12/17/2007

OGOV Poem of the Year

For those of you who are occasional readers of One Ghana, One Voice, I've just announced a "Poem of the Year" vote, in which readers can select their favourite piece from amongst the poems we've published in our first year (nine months, really) of existence. The voting details are here, and "back issue" can be read here.

Personally, I expected very little from our first year. Poetry isn't a big thing in Ghana anymore, and when it was a big thing back in the 60s and 70s, it was only so amongst an educated upper-class. With the crumbling of Africa's systems and structures of higher education, that group has withered away too. I wasn't even sure I could find enough poems, regardless of quality, to be able to post one weekly.

40 poems and 28 poets later, I can safely say that my concerns were unfounded. Yes, we've published quite a few poems that I wouldn't exactly classify as remarkable, but every once and a while a gem slips out - and that's happening more and more frequently these days. So if you haven't checked it out yet, and feel like trying something new in poetry, take a look. And if you like something you see, vote.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

So YOU'RE the guy who picks the poem of the year. I travel in the right circles!