Ron Pretty Poetry Prize
With a lifetime of achievements and sheer skill with poetry, it's no wonder that Ron Pretty is celebrated Australia wide. Ron’s legacy is not only in poetry, but also in the creation of establishments and networks for poets around Australia.
Ron was instrumental in establishing the Poetry Australia Foundation and the South Coast Writers Centre in Wollongong. This year, Five Islands Press has created the inaugural Ron Pretty Poetry Prize in his name. The winning poet will be announced in February next year and will receive a $5000 prize.
looking out at that white winter
while behind me four hands at the keyboard,
Schubert with his magic shaping those crystals,
a filigree of ice on the window tree.
Despite spending the majority of the last forty years in publishing, the fact that Ron Pretty can still transport a reader to a unique place in time with mere words is a testament to his poetic prowess.
Throughout his career, Ron has been down many paths but his true love lies in poetry, reflecting on the adventure of life. This dedication to his art has seen him become one of Australia’s most renowned poets and a long list of impressive credentials.
Graduating from the University of Sydney with an Honours degree in History in the mid 1960s, Ron became a teacher. His education career opened up the world of creative writing, which took him to Greece.
It was the town of Serrai in Greece and the works of W. B Yeats that persuaded Ron to pursue further study and teaching in literature around Sydney and Wollongong. For his services to writing, Ron was made a member of the Order of Australia and awarded a NSW Premier’s Award.
1986 saw Ron collaborate with other writers and lecturers from Wollongong to create Five Islands Press, a publication dedicated to Australian poetry, where Ron has published over 230 books.
This year, Five Islands Press has created the inaugural Ron Pretty Poetry Prize in his name. The winning poet will be announced in February next year and will receive a $5000 prize.
Ron’s legacy will not only be in poetry, but also by the creation of establishments and networks for poets around Australia. Ron was instrumental in establishing the Poetry Australia Foundation and the South Coast Writers Centre in Wollongong.
Ron’s own poetry reflects upon many facets of his own life. He takes the reader along with him on travels, lets them in on private conversations and presents them questions to answer in their own lives.
Ron has the ability to describe everyday life with a particular fascination. John Upton, in his review of Ron’s “What the Afternoon Knows” for Pitt Street Poetry, writes:
“This poetry is about complexity of the commonplace and mysterious connection. Pretty relishes humanity’s contradictions and frustrations. He’s on top of his craft, shrewdly observant, witty, practical rather than flashy, never tired.”
And perhaps Ron’s work reflects his outlook on life. Those who know him, know a humble, down to earth man who does not let his successes in Australia and abroad get to his head. They know a man who will lend his experience and knowledge to fellow poets. They know a mentor, a teacher but mostly, they know a poet.
The Ron Pretty Poetry Prize 2014
- First Prize: $5000
- Judge: Ron Pretty
- Closing Date: 30 November 2014
For more information, please visit the Five Islands Press website.
Written by SCWC
Posted on October 15, 2014