your own – just for fun.

Here is some of the press release from Cassowary Coastal council:

Quirky poems created from book titles have won Cassowary Coast residents early Christmas gifts from local businesses.

The Cassowary Coast Regional Council’s innovative Libraries Spine Poetry competition has proved a big hit across the region, with more than 280 entries from readers, and with support from a dozen local shops.

Adults, teenagers and children delved into Cassowary Coast library collections to choose a series of books with titles that could be strung together as clever and quirky poems or stories.

One winning entry read: “As I grew older/My mother always used to say/If…/I want to be/Unstoppable/All things are possible”, another “Sylvia/Remember Me?/Partners in Crime/Cat Among the Pigeons/I’ll be Seeing You/At Bertram’s Hotel”.

The Cardwell, Mission Beach, Tully and Innisfail winners are:

Innisfail: Adult: June Sue Yek, Youth: Madison Beave, Junior: Jessica Irving
Tully: Adult: Alison Morrison, Youth: Wannisa Schoene, Junior: Alex Duncan
Mission Beach: Adult: Rachel Gabiola, Junior: Teigan Conaghty
Cardwell: Adult: Sandra Flegler, Junior Harmony Harris-Appleby
Highly commended entrants were: (Adult) Stephanie Berger, Naomi Brigham, Wendy Sheils, Patricia Mullins, Michael Mullins, Kerry Lucht, Pam Galeano, June Perkins, C A Bailey, Michelle Nash, Barbara Harle, (Youth) Bianca Snodgrass, Kayte Ramsay, Kimberley Basso, Kirstine Schoene, (Junior) Claire Smith, Mattia Boutle, Stephanie Lavell, Mandeep Kaur, Aiva Williams, Jamie Pedley, Danielle White, Caitlan Plath, Reuben Sharpe, Ashleigh Begg, Lola Zamora, Eve Verity & Crystal Dawn.

Competition organiser Natasha Lavell said the fun competition had been part of National Year of Reading celebrations.

“It’s been great to see so many people, of all ages, enjoying books and to see so many local businesses supporting reading by donating prizes for the competition,” Ms Lavell said.