15 July 2005
Real men do read poetry: schools award shortlist announced
Real men do read poetry, as All Black Conrad Smith, Black Cap selector Dion Nash, poet Bill Manhire and author Lloyd
Jones will prove when they announce the shortlist for this year’s Bell Gully National Schools Poetry Award on Tuesday 19
July.
Since 2003, the International Institute of Modern Letters (IIML) at Victoria University of Wellington has teamed up with
leading law firm Bell Gully to invite secondary school poets from around the country to enter their poems for the award.
The shortlist will be released at 12.30pm on Tuesday 19 July, at a reception at Bell Gully’s offices, L21, HP Tower, 171
Featherston Street, Wellington.
The award shortlist announcement joins the chorus of poetic activity taking place around the country in the run-up to
National Poetry Day on Friday 22 July.
You are invited to attend. Please confirm your attendance to Cheryl Lovett at Bell Gully on 04 915 6895 or email
cheryl.lovett@bellgully.com.
Notes to editors The award winner will be announced on 19 August at a function in Wellington to open the third Bell
Gully National Schools Writing Festival, a two-day programme of writing workshops which will be held over the following
weekend at Victoria University.
The winner will receive a $500 cash prize; a $500 book grant for their school’s library; a year’s membership to the New
Zealand Book Council; and subscriptions to leading literary journals Landfall and Sport.
ENDS