An Alexandra poet and former wildlife ecologist Lisa Keene placed third in a National Poetry Day competition for Otago and Southland on Friday, August 23. 

Her poem ‘Waipiata Waiting’ was third in The Dunedin Public Libraries’ National Poetry Day All Ages Competition; it was one of eight that made the adult shortlist.

Lisa said encouragement and support from friends led to her sending her Otago landscape poem in to be considered.

“It was a low key way to do it and share my poem.

“I wasn’t expecting it. It’s hard to believe I came third.”

The idea for Waipiata Waiting came from a photograph her friend Mandy Spence shared on Instagram together with the caption “another evening waiting as the rain passes us by.”

The photo that inspired the award-winning poem. PHOTO: Mandy Spence

Listen to Lisa read 'Waipiata Waiting' here.

Lisa said it was intimidating and inspiring to attend the awards ceremony alongside well-known poets such as Brian Turner and Jillian Sullivan. 

“Poets shared poetry on the night, there was a jazz band, dancing to poems, it was energising and wonderful.”

Although she did not win overall Lisa said it was definitely worth giving things a go and she would keep writing poetry.

“I write for enjoyment, and it fits around life. I started with children's poems and stories for them, without really thinking about it.”

She said her background in wildlife ecology and the experiences she had gained in New Zealand’s wild places, “teeming with life” has impacted how she writes. 

One of Lisa’s children's poems ‘On the Trampoline’ was shortlisted in another recent competition the Leap Poetry for Children Competition.

The two competitions both coincided with National Poetry Day, a one-day national poetry event celebrating the power of poetry. 

Central poet Jillian Sullivan judged the youth category in the Dunedin competition, run in partnership with the Otago-Southland branch of the New Zealand Society of Authors and the Dunedin UNESCO City of Literature. 

The awards night marked the 10th anniversary of Dunedin as a designated UNESCO City of Literature; a city where writers, books and literature thrive. 

In Central, local poets group The Poetry Party celebrated National Poetry Day in Alexandra with the launch of their new book at Alexandra Community House on Friday evening, with music and food. 

National Poetry Day was first established in 1997, and in 2023 more than 170 events were held bringing in person poetry to thousands of New Zealanders. 

National Poetry Day is governed by the New Zealand Book Awards Trust Te Ohu Tiaki i Te Rau Hiringa, and supported by Phantom Billstickers.