Poems selected for Gibraltar anthology

Some 30 works from local poets have been selected to feature in the Anthology of Gibraltar Poetry that will be published later this year.

The Anthology has been created in a bid to raise the profile of literature on the Rock and will be published later this year.

The Independent Writers and Artists Project [IWAP] invited submissions in December last year and over a period of two months the judging panel received 179 poems in total on an anonymous basis.
The panel is made up of poets Jackie Anderson, Trino Cruz and Giordano Durante and PhD researcher Becky Gabay.

Felix Alvarez, the Chairman for the Equality Rights Group, acted as the administrator for the project.

After a rigorous selection procedure based purely on artistic merit, a total of 30 works from 10 poets has been chosen for inclusion in the “first ever anthology of Gibraltar poetry”, according to organisers.

“I’d like to thank everyone who took the time to send us submissions,” said Mr Durante on behalf of the judging panel.

“Although in the end only a small proportion of the works received will be published, it was clear to us that there is a vibrant, diverse and often experimental poetry scene in Gibraltar - our hope is that this anthology is just the first step we take in raising the profile of Gibraltar writers.”

A few final editorial duties are now necessary before the publication of the anthology in June.

IWAP intends to plan further publications and encourages authors to keep writing and urges them to look out for future announcements.