Saturday was the launch of the 2009 NZPS anthology, moments in the whirlwind. It was an interesting event, as always – a quite different segment of the poetry public to those you tend to see at other Canterbury poetry events. And a decent crowd too – probably a hundred or so people. Chairs were at such a premium that almost no-one went to the buffet until the very last minute …
The highlight for me is always the kids. The teenagers pretending nonchalance; the tweens who are so happy they bounce all the way to the mic; the little kids with their parents and assorted other relatives. There was one boy in particular who was basically a blond crew cut in a grey school uniform. We’re talking suit and enormous smile, and very little else visible. 
But he had a ball, and his parents were so proud they were very nearly levitating. It was great. And it was a scene that was repeated over and over.
The trick now is keeping these kids hooked on poetry. How many of them will be back next year? The year after? Ten years from now?
A Dark Feathered Art 