Success is poetry to their ears

Poets from across the country congregated in the Havelock North community centre at the weekend for the three-day long event.

The first national poetry conference, hosted in Havelock North, drew a crowd of more than 100 from all corners of the country.

Organiser Bill Sutton said the turnout had been "brilliant" and that they had to turn people away.

"We decided we couldn't really cope with over 100, we got up to 106 but about five couldn't make it."

He said the idea for the conference sprung from the regional meetings Mr Sutton attends.

"We realised our own Hawke's Bay poetry group was so successful, people really like coming and reading their poetry to an interested audience, we wondered if it would work nationally."

Mr Sutton began to put feelers out to other regional poetry groups and contacted poets who had been guests at their meetings from around the country.

He said the whole event, which spanned three days until Sunday, required months of planning.

"We would probably look at having it every two years from now on as it does take about a year of planning."

Mr Sutton has himself been published in books and poetry magazines and said most of the attendees had similar experience.

"Poetry feels like something you've got to do, it sort of comes along. It takes a while to learn, but you've just got to find a pen and a piece of paper and get it out."

The event comprised poets presenting their most recent work, panel discussions, small group meetings and even a trip to Te Mata Winery for interested parties.