Mary Jean Chan has chosen four winners for the 2018/19 Poetry Business New Poets Prize, including Poetry Society Members Ben Ray and Callan Waldron-Hall. Congratulations to both of them and the two other winners, Abbie Neale and Jay G Ying. “It was a delight to be invited to judge this year’s Poetry Business New Poets […]
News
Andrew McMillan on longlist for Polari Prize
The longlists for The Polari Prize and Polari First Book Prize have been announced, with Poetry Society Member Andrew McMillan among the contenders alongside fellow poets Richard Scott and Sophia Blackwell. Now in its ninth year, the Prize recognises writers whose work explores the LGBT experience, whether in poetry, prose, fiction or non-fiction. New to […]
Kathryn Bevis wins Poets & Players Competition
l to r: Kathryn Bevis, Lauren Garland, Anna Kisby Kei Miller has selected Poetry Society Member Kathryn Bevis as the winner of the Poets & Players poetry competition. In fact, all but one of the winners are Poetry Society Members, with Lauren Garland and Anna Kisby completing the top three, and Lydia Harris winning an […]
Val Ormrod wins Ware Poets Poetry Competition
Over 1200 poems were received by the judge, Maggie Butt, of this year’s Ware Poets 2019 Open Poetry Competition and the eventual winner was Poetry Society Member Val Ormrod for her poem ‘Footsteps’. Fellow Members Doreen Hinchliffe and Jenny Mitchell shared the Third prize. Congratulations, too, to all the Poetry Society Members who were Commended… […]
Carole Bromley & Cheryl Moskowitz Commended in Caterpillar Poetry Prize
This year’s judge, Brian Moses, has commended poems by Poetry Society Members Carole Bromley and Cheryl Moskowitz in this year’s Caterpillar Poetry Prize, won by Andrew Weale and his poem ‘Wonder-pudderful’. The prize is for a single unpublished poem written by an adult for children (aged 7–11). Previous winners include Laura Mucha, Louise Greig and […]
Malika Booker to judge the Peggy Poole Award
The mentor-judge for the 2019 Peggy Poole Award is Malika Booker, founder of the celebrated writers’ collective Malika’s Kitchen and who lectures at Manchester Metropolitan University. The Peggy Poole Award runs alongside the National Poetry Competition and Malika will select a winner of the Peggy Poole Award based on poems submitted to the National Poetry […]
Ledbury Poetry Competition results
All the Bleak Chippies by R T A Parker is the winner of this year’s Ledbury Poetry Competition, judged by Nia Davies: “The winners and runners up were the poems that, as well as taking a sideways glance at a subject, also stretched and invigorated language and the form of the poem itself. And they […]
Janet Lees wins Frosted Fires First Pamphlet competition
CONGRATULATIONS! to Janet Lees, Poetry Society Member and former Stanza Rep for Isle of Man – winner of the Frosted Fires First Pamphlet competition. Janet will receive 50 copies of her pamphlet A Bag of Sky when it is published on 30 October. In spring 2020, she will be a headline poet reading at Cheltenham […]
Poetry Society marathon fundraiser an epic success
The Poetry Society’s Poem-A-Thon last Saturday was an epic poetry-filled success, with 60 poets reading back-to-back from 12 noon to 10pm last Saturday. An overwhelming number of poems was accompanied by a fabulous amount of support and generosity and The Poetry Society raised about £1,000 on the door and over £4,000 in sponsorship. All proceeds […]
Mary Jean Chan’s ‘The Window’ shortlisted for Forward Prize
A huge congratulations to Mary Jean Chan, whose poem ‘The Window’, first published in 2018 as one of the winning poems in the National Poetry Competition, has been shortlisted for the Forward Prize for Best Single Poem. You can read the poem on The Poetry Society’s website, and listen to Mary Jean Chan read ‘The Window’ […]
National Poetry Competition 2019: now open for entries
The 2019 National Poetry Competition is now open for entries – and The Poetry Society is excited to announce that 2019’s judging panel is Mona Arshi, Helen Mort and Maurice Riordan. The National Poetry Competition is one of the biggest contests for a single unpublished poem in the English language, with a first prize of £5000, […]
Carol Ann Duffy completes term as Poet Laureate
