Members' AreaThe Poetry Mixtape compiled by the poet and novelist Elaine Feeney, who interviews Margaret Atwood in the newly published winter issue of The Poetry Review, presents a blazing mix of voices and concerns. Alongside much-loved classics by Frank O’Hara, Don Paterson and Derek Mahon, Feeney has selected fierce and unforgettable testimonies from Rita Ann Higgins, […]
News
‘Glowing to receive a thousand guests’: launch of The Poetry Society’s Keats200 programme
On 20 January, The Poetry Society hosts a Zoom read-along of John Keats’ poem ‘The Eve of St Agnes’. Madeline and Porphyro, the star-crossed lovers of the poem’s tale, meet their fate during a wild party at a remote castle. As the story begins, the castle chambers are lit up – ‘glowing to receive a […]
Who’s that bird?
“I knew he was – would become – a poem as soon as I set eyes on him. That unmistakeable aura, the bristling forcefield of the imaginary, the dazzle of semiotic refractions that imbue the verifiable with the mythological.” In his new ‘Behind the Poem’ online article, Graham Mort offers views inside and out of […]
New winter issues of The Poetry Review and Poetry News
“Right, first take some weight off yourself. There’s too much pressure from the outside world… During writing your responsibility is to what you’re writing, outside world be gone,” advises Margaret Atwood, interviewed by Elaine Feeney in the Winter 2020 issue of The Poetry Review. In fact, the world is very much in evidence in the […]
David Constantine awarded Queen’s Gold Medal
David Constantine, poet, translator and novelist, has been awarded the Queen’s Gold Medal for Poetry 2020. Since 1933, the Medal has been awarded annually for excellence in poetry, to a poet from the UK or a Commonwealth Realm. Constantine was chosen by a committee chaired by Poet Laureate Simon Armitage, who said: “Above all, David […]
People Need Nature: young people’s winning poems published
Our lives, whether in the city or the country, are inextricably linked to nature. This is the nature poetry that I am interested in. One that does not disregard the human element or involvement. I want poems that are able to appreciate nature in different, interesting ways. Tell me about the park that sits alongside […]
Julia Donaldson’s ‘The Christmas Pine’ – an animated introduction
Every year The Poetry Society commissions a poem, welcoming Norway’s gift of a Christmas tree to London’s Trafalgar Square as part of its Look North More Often project. This year’s poem, ‘The Christmas Pine’, is by Julia Donaldson, author of The Gruffalo and a former children’s laureate. The poem is always unveiled as part of […]
Look North More Often 2020 – the new Trafalgar Square Christmas Tree poem
The Poetry Society has commissioned a wonderful new poem,‘The Christmas Pine’, by the former children’s laureate and author of The Gruffalo Julia Donaldson, as part of the long-running Look North More Often programme. The poem will be unveiled as part of the lighting-up ceremony of the Trafalgar Square Christmas tree. The poem is also printed […]
Young poets invited to take part in Wellcome Trust funded project
The Poetry Society’s Young Poets Network has teamed up with Newcastle Centre for the Literary Arts to challenge young writers everywhere to respond to the language of the Human Cell Atlas through poetry. Inspired by a poem by Vona Groarke, writers aged 25 and younger worldwide are asked to pen new poems whose sounds evolve […]
Islamophobia Awareness Month 2020
November is Islamophobia Awareness Month, and – through poetry – we are pleased to support MEND (Muslim Engagement and Development) in their movement for change towards a less divisive and more inclusive society. A look through our publication and project archives reveals a wealth of great work by and inspired by Muslim writers to inspire […]
New memorial to the “mother of feminism”
