Poetry, illustration tilt for high school students

CNMI high school poets and illustrators are invited to submit entries for “Ebb and Flow: Tides of Culture,” a Pacific-wide poetry and illustration contest marking the 25th anniversary of the Flame Tree Arts Festival.

The Flame Tree Arts Festival, Micronesian’s largest annual arts and culture celebration, is slated for April 27-30, 2006, on Saipan in the Northern Mariana Islands. “Ebb and Flow: Tides of Culture” will feature a poetry forum and illustration exhibit by youth from throughout the Pacific. The theme of the contest is Pacific Island cultures.

“We’re interested to see young people of the CNMI and the Pacific express their sentiments about their indigenous cultures through verse and artwork,” said project coordinator Catherine Perry Anderson. “Holding this contest in conjunction with the Flame Tree Arts Festival is one way to strengthen ties between the CNMI and other Pacific Island nations through the expression of shared traditional culture, history, and language.”

All CNMI entries will be judged by a jury selected by the Commonwealth Council for Arts and Culture, and five CNMI poems and five illustrations will be selected for book publication later this year.

“To allow more entries from other Pacific Island nations, the contest deadline has been extended to June 15, 2006,” said Anderson. “However, entries received by April 24, 2006, will be featured at the Flame Tree Arts Festival at the ‘Ebb and Flow’ poetry forum and illustration exhibit. We hope the poetry forum will also inspire further artistic expressions in our community.”

The contest is open to all high school students in American Samoa, Australia, Belau, Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Yap, Chuuk, Pohnpei, Kosrae, Fiji, French Polynesia, Guam, Hawaii, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Aotearoa-New Zealand, Niue, Norfolk Island, Northern Mariana Islands, Nouvelle-Calédonie, Papua New Guineau, Rapa Nui, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, and Wallis et Futuna.

Each participating island entity will be allowed to select up to five poems and five illustrations to represent their island nation. Selected authors and illustrators will receive a complimentary copy of the publications.

For submissions, please note the following:

Poetry guidelines:
– 300 words maximum
– Typed or printed neatly
– Indigenous Pacific Island languages highly encouraged, English translation must be submitted with indigenous language entry
– Author’s name on back of poem

Illustration guidelines:
– 8.5”x 11” paper (minimum)
– Any medium except crayons
– Artist’s name on back of illustration

Entries must be submitted with a completed and signed Permission to Reprint form. Requests for Permission to Reprint forms or submission of entries should be made to Catherine Perry Anderson, Department of Community and Cultural Affairs, Caller Box 10007, Saipan, MP 969650, 670-664-52576 (phone), or dccaadm@pticom.com (e-mail). (PR)