Members' AreaHere’s some recent competition successes for Poetry Society Members! Fathima Zahra won the Bridport Poetry Prize; Mark Fiddes, Sharon Phillips, Penny Boxall, and Alison Binney were Highly Commended. Read more N J Hynes won the Battered Moons Poetry Competition, judged by Zoë Brigley Thompson. Sue Spiers was third. Former Foyle Young Poet Laura Potts was […]
News
Mark Fiddes wins Oxford Brookes
The Oxford Brookes University Poetry Competition was judged this year by the internationally-acclaimed and award-winning author Jackie Kay. Two top prizes of £1,000 were on offer in a competition that seeks to celebrate the great diversity of poetry being written in English all over the world. Poems were submitted in two categories: EAL category (open […]
Radka Thea Otípková wins Waltham Forest Poetry Competition with ‘Bats’
The Waltham Forest Poetry Competition, in its second year, received 600 poems from 300 poets (or thereabouts) on the theme of ‘Where I’m From’ and judge Graham Clifford read every single one. Poetry Society Member Radka Thea Otípková (Czech Republic) has won with her poem ‘Bats’. Graham Clifford: “As I suspect is often the way, […]
Poetry to bring the gift of hope to Trafalgar Square tree
Since 2009, The Poetry Society has run a poetry project called Look North More Often, commissioning a new poem every year to celebrate the friendship between Oslo and London, symbolised by the Trafalgar Square Christmas tree. This year Clare Pollard has written a poem called ‘The Gift’ inspired by the theme of hope which will […]
Edexcel English Literature GCSE syllabus celebrates diversity
At a conference today, Pearson Edexcel launched their updated GCSE (9-1) English Literature syllabus, which now includes a greater diversity of contemporary writers. Two new novels, two new plays and a new poetry collection, all by BAME writers, have been added to the GCSE (9-1) text list. In addition, Edexcel has released a new poetry […]
Q & A with National Poetry Competition artist Cat O’Neil
Each year, The Poetry Society commissions new artwork for the National Poetry Competition, which features on our entry forms and posters, before finally becoming the cover of our annual National Poetry Competition Winners’ Anthology. Recent artists to take up the challenge of translating poetry into picture include Isabel Rock, Jonathan Edwards and Eugenia Loli. For […]
A tribute to Ciaran Carson
Ciaran Carson, who sadly died on 6 October 2019, had a long association with The Poetry Society, as a contributor to The Poetry Review, as a National Poetry Competition judge, and as a noted translator shortlisted for the Society’s Popescu Translation Prize. Born in Belfast on 9 October 1948, Carson studied English at Queen’s University. […]
Andrew McMillan wins Polari Prize
Angela Chadwick and Poetry Society Member Andrew McMillan have been announced as the winners of the 2019 Polari Prizes, celebrating work that explores the LGBT experience. Chadwick’s highly acclaimed, dystopian thriller XX picked up the Polari First Book Prize for best debut whilst McMillan’s intimate poetry collection, Playtime, scooped the inaugural Polari Prize, beating other […]
Where Light Falls: new poems in light
The dome of St Paul’s Cathedral, silhouetted against Blitz fire and smoke. Coventry Cathedral, bombed and in flames. These iconic images from the Second World War – and the histories behind them – are the inspiration for two new poetry commissions encouraged into the world through Historic England’s project Where Light Falls. From 24th – […]
Congratulations to Forward Prize winners Fiona Benson, Stephen Sexton and Parwana Fayyaz
Congratulations to Fiona Benson, winner of the £10,000 Forward Prize for Best Collection for her collection Vertigo & Ghost (Cape), described as a retelling of Greek mythology for the #MeToo era. Several of the poems from the collection were first published in The Poetry Review and two, ‘[Zeus] Anatomical Dolls’ and ‘Haruspex’, can be read […]
