'Miracle' theme sees young poets win book festival competition

Six schools entered the competition, part of the annual Queen's Park Book Festival, which took place on September 17.

Pupils were tasked to write poems along a theme of "miracles and mysteries" and they were judged by novelists Elizabeth Freemantle and Elizabeth Uter, and festival community tent organiser Hud Saunders.

Phoebe Aiken, from Salusbury Primary School came runner up for her poem Superhero Sky (Image: Lucy Shardlow)

Charlotte Grigg, from Princess Frederica Primary School, won the under 12 prize with her poem Island.

Esme Lott, from Queen's Park Community School scooped the prize in the 12 to 16s category with The Recovered Miracle.

Each winner received a £75 book token, donated by Queen's Park Books, and a creative writing workshop with Elizabeth Uter.

Juno Price, from Princess Frederica school, received a £30 book token for her poem Once Upon a Miracle. (Image: Lucy Shardlow)

Runners up Phoebe Aiken, of Salusbury School, and Juno Price, of Princess Frederica, in the junior category, and last year's senior champ, Blessica D'Costa, and Ciara Martyn, both from St Claudines, took home £30 book vouchers.

A special guest was Rha Hira Arayal, an 18-year-old poet from Swansea.

Rha Hira Arayal, an 18 year old poet, was a special guest at the Queen's Park Book Festival's Young Writer's Award ceremony (Image: Lucy Shardlow)

A British Nepali writer, Rha published her debut poetry collection, Encapsulated Emotions, last year and writes about social issues such as racism, global warming and the effects of the pandemic.

Hud Saunders said: "All the poems entered were fantastic and we had a long and passionate discussion as to who the eventual winners should be.

"We had more schools enter than ever before, which is incredibly pleasing for me personally, and for the festival as a whole, because these young people represent the next generation of writers and our goal is to encourage more and more of them to take part.

"I think this bodes well for the future of literature in Brent."

Queen's Park Voices: (L-R) Chrys Salt MBE hosts new writers Eamon Somers, Sue Whitmore, Simon Fellowes and Mara Nkere at the Queen's Park Book Festival (Image: Nathalie Raffray)

The community tent at Queen's Park Book Festival is free to enter, with participants waiving their fee.

This year the tent heard from new writers from Queen's Park, and a discussion on race, identity and belonging from the perspective of acclaimed writer Professor Tessa McWatt and 2020 Costa Award winner Monique Roffey.

Discussions on topics including motherhood and identity, the weird and wonderful history of Queen's Park, and local artists Alexander Newly and Mulumba Tshikuka discussing the transformative power of painting were also free for the community.