A new memorial sculpture to Mary Wollstonecraft, writer, Englightenment philospher and human rights advocate has been unveiled today in Newington Green, London, near where she lived and worked. The sculpture has been made by artist Maggi Hambling. Wollstonecraft was the author of A Vindication of the Rights of Woman (1792), the first book in English […]
Poetry-on-sea: Poetry in Aldeburgh 2020
The Poetry Society is pleased to once again be supporting the recently announced Poetry in Aldeburgh Festival programme. As part of a rich and varied line-up, The Poetry Society will host a digital reading event ‘Nature and Nurture’ on Sunday 15 November at 5pm GMT featuring poets Joe Dunthorne, Charlotte Knight, Elaine Beckett and Ian […]
A new foundation for black poets
The Poetry Society is delighted to support a new foundation for black poets, the Obsidian Foundation, launched by award-winning poet Nick Makoha. The Obsidian Foundation will provide a one-week retreat for black poets of African descent, who often face multiple barriers of access to literary resources and professional development. The retreat will be led by […]
Lydia Harris wins Paper Swans pamphlet prize
It’s 1,2,3 for Poetry Society Members in this year’s Paper Swans Press Poetry Pamphlet Prize, judged by Carrie Etter. First prize: Lydia Harris, A Small Space Second prize: Mark Russell, Wild & Irregular Third prize: David Hale, Beating the Bounds Carrie: Narrowing from the longlist of 13 to a final three places was every bit […]
Lewis Buxton wins Winchester Poetry Prize
Congratulations to Poetry Society Member Lewis Buxton, winner of the 2020 Winchester Poetry Competition for his poem ‘Field Dressing a Rabbit’, judged by Andrew McMillan. Second and third prizes went to fellow Poetry Society Members Claire Collison for ‘Little Deaths’ and Luke Palmer for ‘Desire | Youth’. Highly Commended Poetry Society Members were Lewis Buxton (again) […]
Jenny Mitchell wins Aryamati Poetry Prize
Many congratulations to Poetry Society Member Jenny Mitchell, winner of The Aryamati Poetry Prize, judged by Kayla Jenkins and Amber Rollinson. The joint runners-up are fellow Poetry Society Members Joanna Lilley and Julian Bishop. 1st Place: Jenny Mitchell with poem: Imagining a Forest Made of Freedom “Our undisputed favourite this year, for its skilful and […]
National Poetry Competition 2020: Then & Now
To mark the final week of the National Poetry Competition 2020 being open for entries, The Poetry Society is releasing a series of five video readings each weekday at 1pm GMT as part of a series called ‘Then & Now’. In each short video, a poet who has previously been placed in the competition reads […]
Joanne Key wins Buzzwords Poetry Competition
Penelope Shuttle has chosen ‘Strange Nature’ by Poetry Society Member Joanne Key from over 1,000 entries to be the winner of this year’s Buzzwords Poetry Competition. Fellow Poetry Society Member Penny Boxall is one of the joint runners-up with ‘Monument Valley’. Among the Commended poets are Society Members Ama Bolton and Alexandra Corrin-Tachibana and David […]
Pascale Petit wins Laurel Prize
Congratulations to Poetry Society Member Pascale Petit, chosen as the winner of the inaugural ecopoetry prize, The Laurel Prize, organised by the UK Poet Laureate Simon Armitage and the Poetry School. Pascale wins £5000 for Mama Amazonica (Bloodaxe). Winner of the £500 Best First Collection award went to fellow Poetry Society Member Matt Howard for […]
Joe Neal wins Write by the Sea International Poetry Competition
Congratulations to Poetry Society Member Joe Neal, winner of the the Write by the Sea International Poetry Competition, announced by Colm Tóibín. Joe won with his poem ‘The Savage Sea’. Fellow Society Member Nathaniel Frankland was third with ‘Fitted Bedsheet Beahes’. We carve to heel and catch the wind while green-flash light parts curtain mist […]
Tackling food poverty: resources for teachers
