Joanne Lau
Filed under: Authors
I am a 24-year-old law student who studies in Hong Kong. I am currently doing Professional Certificates in Laws after taking a postgraduate Juris Doctor degree in law and majoring in politics during my undergraduate years. I've been a leisure reader and amateur writer of poetry since university, but this is the first time I've entered into a poetry competition. This Most Highly Commended Award means a great deal to me because I have no professional training in poetry writing and I have no idea if my work is of standard. All I know is that I am fascinated by the power of words: expressive and infectious. Therefore I write whenever I have strong feelings about anything around me. I wrote this poem when there was a major outcry among the community demanding the government to stop the demolition of the Star Ferry Pier, a 49-year-old landmark of Hong Kong embodying its colonial history. This conflict between urban redevelopment and preservation of cultural heritage inspired me to write about the problematic nature of the past. This award gives me recognition and encourages me to continue writing and pursuing my dream of publishing a collection of poems!
Winning Entry: Hickory Dickory Dock
Contest Won: Tom Howard/John H. Reid Poetry Contest 2008, Most Highly Commended
