Francine Simon, Christine Coates, Jim Pascual Agustin, Athol Williams and Mark de Wet Longlisted for 2018 Sol Plaatje EU Poetry Award
28 May 2018
Congratulations to PEN SA members Francine Simon, Christine Coates, Jim Pascual Agustin, Athol Williams, and Mark de Wet, whose poems have been longlisted for the 2018 Sol Plaatje EU Poetry Award, and will be published in this year’s anthology.
A special congratulations to Coates, who has been longlisted for the award for the eighth time in a row. (Every year since the award’s inception!)
Sixty-three poets were longlisted in total, writing in a wide array of South African languages.
The longlist of poems, written in a range of South Africa’s of cial languages, has been selected by a panel of four judges. This year Makosazana Xaba and [PEN SA member] Rustum Kozain joined the panel as co-judges reviewing English entries. Goodenough Mashego along with various talented language practitioners reviewed the indigenous-language entries and Pieter Odendaal reviewed the Afrikaans entries.
Head judge Professor Mongane Wally Serote will select from the longlisted poems a shortlist of three poems, determining a winner as well as two runners-up. The shortlist will be announced at Poetic Thursdays at the Soweto Theatre on 27 September 2018.