With Marcus Rashford keeping food poverty in the headlines, we know teachers will be thinking about food insecurity. There’s nothing more direct than supporting a food poverty charity, but there are ways poetry can bear witness to the situation across the UK, and things poets can do to help. Recently, The Poetry Society’s Young Poets […]
Black History Month 2020
October is Black History Month, and to mark the occasion The Poetry Society has identified a selection of its latest content that celebrates Black culture, from its programme of educational activities, commissions and its journal The Poetry Review. For young readers, The Poetry Society has gathered together a series of favourite poetry books for young […]
“When in doubt, cut it out” – A National Poetry Competition interview with Neil Astley
Following on from our Q&As with Karen McCarthy Woolf, our next National Poetry Competition Q&A comes from Neil Astley, poet and editor of Bloodaxe Books. What advice would you give to entrants looking at a blank page? You shouldn’t be looking at a blank page if you’ve haven’t already got a line in your head […]
Foyle Young Poets of the Year Award Results
The Poetry Society has announced today the top 15 winners and 85 commended poets of the Foyle Young Poets of the Year Award 2020 at a virtual prize-giving ceremony. Find the winning poems here. Run by The Poetry Society and generously supported by the Foyle Foundation, this has been an extraordinary 22nd year for The […]
Congratulations to all on the T.S. Eliot Prize shortlist
Huge congratulations to all on the 2020 T.S. Eliot Prize shortlist, judged by Lavinia Greenlaw (Chair), Mona Arshi and Andrew McMillan. The shortlisted poets are: Natalie Diaz – Postcolonial Love Poem (Faber) Sasha Dugdale – Deformations (Carcanet) Ella Frears – Shine Darling (Offord Road Books) Will Harris – RENDANG (Granta) Wayne Holloway-Smith – Love Minus […]
Poems grow on trees: Foyle Young Poets 2020
To celebrate the Foyle Young Poets of the Year Award 2020 in readiness for this year’s awards cermony, The Poetry Society has commissioned artist Imogen Foxell to create an illustration that brings together motifs for all one hundred winning poems from this year’s competition, from banana to boot, peacock to pack of cards. […]
Louise Glück wins Nobel Prize
Congratulations to the celebrated US poet Louise Glück, who has been awarded the 2020 Nobel Prize for Literature, the fourth woman to win the prize for literature since 2010. The Swedish Academy, which oversees the award, said that Glück had been recognised for “her unmistakable poetic voice, that with austere beauty makes individual existence universal”. Born in […]
Derek Mahon, 1941–2020
We are sorry to report that Derek Mahon, among the most celebrated of modern Northern Irish poets, died in Cork on 1 October 2020, following a short illness. He was 78. Mahon’s poem, ‘A Disused Shed in Co. Wexford’, is often chosen as a ‘desert island poem’, and his poem ‘Everything is Going to be […]
The poetry eye test
As part of The Poetry Society’s National Poetry Day celebrations behold a ‘Vision’-themed quiz, the ‘Poetry Eye Test’. Can you identify all ten bespectacled poets correctly? To enter, email your ten answers to [email protected] with the subject line POETRY EYE TEST by 10am Monday 5 October to win one of three copies of the new […]
Lesley Ingram wins The Poetry Society’s 2020 Stanza Competition
We are delighted to announce that Lesley Ingram from Herefordshire Stanza is the winner of our 2020 Stanza Competition for her poem ‘Confession’, chosen by Heidi Williamson. Heidi: “The quiet title ‘Confession’ draws us in to intimately witness a domestic scene with repercussions across the years… The poem interrogates what is felt and meant between […]
A bard’s eye view: National Poetry Day 2020
Happy National Poetry Day! This year’s National Poetry Day is on the theme of ‘Vision’ and to celebrate The Poetry Society has assembled a glittering array of activities through the day including video readings of Stanza and Member competition winners, a retrospective of poetry films, a quiz, a writing resource and a special free online […]
