Mingled Voices 2

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MINGLED VOICES is an anthology of eighty-nine poems, selected from those which were entered in the second annual international competition for the Proverse Poetry Prize (single poems) in 2017.

The Proverse Poetry Prize was jointly founded in 2016 by Dr Gillian Bickley and Dr Verner Bickley MBE, in association with the annual international Proverse Prize for unpublished book-length fiction, non-fiction or poetry, submitted in English, which they founded in 2008.

Poems could be submitted on any subject or topic chosen by each poet or on the subject chosen for 2017 by the Administrators, “Happiness”. There was a free choice of form and style.

Included in the anthology are the poems that won the first, second, and third prizes. Selection to appear in the anthology was also awarded by the judges for the Prize.

The places of birth of the sixty-one writers whose work is included in the anthology include Australia, Bulgaria, Canada, Cuba, Denmark, Estonia, Georgia, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Italy, Macedonia, Macau, New Zealand, the People’s Republic of China, Poland, South Africa, Spain, Turkey, the UK and the USA. Some writers have strong links with other countries, including East Germany and Zambia.

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“Reading the poems in Mingled Voices 2 is like going on a global journey. The poems are adventures into foreign landscapes, geographical and mental, whether seen through the eyes of a refugee, a transient visitor, or the child of an expat. But above all, the poems are about the human heart, and our constant search for home and happiness.”

—Lelawattee Manoo-Rahming, Author of the poetry collections, Curry Flavour (Peepal Tree Press, 2000) and Immortelle and Bhandaaraa Poems (Inaugural Proverse Prize Finalist (2009).

“A look at the poems and the biographies impresses on us what Mingled Voices means: poets from all backgrounds and walks of life write in different styles and from different perspectives about happiness—or the lack of it. But they would all agree with Angelo Rizzi, who writes:

“‘Today I choose my mother tongue

“to put words

“the one next to other

“like roses in love.’”

“Thus, poetry becomes the common denominator that plays an important role in every poet’s life. There are two important things to be gleaned from this collection: happiness is often found in the small things and it is usually best understood in its loss.

Thanks to Proverse for giving us another wonderful collection of poetry that thrives on diversity—an apt reflection of today’s world! To paraphrase Rony Nair, “when the poems perish…so will the thought”, and so will happiness.”

—Birgit Bunzel Linder, Author of the poetry collections, Shadows in Deferment (Winner of the Proverse Prize 2012), and Bliss of Bewilderment (Proverse, 2017)

“In these times of tensions between countries and peoples, it is refreshing to see a multitude of poets from around the globe crossing borders with their words and attesting to our ultimate humanity from birth to death and beyond.”

—Agnes Lam, Author of four poetry collections, including A Pond in the Sky (2013) and Poppies by the Motorway (CUHK Press, 2017)

“I am certain that the Proverse Poetry Prize will continue to grow exponentially in terms not only of an increasing number of submissions from across the globe, but also of the growing recognition as a significant international literary award. Indeed, I am certain that poets everywhere will come to covet representation within the pages, if they do not already!”

—Vaughan Rapatahana, poet, literary critic, essayist and novelist