View from window brings winning poet some comfort

Powys residents aged 8 to 16 were invited to write a short story or poem, and younger children to submit a drawing or painting, inspired by what they could see “Looking Through My Window”.

Nancy Varty, from Montgomery, was the joint winner, along with Nia Wilkie, of the age 8-11 category which was judged at the end of May.

Nancy is no stranger to writing success, having last year won first prize in the age nine and under category of the inaugural Bishop’s Castle Children’s Short Story Writing Competition. During lockdown in May, she heard about this library competition from a friend and was inspired by the subject. She said: "I thought it would be nice to enter. It was a nice idea to write a poem about what we see out of our window, since we are all at home."

Nancy’s poem described the beauty of the garden outside her window, and its greenery and the visiting birds. She wrote of how the landscape, the light and the sounds change as day turns to evening and in turn to a new day, and how the view is a comfort in a time where other things are missed.

Powys Libraries said it was a very difficult job to choose winners and congratulated everyone who had entered. The judges loved Nancy’s descriptive use of words, especially her “tangle of roses” and “tingle of noses”. They were almost able to see and feel what she was describing and commented that the poem encapsulated the feeling of the current "lockdown" situation in a beautiful way.

Heather Bound from Newtown Area Library contacted Nancy to tell her she was among the winners and to congratulate her, adding: “Well done - and please, please, keep writing!”

The winning pictures and poems, including Nancy’s, were posted on the Powys Libraries and Newtown Library Facebook pages, and other entries will be shared over the coming weeks.