An anthology of one hundred and thirty-nine poems, the work of eighty-nine poets, selected from those which were entered in the third annual international competition for the International Proverse Poetry Prize in May - July 2018. The International Proverse Poetry Prize was jointly founded in 2016 by Dr Gillian Bickley and Dr Verner Bickley MBE, in association with the annual international Proverse Prize for unpublished book-length fiction, non-fiction or poetry, submitted in English, which they also founded, in 2008.Poems could be submitted on any subject or topic, chosen by each poet, or on the subject chosen for 2018 by the Administrators, Refuge . There was a free choice of form and style.Included in the anthology are the poems that won the first, second, and third prizes. Selection to appear in the anthology was also awarded as a prize by the judges for the Prize.Poems were submitted from Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, the Czech Republic, France, Greece, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Italy, Macau, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, Sweden, Turkey, the Peoples’ Republic of China, the United Kingdom, the United Arab Emirates and the United States of America.The countries of birth of these poets include Canada, Cuba, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain, the United Kingdom, the United States of America, and Wales.Some are new or young writers. Others are already well-published as poets, whether in magazines and journals or in book form; some with several published poetry collections of their own. Some are prize-winning writers and writers who have participated in poetry festivals and other prestigious events. What a pleasure to browse the ‘mingled voices’ of the third Proverse anthology - a rich and varied collection indeed: universal experiences of belonging and alienation, love and loss, sorrow and joy, expressed through vivid images, personal stories and creative patterns of language. Take your time, dear reader, dip in and out, find your own favourites and be inspired to take up your pen or switch on your laptop and write.-Pauline Burton, poet and educator, UK and HK. ‘The Fog’ in Mingled Voices 3 begins with a line from Francis Thompson, ‘All’s vast that vastness means.’ For me, this opening of the Sanja Sarman poem captures the diversity and expansiveness of each piece within the anthology. Reviewing the works has been an unexpected journey granting respect and an immensity to the condition of advanced dementia as well as to the experience of a prayerful hospice worker. It is well worth the read. -Dr Charles Lowe, Associate Dean, Division of Humanities and Social Sciences, United International College.