To mark the end of her poet laureateship, Carol Ann Duffy commissioned a series of poems on the collapse in the global insect population, leading to a final series of readings last week at Stratford Arts Centre, London. The event, ‘Poetry for the Insect Population’, saw the Laureate and friends read, sing and perform insect-themed […]
Young Poets Network Golden Shovel challenge winners announced
Earlier this year The Poetry Society’s Young Poets Network ran a challenge with US poet Peter Kahn to inspire young poets aged 5-25 to write Golden Shovels. Find out more about the Golden Shovel form here. We are delighted to publish the winners and longlistees of the Golden Shovel challenge today – congratulations! You can […]
Simon Armitage is announced as the new Poet Laureate
Simon Armitage has today been appointed as the new Poet Laureate in the UK. The post is a 10-year term, running until 2029. He succeeds Carol Ann Duffy who completed her tenure in the post on 1 May 2019. There has been a Poet Laureate in the UK consistently since John Dryden in 1668. Previous […]
New filmpoem released of Yvonne Reddick’s “elemental dream-story” ‘Muirburn’
Ahead of the imminent launch of the 2019 National Poetry Competition, The Poetry Society is delighted to present a new filmpoem by Helmie Stil, based on Yvonne Reddick‘s 2017 National Poetry Competition commended poem ‘Muirburn’, commissioned by The Poetry Society. One of the judges of that year’s competition, Pascale Petit, said of the poem: “‘Muirburn’ […]
Prole Laureate Poetry Competition results
Congratulations to the Prole Laureate winners, 2019. All entries were judged ‘blind’ by judge, Stuart A Paterson. Among the winners are Poetry Society Members Steve May (runner-up and Commended), and Damon Young (Commended). First Prize went to Vicky Morris who wins £200 and publication in issue 28 of Prole magazine. Prole is a print magazine that […]
Leo Boix wins Keats-Shelley Prize
Congratulations to Poetry Society Members Leo Boix and Sarah Doyle, first and second in this year’s Keats-Shelley Prize for poetry, with Tammy Armstrong and Sarah Stewart also sharing second place. The theme this year was ‘Wandering’ or ‘Fiery Dust’ – to mark the publication in 1819 of the first two cantos of Lord Byron’s controversial […]
Sad news of the death of Les Murray
We are very sad to report the death of the internationally celebrated and much loved poet Les Murray, who died aged 80 on 29 April 2019. Born 17 October 1938, Murray grew up on a dairy farm at Bunyah, New South Wales. He studied at Sydney University and later worked as a translator at the […]
Carol Ann Duffy challenge winners announced
We are delighted to announce the winners of the Carol Ann Duffy challenge on Young Poets Network. The challenge was co-written and judged by Duffy expert Dr Mari Hughes-Edwards, who asked poets aged 5-25 from across the globe to respond to the works of Carol Ann Duffy, celebrating her legacy as Poet Laureate. We received […]
Christopher Tower Poetry Competition winners announced
On 24 April, the winners of the 2019 Christopher Tower Poetry Competition was announced at Christchurch College, Oxford. The theme of this year’s competition was ‘underwater’ and the judges were poets Angela Leighton, Vidyan Ravinthiran and Peter McDonald. This year Cumbria-based Lucy Prescott won first prize with her poem ‘In a Room with just Bedding’. […]
Philip Gross on CLiPPA shortlist for poetry for children
Poetry Society Member Philip Gross is one of five poets on the CLiPPA (Centre for Literacy in Primary Poetry Award) shortlist, now in its 17th year and the only award for published poetry for children in the UK. CLiPPA highlights an important branch of children’s literature, ensuring that it receives proper recognition. The CLiPPA 2019 […]
Sarah Watkinson appointed Writer in Residence at Wytham Woods, Oxford
Poetry Society Member Sarah Watkinson has been announced as the inaugural Wytham Woods Writer in Residence, under a new scheme to create strong cultural and scientific links between the public and this beloved woodland just outside Oxford – a city which has been home to so many famous writers. Sarah spent her most of her […]
Rain poem lands in London’s Docklands
A new poem, ‘Outlook’ by Canal Laureate Nancy Campbell, has now been realised in paint and can be found by the public waterways in West India Quay in London’s Docklands. The poem called ‘Outlook’ was commissioned by the Canal & River Trust to change perceptions about ‘bad’ weather and encourage people to visit the waterways […]
