Source: The National, Friday 04th November 2011 AS far as I know The National Newspaper’s Writer’s Forum has not been properly thanked by PNG writers entering into The Crocodile Prize, at least in the poetry section. Whether that is because few of us have submitted our works to the forum or it is merely an unfortunate oversight, I believe a vote of thanks is overdue (and may be a welcome, even if temporary, flag of truce!). At least for myself and a few others, I know that the Writer’s Forum has provided the first opportunity for us to read our creative work and that of our fellow poets, in print at no cost to us, produced every Friday, almost without fail. Today we have The Crocodile Prize literary competition for poems, essays and short stories, brought to us by the PNG Post- Courier and the inspired website, PNG Attitude. But the Writer’s Forum broke the ice first. And if The National’s daily circulation is really bigger than their competitor, then I would say that for my literary pursuit, it’s all good! Rivalry, and sometimes enmity, between the two dailies is a natural phenomenon in the news world. It is acceptable when it keeps the news hounds on their toes and (hopefully) their readers are better informed. Personally, I hold with the motto “know your enemy”, so I buy both papers. But perhaps this competitive chasm can be bridged, at least at this crossroads where there is so much effort being put in and good opportunity for resurrecting PNG literature. The Crocodile Prize is a first “small step” before the next “giant leap”. In my opinion, to not cease this day would be counterproductive to our shared cause. There may be synergies to be gained by addressing national literature in separate but parallel avenues. My first poem submission to the Writer’s Forum was in early 2007. I recall buying that day’s edition of the newspaper and turning directly to The Weekender magazine to read my name in the byline of the poem “When it falls”, penned 10 years earlier. How cool was that?! Thank you to The National newspaper. Realising for the first time that I had a forum to share my works was a crystallising point, a creative resurgence for my writing. Until that moment I had felt that I was stagnating, for what is a writer without an audience? “Lost messages/hold no meaning/or thoughts would speak/and tongues/all be silent”. Five years after the first publication I now realise that I have submitted and had the pleasure of reading some of my best work (that’s a private opinion) in the Writer’s Forum. By propitious arrangements the poetic submissions share page borders with Russell Soaba’s Storyboard, so that small segment of the newspaper provides an entertaining and elucidating mini-library of literature on a single page! I get the same feeling of pride and satisfaction in sharing my work through that same avenue today, albeit with no other prospect of reward down the line. On the other hand The Crocodile Prize is a great advance in building up PNG writers to tell the great tales and share poetry that expresses our identity as individuals, as diverse peoples and to define and celebrate our promising nationhood. What’s more The Crocodile Prize achieves this broad and worthy objective in a competitive spirit that encourages and rewards excellence. Thursday, Sept 15, was an exceptional day, for a group of budding young PNG writers to receive and read the first ever copy of The Crocodile Prize 2011 Anthology, with our works printed in the pages, bound in dark green covers and delivered to us by Pukpuk Publications. Many of my poems from Writer’s Forum were resubmitted to The Crocodile Prize, and two original works were published in the first anthology. This outcome, for me, would not have been possible without the opportunities afforded by all three parties named. To our two daily newspapers I would propose that on this literary cause our ends are the same, that is, if we’re all in the same boat. Let us work together on the means of achieving our shared goal. On this page are four of my poems. I am sincerely grateful to The National newspaper for first publishing them in the Writer’s Forum.