CLiPPA 2020 poetry shortlist announced
Posted on Thursday, October 1, 2020
Category:
The shortlist for the 2020 CLiPPA (Centre for Literacy in Primary Education Poetry Award) has been announced. The schools' shadowing scheme will launch when the overall winner is announced on 9th October.
The winner of the 2020 Award will be revealed at the culmination of the Cheltenham Literature Festival schools' programme on Friday 9 October, in a Poetry Show introduced by CLiPPA judges, poets Valerie Bloom and Steven Camden, and featuring performances by the shortlisted poets as well as live drawing by former Children's Laureate Chris Riddell.
Schools across the UK and beyond will be able to watch the show for free on The Times and The Sunday Times Cheltenham Literature Festival platform and access poetry CPD sessions created by CLPE.
The free Shadowing Scheme to involve schools in CLiPPA 2020 will launch alongside the announcement of the winner. This year's shortlist highlights the variety of children's poetry now being published around the country, with shortlisted publishers including Birmingham based independent The Emma Press, which has two books on the five-strong shortlist; a collection by the Spanish poet Karmelo C. Iribarren newly translated into English by Lawrence Schimel, and an illustrated collection of LGBT-themed poetry, based on retellings of Scottish folk tales.
Independent Troika Books is also represented with Cherry Moon, a collection of nature poems by Zaro Weil, illustrated by newcomer Junli Song. Others shortlisted include The Proper Way to Meet a Hedgehog (Walker Books), an anthology of 'how to' poems collected by poet Paul B. Janeczko and illustrated by Richard Jones. In Midnight Feasts, published by Bloomsbury, AF Harrold collects together poems ancient and very modern all on the theme of food, pairing for example Ian McMillan's Praise Poem for Yorkshire Puddings with Indian Cooking by Moniza Alvi.
The full shortlist is: Midnight Feasts. Tasty Poems chosen by A.F. Harrold, illus Katy Riddell (Bloomsbury). The judges said: 'A delicious and quirky collection of poems old and new, skilfully curated and perfectly paced'. Poems the Wind Blew In, Karmelo C. Iribarren, illus Riya Chowdhury, translated from Spanish by Lawrence Schimel (The Emma Press).
The judges said: 'A book to carry around with you, proof that poetry is ideas, thoughts and emotions captured in words'. The Proper Way to Meet a Hedgehog and Other How-To Poems, compiled by Paul B. Janeczko, illus Richard Jones (Walker Books).
The judges said: 'A wonderfully varied collection of poems that will speak directly to young children, full of beautiful examples of the craft of poetry'. Wain. LGBT Reimaginings of Scottish Folklore, Rachel Plummer, illus Helene Boppert (The Emma Press). The judges said: 'A fresh voice and take on something that could have felt archaic but is made to feel new'. Cherry Moon, Zaro Weil, illus Junli Song (ZaZaKids Books / Troika Books).
The judges said: 'Meditative and nicely paced; Weil presents beautiful snapshots of the natural world and has thought carefully about the form for each'.
This year the judges are poets Valerie Bloom and Steven Camden, winner of the CLiPPA 2019, alongside Tracey Guiry, director of the Poetry Archive and Charlotte Hacking, Central Learning Programmes Leader at CLPE.