A butt of sherry for new Poet Laureate Simon Armitage
Simon Armitage signing his Butt of Sherry in the headquarters of the CRDO in Jerez. To celebrate Simon Armitage’s appointment as the 21st Poet Laureate, he was invited by the Sherry producers of Jerez to receive the gift of a butt of Sherry. He has today visited the the area to choose his Sherry and […]
A tribute to Elaine Feinstein
Elaine Feinstein, who died on 23 September 2019, was an award-winning poet, novelist, biographer, a witty conversationalist and a spellbinding performer. Born Elaine Cooklin in Liverpool on 24 October 1930, she grew up in Leicester and read English at Newnham College, Cambridge. She subsequently read for the bar in London, but subsequently returned to Cambridge […]
Timothy Corsellis Prize 2019 winners announced
We are pleased to announce the winners of the Timothy Corsellis Prize 2019, marking the anniversary of Timothy Corsellis’s death. The Timothy Corsellis Prize was set up in memory of the young poet Timothy Corsellis, both as a memorial and an encouragement to others to explore the often overlooked field of Second World War poetry. […]
Penny Boxall wins The Poetry Society’s Stanza Competition
The winner of the 2019 Stanza Poetry Competition on the theme of ‘Lies’, judged by Geraldine Clarkson, is Penny Boxall (York Stanza) for her poem ‘The Dub Artist’. As part of Penny’s prize, she will be one of our guest readers at The Poetry Society’s AGM on 27 November at the Poetry Cafe, London, and […]
National Poetry 2019 – if truth be told…
Happy National Poetry Day 2019! National Poetry Day is a big annual celebration of poetry across the UK, this year on the theme of ‘Truth’. To mark the occasion, The Poetry Society is today delivering a swathe of activities including: poems being broadcast at selected stations on the London Underground (including Covent Garden, Moorgate and […]
Foyle Young Poets of the Year Award 2019 winners announced
The Poetry Society is delighted to announce the top 15 poets and 85 commended poets who are winners in the Foyle Young Poets of the Year Award 2019. The winning entries were selected from over 6,000 poets and over 11,000 poems by this year’s poet judges Raymond Antrobus and Jackie Kay. Writers aged 11-17 entered […]
Helen Mort picks her Winchester longlist
Helen Mort Judge Helen Mort has picked her longlist for the 2019 Winchester Poetry Competition, including Poetry Society Members: Ama Bolton, Penny Boxall, Lewis Buxton, Martin Figura, Simon French, Rae Howells, Maria Isakova, Peter Iveson (for TWO poems), Stephen Keeler, Fiona Larkin, Robert Powell, Robert Stein, Ellora Sutton, Karen Tobias-Green, Mark Totterdell, Pat Winslow… as […]
BBC Proms Poetry Competition 2019 winners announced
The winners of the BBC Proms Poetry Competition 2019, for poems written in response to a piece of music in the 2019 Proms season, have been announced. This year’s competition was judged by poet and presenter of The Verb on BBC Radio 3 Ian McMillan, acclaimed poet Malika Booker and the Director of The Poetry […]
New guest editors announced for The Poetry Review
The Poetry Society is delighted to announce new guest editorships for the Winter 2019 and Spring 2020 issues of The Poetry Review as regular Editor Emily Berry is taking a short writing sabbatical until Summer 2020. The Poetry Society welcomes Colette Bryce as Editor of the Winter 2019 issue, which is published in December. Colette […]
Winning translations published on Young Poets Network
This summer, The Poetry Society’s Young Poets Network teamed up with Modern Poetry in Translation, challenging young poets worldwide to co-translate ‘Today’ by Western Armenian poet Lola Koundakjian. We provided a bridge translation and translator’s notes from Adham Smart, and an introduction to translating poetry by MPT editor Clare Pollard. Equipped with these translating tools, […]
