Lauris Edmond Prize for Poetry Awarded

Fiona Kidman reports that Auckland poet, Riemke Ensing was awarded the Lauris Edmond Prize for Poetry at the Christchurch Readers and Writers Festival last weekend. Jointly funded by the New Zealand Poetry Society and the Lauris Edmond Trust, the award is a biannual recognition of a distinguished contribution to New Zealand poetry. 

The selection panel noted her unassuming and long standing mentorship and support for other writers, both as a teacher and an editor. The outstanding merit of her poetry is recognized in New Zealand and internationally.

Born in the Netherlands,  Ensing  arrived in New Zealand in 1951, first coming to attention as editor of the first New Zealand anthology of women poets, Private Gardens in 1977. She has published numerous collections, often engaging with art, politics and other poets, and her selected poems were published in 2000 as Talking Pictures. She is a former recipient of the Buddle Findlay Sargeson Fellowship.