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GV Flashback: Our 2007 Valentine's Day poetry contest

Categories: Celebration, Community, Fun, Memories
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Photo by Jon Tyson [2] on Unsplash [3]

I know, I know—not everybody's into Valentine's Day. In 2007, however, GV took advantage of the occasion to stage a poetry contest. [4]

We received 28 entries [5] in several languages, most of which you can see in the comments section of the announcement post [4]. Our judge was GVer and published poet Nicholas Laughlin. [6] We also offered a People's Choice [7] award.

Here's an excerpt from Nicholas's eloquent judge's report, which I'd recommend you read in its entirety. Also because it will tell you who won!:

. . . judging was made “easier” by eliminating the seven poems that overlooked a key contest rule on subject matter: that “entries must in some way have to do with … blogging/citizen media”. I'd usually be the first to say that, in poetry, there are no rules, but this is a Global Voices contest, and it seems apt to insist that the winning poem relate in some way to GV's core mission. I was particularly sorry to lose Harinjaka's lovely “l'Amour ‘MoraMora'” [8], with its gentle Malagasy refrain; also Geoffrey Philp's “Bachata” [9], in which music is the food of love; Des Donnelly's wistful “If” [10]; Kai C's yearning “A Beautiful Valentine's Day” [11]Nabeel Zeeshan's passionate poem [12]with its hyperbolised imagery, “The red sun comes out of eclipse”; Sikanda's excerpt from a “saga” about two lovers named Oliverio and Alejandra [13]; and Rethabile Masilo's “A Tourist in Maseru” [14], with its clever opening lines: “Love from the start was touch and go / when both our hands / at that / bazaar / opted for the sole, ripe mango”.