Montana Poetry Day is a celebration of all things poetic – scribble, read, recite … It’s also the day on which the winner of the poetry category of this year’s Montana New Zealand Book Awards will be announced.
Local events listed on the Montana Poetry Day site:
A Poetic Pause and Wall of Words
12.30 – 1.30 pm, Friday 24th July 2009
Canterbury University Bookshop, University Drive, Ilam, Christchurch
Canterbury University Bookshop welcomes all to an exciting lunchtime poetry reading featuring some of Canterbury’s finest poets, Fiona Farrell, Bernadette Hall and Jeffrey Paparoa Holman.
The Summer King and Friends
6.30pm – 9.30 pm, Friday 24th July 2009
The Twisted Hop, Poplar Lane, Christchurch
This evening poetry reading combines the launch of the inaugural winner of the Kathleen Grattan Poetry Award, The Summer King by Joanna Preston and readings by James Norcliffe, Bernadette Hall and others. Poets will read their own and ‘touchstone’ poems and will follow their readings with a short discussion of how and why the favourite poem is significant to them.
Poetry for Pudding
7pm onwards, Friday 24th July 2009
Borders, Westfield Riccarton, Christchurch
Bring your favourite poem (your own or one written by someone else) to share with the audience, or just come and listen to a lively poetry reading open to all. There’ll also be a poetry board for you to post a poem onto. Contact Borders, Westfield Riccarton for further details. Phone: +64.3.343.6792
Poetry Akaroa Style 2009
11 am – 6.00 pm, Friday 24th July 2009
Coronation Library, Akaroa
The library will host a day-long event devoted to poetry under the theme, ‘Birds and Flights of Fancy’. Come and read your poetry – three poems maximum – at open mic. The event will also produce a poetry booklet featuring verse read out during the day and illustrations of original artwork.
Paul Kelly A-Z
It could be a happy coincidence, but one of the Christchurch Arts Festival events on Friday is a show by legendary Australian singer/ songwriter Paul Kelly: “His style blends influences of rock, country and folk to convey lyrics that range from the poetic (love lost and found) to the political (including the plight of indigenous Australians)”
On the day after Poetry Day there is another one for poetry lovers:
Love Letters in the Margins
Ever wondered what happened to those throw away words, lost down the back of the couch, dropped like crumbs from that intense dinner party or melted away in the frosty night like breath between lovers? They find a place in the margins with the poets and the songwriters, those gypsies of civilised society, treated like honoured guests – welcomed into homes, thrown parties, prepared a place at the table, knitted winter woollies and invited around for tea and cake.
Live poetry and music featuring The Eastern, Ragamuffin Children, Le Mot Café, Ben Brown, Marissa Johnpillai, Ciaran Fox.
5.30 pm at The Telstra Clear Club (Victoria Square), Christchurch Arts Festival: Entry $15; Conc. $12.50
Find out more about Poetry Day events.
Central Library will be decorating the place with poetry, if you have a snippet of verse you want to contribute, drop it off at the Popular desk on the ground floor.
Christchurch City Libraries Blog 
A former librarian at Christchurch City Libraries Tim Upperton is launching a book of poems in Palmerston North on Poetry Day according to Bookman Beattie http://beattiesbookblog.blogspot.com/2009/07/tim-uppertons-first-book-of-poems-house.html
It is called A House on Fire
Marion? Not Marion Ogier? Indeed I am. Thanks for the mention here. If everyone who reads this can find it in his or her heart to purchase just 17 copies each, I can contentedly move to a gated community at Pauanui, where all the wealthy retired poets go.
I enjoyed my time at Chch City Libraries very much – quite simply the best library service I ever worked in.
Tim