Hey! You still have time to get ready for the Australian Poetry Slam Regional Heat at Cowra Library. Just two minutes could change your life! Get up and have your say - tell a story, say some rap or try some poetry - whatever - it doesn't matter, have fun and see if you can win over the audience - they are the judges. Its loads of fun and check out the amazing display at Cowra Library with loads of tips and ideas for budding performers. And look out for host Miles Merrill, he'll be entertaining everyone with his own special brand of spoken word artistry - a must see. Performers sign up from 5pm and the fun begins at 5.30pm at Cowra Library, Darling Street, Cowra.

And the winners of the World Environment Day Community Arts Competition are Primary – Freya Hawke; Primary – Elizabeth Bilton – Highly Commended; Primary Group – Orange Public School 6J (Penguins - see picture); Primary Group – Orange Public School 3N – Highly Commended; Secondary – Ayla Manwaring; Adult – Stephen Nugent and Adult – Yvette Black – Highly Commended. Entries were judged by Orange Art Gallery Director Alan Sisley and Orange City Librarian Elizabeth Barry. The competition is an initiative of ECCO (Environmentally Concerned Citizens of Orange) and Orange City Council. Come and see all the entries on display at Orange City Library for the next week. There are landscapes, poems, stories, a globe, robots, collages, drawings and lots of recycled materials put to artistic use. Freya Hawke was excited to learn she had won for her work called Environmental Helpers. She demonstrated how it works and the environmental tip I received was "to help save petrol walk or ride instead of taking the car". I think I can do that. And a tip from the Library is to splurge $1 on a Library Bag and you'll never have to use a plastic bag again.

Arts NSW report that at a lunchtime ceremony today held at the Mint, Premier Nathan Rees announced the shortlist for 2009 NSW Premier's Literary Awards, and the introduction of a new People's Choice Award to mark the 30th anniversary of Australia's first Premier's Literary Awards. Read more about the awards and writers on the shortlist at the Premier's Literary Awards website http://www.pla.nsw.gov.au/ and vote for your favourite title in the People's Choice Awards. Here are some of the nominated writers:

** 2009 The Christina Stead Prize for Fiction shortlisted writers are...

Helen Garner - The Spare Room

Kate Grenville - The Lieutenant

Joan London - The Good Parents

Steve Toltz - A Fraction of the Whole

Tim Winton - Breath

** 2009 Douglas Stewart Prize for Non-Fiction shortlisted writers are...

James Boyce - Van Diemen's Land

Robert Gray - The Land I Came Through Last

Chloe Hooper - The Tall Man: Death and Life on Palm Island

Dmetri Kakmi - Mother Land

Jacqueline Kent - An Exacting Heart: The Story of Hephzibah Menuhin

Christina Thompson - Come on Shore and We Will Kill and Eat You All

** 2009 Kenneth Slessor Prize for Poetry shortlisted writers are...

Michael Brennan - Unanimous Night

David Brooks - The Balcony

Sarah Holland-Batt - Aria

LK Holt - Man Wolf Man

Kerry Leves - A Shrine to Lata Mangeshkar

Alan Wearne - The Australian Popular Songbook.

The 2009 winners will be announced on May 18.

ABC Radio news reports hip hop artist and poet Omar Musa from Queanbeyan has won this year's Australian Poetry Slam competition, held at Sydney Opera House last night. Poetry slam is a style of performed poetry which takes its influences from rap and hip hop. After the 18 state and territory finalists performed on topics such as going to the dentist and football, there was a tie between Omar Musa from Queanbeyan, south-east of Canberra, and Mark Lloyd from Western Australia. Mr Musa ultimately won the $5,000 prize. More than 600 people entered this year's competition, many with political themes such as the global financial crisis, war and women's rights. Regina Sutton from the State Library says there has been a resurgence of interest in poetry. "People are not only using their libraries more, reading more, they are really getting into poetry and great literature," she said. Read more about Poetry Slam contestants http://www.abc.net.au/local/features/poetryslam/default.htm

Visiting Poets on Wheels Mark O'Flynn, David Brooks (trying to hide) and Marvis Sofield hammed it up for the camera when they joined in a Poetry Reading and Wine Tasting during Wine Week at Orange City Library and presented by the Central West Writers' Centre and Poets Union. The poets read some of their works with Marvis talking about life in Broken Hill, Mark O'Flynn making observations on country scenes and adding meaning to everyday life and David Brooks impressing everyone with his readings inspired by landscape and love. Five local poets also read their works for the public poetry reading: Cheryl Bussey with My Friend Ann and Girl Sixteen, Maria King with The Parish Priest, Dulcie Mclean with a Ponderous Pig and Visitors, Kim Core, of Cowra, with Connoisseur and Fruit of Lemon and Amy Harrison with the moving War Widows and Pink Camellia. The audience found it difficult to choose between the variety of poems but Orange poet Dulcie Mclean gained the loudest applause for her amusing interpretations on when visitors stay too long, taking home the prize from the Poets Union. Guests travelled from Forbes, Cowra and surrounding district to meet the poets. Everyone also enjoyed wine tasting from Rolling Wines sampling the Rolling Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc Semillon and Cabernet Merlot as part of Wine Week celebrations.