Yvonne Reddick wins Ambit Poetry Competition
Congratulations to Poetry Society Member Yvonne Reddick, this year’s winner of the Ambit Poetry Competition on the theme of ‘Wild’ and judged by Liz Berry. Yvonne wins £500 for her poem ‘In the Burning Season’ which will be published in Ambit 238 with the rest of the top three poems. Yvonne was Joint runner-up […]
Laura Mucha wins the first YorkMix Poems for Children Competition
Laura Mucha has won the inaugural YorkMix Poems for Children Competition for her poem ‘Rapunzel’ [And sweet Rapunzel’s golden curls / would slowly tumble and unfurl / allowing Witch to clamber up / (occasionally getting stuck).] The judge was Carole Bromley: “a superb, funny, original retelling of the fairy-tale. I was delighted to find it […]
A tribute to Carole Satyamurti
We are sorry to announce the death of Carole Satyamurti, poet, sociologist, teacher and former winner of the National Poetry Competition, who died on 13 August. Carole was the author of six collections of poetry – her first three with Oxford University Press and the three thereafter with Bloodaxe. Stitching the Dark: New & Selected […]
Young Poets Networkers translate at The Poetry Café
This summer, The Poetry Society’s Young Poets Network teamed up with Modern Poetry in Translation to challenge young writers worldwide to try their hand at translating poetry. As part of this partnership YPN and MPT set up a free poetry translation workshop with MPT editor and poet Clare Pollard in The Poetry Café. On 14 […]
Jared A Carnie wins Paper Swans Press pamphlet prize
CONGRATULATIONS to Poetry Society Members Lizzie Holden (second for From the Bottom of the Wishing Well) and Pam Thompson (third for Hireling) in the Paper Swans Press Poetry Pamphlet Prize – won by Jared A Carnie for his pamphlet Lyme. Also Commended was Poetry Society Member Maria Isakova Bennett with fellow Members Lucy Maxwell Scott, […]
Segora Poetry Competition: winners are all Poetry Society Members
CONGRATULATIONS to Poetry Society Members Mary Gilonne, Sheila Aldous and Jenny Mitchell, top three in this year’s Segora Poetry Competition. First prize £300, second £50, Third £30, judged by Maggie Butt. Also on the shortlist was fellow Member Tim Waller. Maggie Butt: “Judging the Segora competition has been hard. Not just because of the number […]
Winners of Live Canon Pamphlet Competition are all Poetry Society Members
CONGRATULATIONS to Poetry Society Members Robin Houghton, Miranda Peake, Tania Hershman and Katie Griffiths – winners of the Live Canon Pamphlet Competition. All four will have pamphlets published by Live Canon. The competition was for pamphlets of between 18 and 35 poems. The winning publications are Was it the Diet Coke, and other questions – […]
Roger Bloor wins Poetry London Clore Competition
CONGRATULATIONS to Poetry Society Member Roger Bloor, winner of this year’s Poetry London Clore Competition, judged by Sasha Dugdale. Roger’s pamphlet A Less Clear Dream was shortlisted for the Arnold Bennett Book Prize in 2018, and Aldgedeslegh was shortlisted for the Arnold Bennett Book Prize 2019. He is also a Poetry Society Stanza rep in […]
Timothy Corsellis Prize 2019 launches
The Poetry Society’s Timothy Corsellis Prize for poets aged 25 or younger is open for its sixth year. Timothy Corsellis was a young poet and pilot killed in 1941. The Prize was set up in his name, with the support of his family, to encourage more people to read the powerful but lesser-known poets of […]
Jill Munro wins Arvon 5-day poetry challenge
To celebrate National Writing Day in June, Arvon ran a 5-day poetry challenge. Over the course of five days poets were asked to shape up a poem from first to final draft with guidance and exercises from Jen Hadfield. Each poet received an email daily containing a handy writing prompt, dutifully crafted for them by […]
Listen to the Ledbury Festival podcast featuring 2018 National Poetry Competition winners
