The 'Cultural Island Games'

Thursday 02 March 2023

A new cultural project, to run alongside the 2023 Island Games, will see poetry showcased alongside the sporting achievements we're expecting to see in Guernsey this summer.

The joint project between the Island Games Association and Guernsey Arts will see the new Cultural Programme helping to forge even stronger links between the member islands.

The idea is to encourage entries from across each island, across age groups, to build a "collaborative insight across our Islands, developing cultural diplomacy and creating a cultural legacy of our creative communities".

Jade Kershaw, Guernsey's Community Arts Development Officer said it will hopefully lead to further cultural partnerships.

“We’re really excited to be leading the cultural programme between participating islands," she said.

"We hope that we’ll be able to build strong relationships across cultural organisations in all competing islands, as well as creating a valuable insight and resource in how we view our Islands.”

Pictured: The 2023 cultural competition is a poetry 'open' which can be entered by anyone, in any language.

Ms Kershaw said the Pocket Island Poetry Open is a written competition around the theme of 'A View of my Island'. It can focus on the beauty of the author's island and its environments, social or political commentary, historic events and figures, or how their island is special to them.

Chosen poems from each island will be included in a 'Pocket Island Poetry' book, which will distributed among those attending the various Island Games events in July.

Highly commended poems will also be showcased digitally at Guernsey's sports venues and digital copies will be shared with each island taking part.

Although entries are welcomed in all languages, an English translation will be required as the judges will be based in Guernsey ahead of the 2023 Games.

At least one poem from each island will be included in the booklet and although the entries can be in any style they must be no longer than 240 words, or 24 lines.

Ms Kershaw said while this is the first project of its type to run alongside the Island Games, it's hoped that organisations will continue to come together to further develop a creative islands network, which can build on relationships as a legacy of the Island Games.

Entries must be submitted by 30 April.