Waimakariri Libraries will host the launch of Fuego Volume 3, The World Congress of Poets Literary Journal, to celebrate National Poetry Day.

Mā te huruhuru ka rere te manu.

Adorn the bird with feathers and it will fly.

To celebrate National Poetry Day, Waimakariri Libraries will host the launch of Fuego Volume 3, The World Congress of Poets Literary Journal, on Friday 22 August 5.30-7pm at the Rangiora Library.

Waimakariri Libraries have hosted several writing workshops with school students this year. One of the organisations that facilitated a workshop with the library is the Ashley-Rakahuri Rivercare Group (ARRG), who gave young writers the opportunity to stand up for an ‘ecological gem’ in need of help.

The Ashley-Rakahuri River Estuary Young Writers competition was open to all North Canterbury primary school pupils, including home-schooled children.

The workshop was held at the Ashley-Rakahuri River Estuary, run by Waimakariri Libraries Learning Connections Co-ordinator, Jason Clements, Kate Steel, Ecologist, Ashley-Rakahuri Rivercare Group (ARRG) members Bev Alexander and Judith Hughey as special guests, and attended by pupils from View Hill School.

The young writers sharpened their observational skills and discovered how to apply their imagination to connect with the local flora and fauna, by creating similes and metaphors and extending them to create poems full of rich detail. Their work is featured in in Fuego Volume 3, and it is hoped that the young writers’ poems will raise awareness about this taonga/treasure and encourage the formation of a local volunteer group to provide the urgent protection it needs.

Waimakariri Libraries hosted a haiku workshop during Kids Fest, for children in the Waimakariri District. Workshop participants gained the opportunity to learn how to become more ‘precise’ and ‘specific’ with their writing, by taking a haiku walk along their local river to inspire their short poems.

KidsFest is an annual festival programme for Canterbury children held during the winter school holidays. The two-week festival features many one-off special events and activities for whānau to engage with, designed to entertain and educate our tamariki.

Tamariki braved the icy mornings to go on a ‘Haiku Hike’ at the Ashley Gorge and Kaiapoi River, where they discovered how writing is like magic by creating short poems full of imagery.

Their work is also featured in Fuego, the World Congress of Poets Literary journal.

The international launch of Fuego will be held in Mexico and Fuego Volume 3 features poetry and artwork, by Mexican artists and poets, with work featured in English and Spanish.

The City of Monterrey will host the “XLIV World Congress of Poets,” to be held from September 21st to 26th this year. Monterrey, Nuevo León is a city with all the charm of northeastern Mexico, surrounded by impressive mountains and characterized by its visionary and hospitable people.

The host President for the Congress is María del Pilar Martínez Nandín, educator, primary school teacher, and teacher of Language and Literature in Secondary and Higher Education. National Poetry Prize winner in 1998 and author of 12 books (poetry collections, short stories, a novel, and aphorisms). Retired from teaching, she collaborates with radio, newspapers, and magazines, as well as providing free poetry advice in her library "La Casa de la Abuela" (Grandmother's House).

Fuego Volume 3 also features leading international poets, alongside established poets from New Zealand and will be launched again at a special presentation at the 44 World Congress of Poets in Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico, in September.

The World Congress of Poets Literary Journal ‘Fuego’ continues to gain the reputation as an important fixture in the international world of poetry, and this volume is especially valuable as it showcases the treasures of twenty children from schools in Waimakariri, promoting their work locally and sharing the stage with the some of the best poets in the world.

If you would like to attend the launch on Friday 22 August 5.30-7pm at the Rangiora Library, please RSVP and confirm your attendance to: jason.clements@wmk.govt.nz