MINGLED VOICES 2 is an anthology of eighty-nine poems, the work of sixty-one poets, selected from those which were entered in the second annual international competition for the Proverse Poetry Prize in 2017. The 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2016 by Dr Gillian Bickley and Dr Verner Bickley MBE, in association with the annual international Proverse Prize for unpublished book-length fiction, non-fiction or poetry, submitted in English, which they also founded, in 2008.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 2017 by the Administrators, "Happiness". 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 by the judges for the Prize. The places of birth of the writers whose work is included in the anthology range from Scandinavia to the Far East, to the southern hemisphere; and include Australia, Bulgaria, Canada, Cuba, Denmark, Estonia, Georgia, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Italy, Macedonia, Macau, New Zealand, the People's Republic of China, Poland, South Africa, Spain, Turkey, the UK and the USA. Some have strong links with other countries, including East Germany and Zambia. "I am certain that their endeavours will continue to flourish and that the Proverse Poetry Prize will continue to grow exponentially in terms not only of an increasing number of submissions from across the globe, but also of the growing recognition as a significant international literary award. Indeed, I am certain that poets everywhere will come to covet representation within the pages, if they do not already Kia ora katoa Thank you all]. Vaughan Rapatahana"