Budding poets can upload a two minute poetry slam video and compete for a wild card entry into the Poetry Slam National Grand Slam Final. The Grand Slam will be held at the Sydney Opera House on Thursday, 4 December and the online winner will compete alongside state winners for a chance of the $5,000 prizemoney. Anyone outside Sydney will be flown to the NSW capital and provided with accommodation. ABC Local radio has joined forces with State Libraries to bring the Australian Poetry to all Australians. There is now a dedicated online Poetry Slam destination: abc.net.au/poetryslam. For the first time ABC Local Radio will broadcast and stream all state finals, plus the Grand Slam Final. The dedicated website will include video of slam performances from heats and finals as well as the video entries in the online competition. Visitors will have the opportunity to join in forum discussion and comment on poet works. The online competition closes on Sunday November 16. Online entries will be judged by some of Australia's leading writing professionals, including spoken word artist Miles Merrill, poet Alicia Sometimes and Sydney Writers' Festival Artistic Director Dr Wendy Were. For more details about the Australian Poetry Slam and to find out what is on the mind of poets and performers go to abc.net.au/poetryslam.

Organised by the Poets Union and supported by Arts NSW, the Poets on Wheels program has for more than a decade toured poets to all parts of NSW. The tour gives a mix of experienced and emerging poets an opportunity to try their poetry before new audiences and gives audiences the chance to hear, read with and enjoy poets that they might not otherwise get a chance to meet. It is a successful program to raise the profile of poetry in regional NSW. The poets begin their NSW tour this week – 5 towns in 7 days culminating with a wine tasting and poetry reading to be held at Orange City Library on Tuesday 21 October at 6.30pm during Wine Week. Hear three accomplished poets – David Brooks, Mark O'Flynn and Marvis Sofield read their own works, quiz the writers, read your own poem in the open section, with prizes awarded for the best local poems while enjoying a wine tasting with Rolling Wines and please bring a gold coin donation. The next day join in a poetry workshop for adults from 12pm to 3pm with the Poets on Wheels at the West Room, Orange Regional Gallery, Byng Street. It will be a lot of fun and inspiring to learn from published poets. Cost is $10 and bring along ten copies of one of your poems plus pen and paper. Please book your place by calling the Central West Writers' Centre on 6393 8125.

Congratulations to all who took part. It was an incredible battle of words and poems, raps and raves last night as 12 entrants battled it out for a chance to compete in the NSW State Final for the Australian Poetry Slam 08. The theatre sport type entertainment included lots of audience participation as host Miles Merrill had everyone making noises and laughing at his observations on life and judges had fun scoring. Jacob Young stunned all with his autobiographical rap, Amy Johnson amazed everyone with her maturity shown in the poem "The Issue". Jeanette Pennings performed a poem about "A Moment" in a busy day, while Zac Wells described "A Winter's Day". Maggie Rosso almost had it won with a topical poem about "Retirement" while crowd favourite seven-year-old Phoebe Wells, took out third place with her thoughts on "Spring". The audience was moved to tears with Tony Owen dedicating his "Holding onto Dreams" poem to his late wife Debbie Owen who was one of the winners in last year's heat. And Amy Harrison impressed with her views on life while Maddison Wells skillfully described a Volcano and Rachel Suringa was dynamic with her performance of "The Flame". The winners were Shannon Elliott, of Canowindra, with is his energetic rap called "Self Acceptance" – about life and Josh Simpson, of Bathurst, with a moving poem about poetry. They both go on to perform on 21 November at the State Library of NSW with accommodation and flights sponsored by the Orange Regional Arts Foundation.

Here are the winners Shannon Elliott and Josh Simpson with host Miles Merrill:

And here are the entrants:

In the latest edition of the Orange Photo News newspaper a previous entrant in the Australian Poetry Slam competition shares her secret for sticking to the 2 minute time limit by using a microwave timer. 11 year-old Amy says she is no rapper but loves rhyming and speaking to a beat and took part in last year's event. The Australian Poetry Slam 08 Heat is being held at Orange City Library on Thursday 18 September at 6.30pm with performers allowed to sign up from 6pm. There is a limit of 20 contestants for the heat. Check out the display at Orange City Library for more details on rules, Poetry Slams and inspiration or go to www.wordsoutwest.com.au.

Congratulations to Orange writer, artist and poet Angela Malone (author of Lucia's Measure) who has won the Gwen Harwood Poetry Prize at Tasmanian Living Writers' Week for her work Drawing in the Birth Room. The Prize was created in 1996 in memory of the much loved Tasmanian poet whose work was highly acclaimed throughout Australia. Judges Dr Robyn Rowland and John Foulcher described Angela's poem as "simple, unpretentious and without a stumble or jarring word". For the complete judges report and highly commended poets go to the Island magazine website: http://www.islandmag.com/ Read more about Angela's inspiration in the Central Western Daily: http://orange.yourguide.com.au/news/local/news/general/angela-shows-she-has-the-write-stuff/1260401.aspx