Write a poem, plant a tree: the poetry prize re-greening Wollongong

For each poem a young writer submits to POEM FOREST, a tree will be planted in the Wollongong local government area, parts of which have some of the lowest canopy cover in NSW.

In the first three years of the Red Room Poetry competition young poets submitted more than 17,100 poems, leading to an equal number of trees planted at the Australian Botanic Garden in Mount Annan and, starting in 2023, the Wollongong area.

This year, Wollongong Botanic Garden horticulturalist and education officer Penny Hoswell joins the judging panel.

She said she was looking for poems that elicited the same sense of wonder as going out into nature and ones where she could tell the writer had taken the time to think about the issue.

"I'm looking forward to learning about the environment through other people's eyes and seeing what they see," Ms Hoswell said.

As an educator, she said, she was also interested in learning what students were thinking about.

Ms Hoswell became involved in the competition in 2023 when Red Room Poetry reached out to her, and she ended up delivering online education to thousands of students.

This year, Ms Hoswell was invited back but this time, as a judge.

She said she was not a poet, but others pointed out to her that she enjoyed and read poetry.

It was a "bit special", Ms Hoswell said, that through this competition writing a poem resulted in real action.

Other judges this year include Yankunytjatjara poet Ali Cobby Eckermann, DeadlyScience founder and Kamilaroi man Corey Tutt, and 2023 POEM FOREST highly commended poet Pardis Mahmoudian.

Red Room Poetry has partnered with Wollongong City Council to deliver this year's competition and the latter is sponsoring a special award for students and classes in the Wollongong area, the winners of which will enjoy an excursion to Wollongong Botanic Garden and plants for their school.

Students living in the Wollongong local government area will also receive a seedling when they enter the competition.

Individual winners will win $500 cash plus other prizes.

There are free digital workshops available in the lead-up to the entry deadline of Friday, September 27.

For more information, visit redroompoetry.org/projects/poem-forest.

The poem below, Mother Ocean, was entered by Fairy Meadow Demonstration School year 6 student Audrey C in the 2023 competition.

It was shortlisted in the Wollongong Community Greening Local Prize.

I walk the steep stairs to the ocean, I am excited, this is where I belong

I feel the cool sand between my toes, here I am free

The waves are like a monster, but I'm not afraid

She comforts me

The sound of the waves is her song

Somedays I sit on the hill overlooking the ocean, and listen to her

When I stand on the edge of her waters I let my roots sink into the ground

Here I can hear all the animals join her ongoing anthem

When I'm here I feel like I belong, like I am home.