Poem Forest is an Australia-wide nature poetry prize for young people and students. For every poem entered in the competition this year, a tree will be planted in local parks, natural areas, backyards and as street trees across the Wollongong LGA.

As part of the eco-poetry prize, students from Gwyneville Public School crouched beside council workers to plant a variety of Australian natives along the old Mount Keira Tramway.

On the leaf-littered grass, students lean in close to their clipboards. They are writing to take positive climate action.

Illawarra poet and librarian, Joseph Schwartzkopf who ran the poetry workshop said “They’re learning to appreciate things around them, they’re collecting, they’re foraging, they’re writing about those objects and learning how to create poems around that space,”

“It’s really interesting to see where their brains go, what they find interesting and how they describe the world. You learn a lot from what they pick as something worth writing about.”

A child brushes a stick of gumleaves against his hair and rustles the leaves between his fingers.

“I think being a teacher and then moving into Shellharbour library and also being a poet, it’s all about appreciating words. It’s about the love of language and art and how it all comes together. Not just the words, but connecting that to community and appreciating all that art with other people. It’s all about forming community,” Joseph said.

Poem Forest Producer, Lorin Reid said “it’s really nice to be able to work with local school students and help them feel connected to the trees and plants around them.”

Students from Gwyneville Public carefully free saplings from their pots and hold out worms in gloved hands to show their classmates.

“Having your hands in the soil and being a part of the start of something’s life helps you to really care about what happens next in that community, or that environment,” she said. “ The Wollongong LGA has one of the lowest canopy covers in NSW so it’s really important that we’re increasing the shade capacity in this city in particular.”

The nature writing prize was born out of listening to young peoples voices in climate protests like School Strike 4 Climate, and aims to “offer more leadership positions and places for youth voices to be heard,” Lorin said. “Young people are the future leaders of our world and of our community in Wolllongong.”

Over the past three years, the prize has planted over 17,000 trees on Dharawal Country to repopulate cleared areas, heal habitats and increase critical canopy cover. The competition holds a special prize category for Wollongong youth poets to help connect young people to the land they live on and the poem forest being planted there.

“That engagement really encourages us to connect more and care more, and the more of us consciously caring about country, and maybe then being inspired to protect it, even in small ways, is a plus for the environment and for climate action,” said Lorin.

Red Room Poetry also run free online poetry workshops that are open to everyone who wants to participate.

Poem Forest entries close September 27th and winners will be announced at a special event in the Wollongong LGA at 10am on November 12th. The event will feature poetry readings,  tree plantings, a smoking ceremony, special guest Corey Tutt (OAM), founder and CEO of DeadlyScience, and of course the winning youth poets and prizes.

If you’re interested in learning more about nature in the lead up to the Poem Forest submission deadline, Red Room Poetry have a free learning resource on their website. Including case-studies on native species and forests, activities, reflections, writing prompts and even tips from local poet and multidisciplinary artist, Kirli Saunders OAM, it’s a colourful and engaging springboard into the world of eco-poetry.

Dandelion

Picture me in a tree, gazing down at the horizon,

plants swaying in the breeze.

Fresh winds hit me in the face as my hair levitates.

Afternoon butterflies and birds signal for me to follow them.

Walking down a broken path, as the cobblestone creaks.

CREAK

     CREAK

          CREAK

Something fluffy like fur, but fragile like a rose,

swaying in the misty distance.

With white petals and a swampy green stem, a

dandelion sways, as the sunset lights up the sky.

‘Dandelion’ is written by Basmah Alanazi in Year 6 at Gwynneville Public School.