Clare County Library’s World Book Day Poetry Celebration

World Book Day takes place on March 5th 2009 in the UK and Ireland. To mark this day, Clare County Library is initiating a poetry competition for children. Children at Primary and Post Primary Level in Clare’s Schools are invited to write a poem on a subject of their choice for World Book Day.

If you are interested in writing poetry and would like to
• Write your very first poem
• Improve your writing
• Share your poems with other young writers or
• Find out what others think of your poems

Simply send your poems to
World Book Day Poetry Competition, Library Headquarters, Mill Road, Ennis
to reach us by Monday the 16th of February 2009. Entries will be judged in four different categories by Irish Poet and Author, Terry McDonagh, a poet and dramatist of international acclaim. He has published several collections of poetry, a book of letters, a novel for young people and, in 2006, a collection of poetry for young people called “Boxes”. He has been a writer in residence in Australia, Asia, several European countries and in Ireland where he was resident writer in Coole Park, County Galway in 2006. Now living in County Mayo, Terry toured Clare libraries during Children’s Book Festival 2008 and was very well received by teachers, librarians and pupils. He has organised and presented creative writing workshops, drama workshops, in-service courses for teachers and poetry readings for children and adults all over Ireland in recent years.

To enter, write a poem of any length about a subject of your choice. All entries must be received by Monday the 16th of February 2009. Each entry must clearly show your name, age, school and class, home address and home telephone number. Any entries that arrive after Feb 16th will not be considered.

Awards for Finalists
Twenty finalists will be selected in each of the following categories:
1. 4th class and under in Primary School
2. 5th and 6th Class in Primary School
3. Junior Certificate and under in Post Primary School
4. Leaving Certificate and under in Post Primary School.
You will be notified by phone, followed up by a letter on Friday the 27th February if your poem has been chosen for publication.

A reception will be held for all finalists and two guests of their choice at deValera Library Ennis on World Book Day at 8pm.The invited speaker for the evening will be poet and competition judge, Terry McDonagh. Each finalist will have the opportunity to share their winning poem with the audience present on the evening.

All forty poems will be subsequently published by Clare County Library in a book of poetry to mark World Book Day 2009, and will also appear on the library website. Copies of the book will be made available to the finalists and will be stocked in all branches of the library.