Members’ News round-up: inc Ambit, Rebecca Swift, Live Canon, Winchester, Forward Prizes
Dan Simpson has been appointed as Poet-in-Residence for St Alban’s Cathedral. Read more S. K. Grout and Roy McFarlane second and third in Ambit Poetry Competition. Julie Irigaray, Yvette Siegert and April Yee Commended. Read more Rebecca Swift Foundation Women Poets’ Prize longlist: Vicki Husband, Annie Fan, Eve Ellis, Charlotte Knight, Bryony Littlefair, Jeri Onitskansky, […]
The Poetry Review: autumn harvest
In the post: the new Poetry Review, a really vital journal of record for these stormy times when worked-on language can be our lighthouse and our lifeboat.” – Ian McMillan on Twitter, September 2020 The latest, magnificent issue of The Poetry Review, edited by Emily Berry, is just published. It includes fiery, speculative and moving […]
The Poetry Society AGM 2020
If you are a member of The Poetry Society, please join us at The Poetry Society AGM 2020, from 6.30pm, Monday 23 November 2020. Due to coronavirus restrictions, this year the AGM will be held online via Zoom, which we hope this means even more of you than usual will be able to come along […]
A modern-day spell against the darkness
The Poetry Society in association with the Canal & River Trust have commissioned a new poem by Hebden Bridge poet Ian Humphreys. Ian’s poem – ‘Treading Water’ – is a tender elegy for his mum, set near where he lives alongside the Rochdale Canal. He says ‘The poem describes a walk we went on a […]
Anne Stevenson, 1933–2020
Anne Stevenson, a hugely influential poet, penetrating critic and passionate presence in British and American poetry and letters, died on 14 September 2020, at the age of 87. She had a rich life. Though born in Cambridge, England, of American parents, Stevenson’s earliest years were spent in the States where her father, a philosopher, taught […]
Polite Safety Notice film to screen at virtual social change film festival
The poetry film ‘Polite Safety Notice’, adapted by animator Aindri C from the Mark Fiddes poem of the same name, has been selected for screening at the ChangeFest Virtual Film Festival 2020, the International Social Change Film Festival. The film has been selected for a ‘Climate Change, Environmental Sustainability and Animal Justice’ programme of short […]
International Literacy Day shelfie special
Today is International Literacy Day, an annual celebration of reading and writing to emphasise the importance of literacy as a human right and the importance of lifelong literacy learning for youth and adults. International Literacy Day 2020 focuses on “Literacy teaching and learning in the COVID-19 crisis and beyond”, during a turbulent year when many […]
“Read forensically”: A National Poetry Competition interview with Karen McCarthy Woolf
The next in our series of Q&As with the National Poetry Competition 2020 judges is here, this time with poet and broadcaster Karen McCarthy Woolf. It joins our previous ice cream-themed Q&A with Jonathan Edwards. What advice would you give to entrants looking at a blank page? A blank page can be daunting. Give yourself […]
The lyric eye: National Poetry Day 2020
Now less than a month away, this year’s National Poetry Day takes place on 1 October 2020 and the theme is vision. To celebrate the occasion on the day, The Poetry Society is lining up a glittering array of activities for you to engage with, whether you’ve time that day to give poetry a fleeting […]
“ST. AGNES’ Eve—Ah, bitter chill it was!” The @poetrysociety #Keats200 celebrations begin next week with the Eve of St Agnes Read Along on Zoom Wed 20 Jan 7pm GMT. Find out more and book here bit.ly/stagneseveread… (image credit: Linda Hughes)
'It is not only what we do, but also what we do not do, for which we are accountable.' ― Molière #BOTD in 1622 Retweeted by The Poetry Society