Ledbury Poetry Festival is one of the highlights of the UK poetry calendar, and each year The Poetry Society heads to Ledbury to showcase recent winners of the National Poetry Competition. The most recent festival included readings from 2018 National Poetry Competition winners Ella Frears (commended), Katie Griffiths (2nd prize) and Wayne Holloway-Smith (1st prize), […]
Claudia Daventry wins Hippocrates Open Award
It’s been a bumper year for Poetry Society Members in the 2019 Hippocrates Awards for Poetry and Medicine. Claudia Daventry has won the Open prize for her poem ‘for my Valentine in an fMRI scanner’. Claudia’s work has won several awards and commendations, including Arvon, Philip Larkin and McLellan prizes, and was placed first in […]
Dawn Gorman wins the Brian Dempsey Pamphlet Prize
Congratulations to Dawn Gorman, the winner of the 2019 Brian Dempsey Pamphlet Prize, judged by Anna Saunders. Dawn will be offered publication of a 36-page pamphlet of her poems, including 20 copies, and £100 cash. Congratulations, too, to Poetry Society Member Derek Adams, one of three other poets on the shortlist. In the Individual Poem […]
Helena Goddard wins Poetry on the Lake Silver Wyvern prize
Congratulations to Poetry Society Member Helena Goddard who is the winner of this year’s Poetry on the Lake Silver Wyvern competition for her poem ‘Rower, Battersea Lake’, and to fellow Member Graham Burchell, who has won second prize for ‘Dead in the Water’. Graham is a former winner of The Poetry Society’s Stanza Competition, as […]
Geneviève Carver appointed as Ilkley Literature Festival Apprentice Poet in Residence
Ilkley Literature Festival (ILF) have appointed Poetry Society Member Geneviève Carver alongside Shash Trevett as their new Apprentice Poets in Residence for the year. The position is usually awarded to one poet each year but this year the calibre of applications was so exceptional that ILF took the unprecedented step of offering the Apprentice role […]
Young poets respond to the moon
This summer, The Poetry Society’s Young Poets Network teamed up with Moon Festival to challenge young poets to follow in the footsteps of Li Bai, Sappho, P.B. Shelley, Alice Oswald and more – and respond poetically to the moon. The response to the challenge was fantastic. It was one of our most popular Young Poets […]
Poetry Society unveils trail at Seven Dials Festival 30
This Saturday 29th June, find The Poetry Society stand on Earlham St, Covent Garden, London, among the Seven Dials Festival 30 celebrations. The Poetry Society is running a special poetry trail of poems that have featured in its journal The Poetry Review among a series of selected shops in the area. Following the trail could […]
Peter D Lyons wins erbacce-prize for poetry
This year’s erbacce-prize for poetry received just under eight thousand submissions and from every country in the world. The winner is Peter D Lyons from Ireland. Close on Peter’s heels were Poetry Society Members Angela Platt, Caroline Maldonado, Colin Dardis, Denni Turp, Karen Tobias-Green, Dino Mahoney, Laurence Bainbridge, Lisa Lopresti, Rodney Wood, and Sarah Steele […]
Tina Cole wins Welshpool Poetry Competition
Tina Cole is the winner of this year’s Welshpool Poetry Competition as judged by Liz Berry. Poetry Society Members Helen Kay and Kathryn Bevis were second and third, with fellow Society Members Jane Burn, Estelle Price, Paul Waring and Kate Wise among the Commendations. This year’s winning poems are: ‘Makeover’ by Tina Cole ‘Hen Coop’ […]
Mary Jean Chan and Carole Bromley win Geoffrey Dearmer and Hamish Canham Prizes
Mary Jean Chan has won The Geoffrey Dearmer Prize for her poem ‘The Fencer’ (now titled ‘Flèche’) for the best poem published in The Poetry Review by a poet who doesn’t yet have a full collection, while Carole Bromley has won the Hamish Canham Prize for her poem ‘First Year’, judged to be the best […]
