The poet whose wings were clipped inspires the ongoing success of the Bar Sagi Young Poets Prize, which saw the UK take top spots in 2021

In 2019 a new poetry prize for young writers was established in memory of teenager Bar Sagi, who sadly passed away aged just 15 after a terrible battle with bone cancer. The inaugural Bar Sagi Young Poets Prize was open only to Israeli students but, after much success, the 2020/21 prize saw it expand to include those from Jewish schools outside Israel. There were a substantial number of entries from the UK, three of which took home the top three prizes.

“I was inspired to begin writing poetry by my Auntie Susan, who is a poet herself,” said 12-year-old Londoner Sigal Nachshen, who came third in the competition with her poem Stillness. “Poetry has now become one of my favourite pastimes. I personally enjoy it as there is a large musical element, finding words to fit in with the rhythm and creating a flow within the writing.”

Entries for the prize were open to those aged 12-19, who were asked to write a poem in English, in any style and on any subject, previously unpublished, and of no more than 41 lines. There were cash prizes awarded to first, second and third places, and the winning poem was read at the prize-giving ceremony, as well as published in the annual Voices Israel anthology. Along with Sigal, was fellow 12-year-old Londoner and second prizewinner Rafi Goldstein with his poem I Move Forward Without Thinking, and 18-year-old Aubrey McFate, also from London, who came first with her poem Loving Without Being Loved.

Due to the pandemic, the awards ceremony took place on 2 May 2021 via Zoom, at which all finalists read their poems and spoke a little about themselves. “My favourite subjects at school are maths and PE,” said Rafi when introducing himself. “I wrote my poem after my English teacher talked to our class about Bar Sagi and showed us some of her work.”

Founded by Bar’s maternal grandparents, Professor Anthony Joseph of the Weizmann Institute and his wife Denise, the poetry prize was set up to honour Bar’s love of writing. Though born in Rehovot in 2001, she lived with her parents in the United States from the age of five to 11 and English quickly became her preferred language in which to write. Her works include 25 poems that document her journey with cancer, her hopes and despair as remissions are followed by relapses, hospitalisation and pain, and her remarkable life force.

These pieces, written in her own hand-illustrated book entitled See Me Soar and Spread My Wings, reflect a multidimensional character and a mature understanding. An anthology of these poems has been published by Gvanim, illustrated with original watercolours (by Ellie Makar-Limanov and Anna Melnikov) and six of them have been selected by Israel’s Ministry of Education to be taught in Israeli schools.

The Bar Sagi Young Poets Prize 2020/21 was administered by Voices Israel, a non-profit organisation bringing people together through poetry, in consultation with Ricky Friesem, a close friend of the Joseph family. The judges were Voices Israel board member Susan Bell, actor, poet and singer-songwriter Amiel Schotz and Itamar Blumfield, the youngest poet in the Voices Israel group.

By Wendy Blumfield

Illustration by Ellie Makar-Limanov

Bar Sagi: See Me Soar and Spread My Wings is out now, contact anthony.joseph@weizmann.ac.il regarding physical copies. Further details about Bar Sagi’s poetry and the Bar Sagi Young Poets Prize can be found at voicesisrael.com.