In winning the $10,000 Australian Catholic University Prize for Poetry - Australia's richest poetry prize - Anna Murchison will be an inspiration to late starters in many fields. The 54-year-old Hobart poet, who won for her poem Child of Gath-hepher, did not even start writing poetry until she was 50. The theme of this year's prize was resilience. Murchison's winning poem explores her feelings during a recent experience when her son Jonah needed urgent surgery, and she suddenly had to fly from Tasmania to Melbourne between lockdowns to be with him. The name Child of Gath-hepher is a reference to the birthplace of the Biblical Jonah. ACU Poetry Prize judge MTC Cronin described Murchison's work as "a poem of many journeys. This is a story of our generational desires to protect, to teach, to honor, to pay homage. To thank for being nurtured". Second prize was won by Melbourne-based poet and former ACU academic Carolyn Masel, and third prize went to Brisbane-based Bruce Clark. Statements from the winning poets, together with their poems, are available at acu.edu.au/prizeforpoetry. All 75 shortlisted poems will be published in an anthology that can be purchased from the same website.

The Creative Thought and Reflection Literary Competition (CTRL+A) is run by the Orana Parents and Friends. Authors Jackie French and Harry Laing will be the judges. This year the theme is aligned with the Children's Book Council of Australia Book Week theme: Old Worlds, New Worlds and Other Worlds. The intention is to include as many children's stories, poems and one-page graphic novels as possible in the annual Orana Anthology of Creative Thought. Competition submissions will be open until November 1, 2021. All children of school age in Canberra and the surrounding regions are eligible to submit entries. All submissions must be accompanied by an entry fee. The book will be available for pre-purchase with delivery in early 2022. Find out more at ctrla.oranaschool.com.

Until September 15: Readers all over the country are invited to take part in Together We Read, Australia's biggest online book club, through their local library this September. Together We Read's digital book club selection for 2021 is Chris Hammer's bestselling crime novel, Scrublands. Public library members can enjoy Scrublands as an ebook or audiobook for free. To join you will need a current library membership. You can now join your local library online. Then via the free Libby app on your device, download Scrublands as an ebook or an audiobook with no holds and no waiting until September 15. Overdrive's Libby reading app for libraries is one of Popular Mechanics' 20 Best Apps of the Decade, while the student reading app Sora is one of TIME's Best Inventions of 2019. Join the online discussion with other readers and Chris Hammer at togetherweread.com/aunz/join-the-discussion/.

Entries for the June Shenfield Poetry Awards close on Sunday, September 12. Entries for the Marjorie Graber-McInnis Short Story Award close on Monday, September 13. More information: actwriters.org/annual-awards.

September 26: This will be a Spring Zoom open mic poetry soirée (instead of the usual Binalong venue). Hear an eclectic mix of voices and enjoy a chat with other poetry lovers. '"Doors" open at 1.30 (chat time) for 2pm poetry start. Link to event on Binalong Arts Group Inc Facebook page or via email. Contact: robynsykespoet@gmail.com or 0401 289 178. All welcome.

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