Poetry Society Member Theresa Lola announced as Young People’s Laureate for London
Poetry Society Member Theresa Lola is the new Young People’s Laureate for London and will champion young people’s mental health and wellbeing through poetry. At the ceremony in City Hall, Theresa said: “I hope to use this role to encourage young people to creatively engage in conversations about our wellbeing and mental health, to celebrate […]
Poetry Society Members on Saboteur Award shortlists
After over 4,000 people cast their nominations, the annual Saboteur Award shortlists are here. The four most nominated works in each category have made the shortlist. Public voting is open until 12 May at midnight and the results will be announced on 18 May. Plenty of Poetry Society Members on the lists: Luke Wright is […]
Sharon Black wins Guernsey International Poetry Competition
The top three prizes in the Open Category in this year’s Guernsey International Poetry Competition have all gone to Poetry Society Members. First prize goes to ‘Passing It On’ by Sharon Black, second prize to Chris Hardy for ‘Jacob’, and third prize to Holly Hopkins for ‘When I Found Some Women With Bellies’. Judge Maura […]
Plough Prize Results
So much success for Poetry Society Members in this years Plough Prize, in both the Open and Short Poem sections. This year it was judged by Pascale Petit. Dena Fakhro was second in the Open Poetry Competition (won by Cynthia Miller, with Robbie Frazer third) for her poem ‘Courtship’, and Paul Stephenson was Highly Commended. […]
Jane Lovell wins Mslexia / PBS Women’s Poetry Competition
The winner of the PBS & Mslexia Women’s Poetry Pamphlet Prize is Poetry Society Member Jane Lovell‘s This Tilting Earth, hailed by judge Amy Wack of Seren Books as “…haunting and memorable… its concerns are both urgent and universal. It is also a thing of exceptional beauty.” Jane commented “‘I really wasn’t expecting to win […]
Martina Evans on shortlist for €10,000 Pigott Poetry Prize
Congratulations to Poetry Society Member Martina Evans, shortlisted for the 2019 Pigott Poetry Prize, the largest for a poetry collection by an Irish poet – €10,000. The three collections on the shortlist are Insistence by Ailbhe Darcy (Bloodaxe), Now We Can Talk Openly About Men by Martina Evans (Carcanet) and A Quarter of an Hour […]
Mark Totterdell wins Manning’s Pit Poetry Competition
Poetry Society Member Mark Totterdell, from Exeter, has won first prize in the Inaugural Manning’s Pit Poetry Competition. Second and third prizes went to fellow Poetry Society Members Frances Corkey Thompson and Mark Haworth-Booth, and Richard Westcott was one of the Commended poets. All the poems were judged by Julia Bird. The competition aimed to […]
Anthony Watts & Jenna Plewes on shortlist for Littoral Press Nature Poetry Collection Competition
Maia Dances by Poetry Society Member Anthony Watts and Holding the Light by fellow Member Jenna Plewes were shortlisted for the Littoral Press Nature Poetry Collection Competition, won by Mapping the Borders by Rose Flint. Natural Histories by Richard Whiting was the fourth collection on the shortlist. This is the second year that Littoral Press […]
Lucy Watt wins Shepton Mallet Snowdrop competition
David Morley has chosen Lucy Watt as the winner of the Shepton Mallet Snowdrop Festival for her poem ‘City, sleet and snowdrops’. Among the winners are Poetry Society Members Estelle Price (who received a Special Mention), Angela Topping, Mark Totterdell and Jo Young – all Highly Commended, and Deborah Harvey, Rosie Jackson, Emma Simon and […]
John Foggin wins the Yaffle Prize
John Foggin is the winner of the inaugural Yaffle Prize with Poetry Society Member Paul Waring in second place for his poem ‘Melt’. Fellow Members Becky Cherriman and Natalie Scott are both Highly Commended and Barbara Hickson is among the Commended poets. Yaffle is a brand new independent publisher of poetry that aims to produce pamphlets […]
Colin Dardis on longlist for Seamus Heaney Award for New Writing 2019
Congratulations to Kathleen McCracken, the Winner of the Seamus Heaney Award for New Writing 2019 for her poem ‘Chironomy’, and to Poetry Society Member Colin Dardis, who made the longlist. The Award is supported by The Arts Council of Northern Ireland and carries the endorsement of the Heaney Family. It offers immense recognition and opportunity […]