Here's a wonderful opportunity to discuss your poetry on a one-to-one basis with poet and tutor John Glenday, wherever you live in the world. John runs one-hour sessions via Skype or FaceTime on a date and time suitable to you. poetrysociety.org.uk/poetry-society…
Poet @0CarlGriffin0 is on the look-out for poems, fragments, or observations for a project charting the impact of Covid-19. Most poems will be commissioned, but there is also space for non-commissioned too. DM him for info. Would be lovely if you could RT @PoetrySociety Retweeted by The Poetry Society
Did you catch the wonderful @SusannahJHart reading and talking about her @PoetrySociety prize-winning poem on @BBCRadio4 this week? Listen again here: bbc.co.uk/programmes/m00… Retweeted by The Poetry Society
& felt with a jolt the knowledge that a corner full / of grace in which to lie down might even make it / tolerable - Sara Saab in The Poetry Review Retweeted by The Poetry Society
This beauty just arrived! Honoured to be included in this brilliant spring issue of @PoetrySociety guest edited by @soshunetwork & @maryjean_chan 🙏👻💫✨ Retweeted by The Poetry Society
We're adding new resources to our Learning from Home page all the time. We've just added a new section on unseen poetry - check it out: poetrysociety.org.uk/education/lear… @NATE_feed @Team_English1 @LondonLATE Retweeted by The Poetry Society
What poetry to read in a crisis? Join @AllieEsiri, editor of ‘A Poem for Every Day of the Year’, and Laura Battle, FT deputy books editor, for a live discussion today at 12pm & 5pm UK time. Post your comments/questions for Allie and Laura below this story: on.ft.com/2w6jQ6O Retweeted by The Poetry Society
once again none of this stuff seems important atm but I have a short piece in latest @PoetrySociety Poetry Review on poetry publishing + class (the whole issue can be bought online) Retweeted by The Poetry Society
The haiflu, perfect artform for now, has been invented by @LivTorc #BBCLocalPoet: to join in, just say how you're doing, in strict haiku form. 5-7-5 syllables, tagged #haiflu. Our fave gets to choose a new book from #NationalPoetryDay bookshelves. nationalpoetryday.co.uk/celebrate-nati… Retweeted by The Poetry Society
"I was a name / everyone in America thought they were saying / right." Look all I can say is praise the lord for this new @chenchenwrites poem in the latest Poetry Review. Thank you @maryjean_chan & @soshunetwork for this gift 🙏 Retweeted by The Poetry Society
Poetry Archive Now: Poems for 2020. Calling all poets to record one poem for 2020 to be preserved in the Archive. Simon Armitage leads the way with 'Lockdown'. Submissions open April 10th 2020. More info here - poetryarchive.org/news/poetry-ar… #simonarimtage #lockdown #poetry Retweeted by The Poetry Society
To what purpose, April, do you return again? Beauty is not enough. You can no longer quiet me with the redness Of little leaves opening stickily. I know what I know. Edna St Vincent Millay Retweeted by The Poetry Society
Poetry News Summer 2020 competition, theme: Winning. @BetaRish is the judge for our @PoetrySociety Members' competition. You'll need your Membership # to enter. poetrysociety.org.uk/membership/mem… [joining The Poetry Society is easy - simply visit poetrysociety.org.uk/join]
![test Twitter Media - Poetry News Summer 2020 competition, theme: Winning.
@BetaRish is the judge for our @PoetrySociety Members' competition. You'll need your Membership # to enter.
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[joining The Poetry Society is easy - simply visit https://t.co/83B6pUiySV] https://t.co/U0C8vHdvSV](http://pbs.twimg.com/media/EUhweE_XQAUaVBp.jpg)
I took my enticing copy of 'Poetry Review' to the supermarket, @PoetrySociety, thinking I'd have to spend a lot of time queueing outdoors... But here we are, keeping our social distance, but positively speeding to the checkout! Well done to all! Retweeted by The Poetry Society