Judge Steve Tasane's Comments
This competition had some very exciting entries, with poetry ranging across all styles and subject matter. I made a commitment to select a variety for the shortlist. I work mainly as a performance poet, producing work which is very rhythmic and uses a lot of rhyme, and also tends towards the political. But I wanted to make sure I included poetry that was observational and free verse, as well as the more structured stuff.
The main thing I was trying to avoid was poetry where the rhyme is predictable and doesn't serve the purpose of the poem. That doesn't mean the poem can't be simple and straight forward; often, an appearance of tidiness in the writing style is the result of well-disciplined graft. And if a poem as an immediately pleasing effect on the reader, it doesn't necessarily follow that the poem doesn't benefit from re-readings.
I was wary, however, of poems that were quite obscure and inaccessible. Even if a poem references culture or myth that isn't commonly known, that doesn't mean a reader will necessarily be pushed away - but if the aim of the writer is to show off their own cleverness rather than share with the reader, one finds a metaphorical "keep out" sign across the poem's door. On the other hand, a couple of the poems that were selected, that don't have an immediately clear meaning, become bolder and clearer upon re-reading, and have a well-crafted language that is a pleasure to work the mind over.
The final issue for me was the avoidance of cliché. Cliché finds its way into all types of poetry, be it a tired old metaphor, descriptions of olive trees, or obvious expressions of sentimentality. A poem needs to offer us something new, either a fresh way with language or a point of view we hadn't previously observed; the unexpected, and delightful.
I couldn't possibly choose a firm favourite out of the twenty shortlisted poems, as they each have unique qualities - and even if I did, lots of people would have a different favourite. But that's the beauty of Chapter One Promotions online voting system, the majority get to choose. I can't wait to see which poem you vote for as the overall winner.
Poetry Competition Judge 2010