Listen in to a new Caroline Bird play on Monday twitter.com/carolinebirduk…
If you happen to be home on Monday 😉 my new radio play is on @BBCRadio4 at 2pm, directed and produced by brilliant radio wizard @MairBosworth and starring Jessica Hynes, Sinead Matthews, @TracyWiles, @yeshaleymcgee +Kerry Shale https://t.co/z8PqQDtuaz
— Caroline Bird (@CarolineBirdUK) January 15, 2021
@PoetrySociety - the Poetry Review worth it for this poem alone. My jaw dropped. Retweeted by The Poetry Society
“Keep two miasmas apart” - Covid meets Oulipo twitter.com/and_otherpoems…
An oulipian (N+10) poem collage made from current guidelines https://t.co/n8LD17uGk6 pic.twitter.com/Jd81u7vG3d
— Josephine Corcoran (@And_OtherPoems) January 13, 2021
Unwind with a fabulous baker's dozen of poetry hits courtesy of @elainefeeney16 in the latest Poetry Mixtape accompanying the Winter Poetry Review bit.ly/feeneypoetrymi… #desertislandpoems
News from our group in Germany! twitter.com/samegelstaff/s…
Just decided which poem I’m reading tomorrow night at @PoetrySociety #German Stanza...It’s going to be my narrative poem ‘The Pirate of @LlandogerTrow,’ a comment on #homelessness in Britain today! #Bristol Thankyou to @Rainbow_Poems Lucy for your support x 👍🌈#writing pic.twitter.com/WTASLZDxI9
— Samantha Egelstaff (@SamEgelstaff) January 12, 2021
A few days remain to get a discounted annual subscription to the digital edition of The Poetry Review including the latest exciting issue. Until 14 Jan you can get up to 25% off using code WINTEROFFER2020 at the online checkout! bit.ly/digitalpoetryr…
Now I must be mute. I am sincere only when I am silent. So, only when I am silent do they settle upon me - words - a flock of birds in a tree at nightfall. Adelia Prado (trans Barbara Howes) Still time to catch BBC documentary on the Brazilian poet bbc.co.uk/programmes/p04…
Yes! It is January and that means it is TS Eliot Prize readings time! 24 Jan is the date for your diary! twitter.com/tseliotprize/s…
The T. S. Eliot Prize Readings will be combined with the chair of the judges’ announcement of the winner in a fabulous streamed event hosted by Ian McMillan at 7pm on Sunday 24 January. Get your ticket now: https://t.co/FS99sompZy@southbankcentre @IMcMillan pic.twitter.com/zJGr7bjwB0
— T. S. Eliot Prize (@tseliotprize) January 11, 2021
Such freezing weather is like a hand lightly pressed against grey water. Hands will not break it since there’s little there to break only this pale light which is about to turn into something darker. We should wake from it. Give us our white nights. Retweeted by The Poetry Society
Now you're telling me You're not nostalgic Then give me another word for it You who are so good with words And at keeping things vague Because I need some of that vagueness now Happy 80th birthday Joan Baez Diamonds and Rust
Alexander Pope's manuscript of The Iliad c.1720. He was so enjoying the description of Achilles' sheild that he sketched his own version. Retweeted by The Poetry Society
Winter is good - his Hoar Delights Italic flavor yield - To Intellects inebriate With Summer, or the World - Generic as a Quarry And hearty - as a Rose - Invited with asperity But welcome when he goes. Emily Dickinson
What phrases or stories sustained you through difficult times when you were very young? @SmritiPH @katefoxwriter @wanderinggaia and @frankcottrell_b join @imcmillan to talk about hope and optimism. 10pm. bbc.co.uk/programmes/m00… Retweeted by The Poetry Society
Don't miss the Zoom launch for the Winter issue of The Poetry Review on Thurs 28 Jan 7pm GMT. The line-up includes Graham Mort, Meredi Ortega, Rushika Wick and Jason Allen-Paisant. Free, donations welcome. Book at bit.ly/reviewwinter20…
"I knew he was – would become – a poem as soon as I set eyes on him." Graham Mort on his poem 'Cock Pheasant' from the latest Winter issue of Poetry Review. Read the full 'Behind the Poem' piece at bit.ly/mortpheasant