Inua Ellams wins Magma Poetry Competition
Poetry Society Member Inua Ellams is the winner of the Magma Poetry Competition 2018/19, as chosen by Andrew McMillan. Inua appears in the current issue of The Poetry Review and will be reading at the Poetry Cafe on 17 April as part of the launch celebrations (alongside Sophie Collins and Carolyn Jess-Cooke). Inua is also […]
Avril Joy wins York Literature Festival / YorkMix poetry competition
It’s a 1-2-3 in this year’s York Literature Festival / YorkMix poetry competition as all top-three places went to Poetry Society Members. Avril Joy‘s poem ‘Skomm’ has won the main prize – the title coming from an ancient Norse word for ‘shame’. Claire Shaw, the competition judge (who also judged this year’s Ted Hughes Award), […]
Foyle Young Poet and SLAMbassador Mukahang Limbu wins Out-Spoken Prize for Poetry
On 2 April 2019 the winners of the Out-Spoken Prize for Poetry 2019 were announced at the 100 Club, London, hosted by Joelle Taylor. There were three categories (Page, Performance and Film) and over 600 entries. Mukahang Limbu was the winner of the Page Poetry category, and the overall winner, going home with £800 for […]
Mark Pajak wins the Peggy Poole Award
Mark Pajak has won the Peggy Poole Award, a talent development scheme for poets based in the North West of England. Poet and editor Michael Symmons Roberts judged this year’s award and selected Mark from over 450 poets who entered the 2018 National Poetry Competition who live or work in the region. Following the recent […]
Wayne Holloway-Smith wins the National Poetry Competition for ‘The posh mums are boxing in the square’
The winner of the 2018 National Poetry Competition has been announced as Wayne Holloway-Smith, with his poem ‘The posh mums are boxing in the square’. The poem was chosen by judges Kim Moore, Kei Miller and Mark Waldron out of a bumper crop of over 14,000 poems. Holloway-Smith’s poem, which has earned him a 1st […]
Borderlines: young poets explore borders and boundaries
Borders – geographical, personal or psychological – are the subject of Borderlines, an exciting event at the University of East London (UEL) on Friday 29 March 2019. Hosted by the award-winning poet Joelle Taylor, Borderlines brings together writers aged 15-25 for a spoken word showcase exploring what divides us and what connects us. Performers include […]
About suffering they were never wrong, The Old Masters: how well they understood Its human position; how it takes place While someone else is eating or opening a window or just walking dully along... Auden #poem
Don't forget to snatch up our poetry poster offer - reduced from £19.95 to £5 + P&P for just one week: bit.ly/poetryposterset
We have now published all 4 of our August challenges for 2019 - so get writing! They all close mid-September and are free to enter for anyone in the world aged up to 25. They're written by (and will be judged by) teen #FoyleYoungPoets. Links below! youngpoetsnetwork.org.uk Retweeted by The Poetry Society
Our fourth and final August challenge is now online! #FoyleYoungPoet and US Youth Poet Laureate Kara Jackson is challenging writers to create poems out of questions, inspired by Franny Choi and Jericho Brown. Find out more and enter the challenge: bit.ly/19augchall4 Retweeted by The Poetry Society
Got a poem you'd like a chat about? 1-1 feedback on your poems with @alysonhallett1- Bath, SAT 28 SEP Identify strategies for further developing your writing, discuss problems you may be experiencing and look at strategies for taking your work forward poetrysociety.org.uk/event/alysonse…
POEMS about SMELL: any recommendations, poetic hive-mind??👃🏾😁 . . . . . . . Context: I’m running an olfactory creative writing workshop for @poetryschool which involves many jars with mysterious contents... & poems to get readers’ noses twitching 🥰 Retweeted by The Poetry Society
🙌@lauramucha wins @theyorkmix Poems for Children Competition, chosen by @CaroleBromley1 @PoetrySociety Member Richard Carpenter 2nd, & CONGRATS to Members @jdeanknight @michaelshann1 @WakelingKate @janeburn1971 Jeremy Grant @ShaunaDarRob & Miles Salter poetrysociety.org.uk/news/yorkmixch…
Yes, Poetry Wales is hiring a new editor. Come work with us on a magazine that has a history of publishing the best poetry from the U.K. and around the world ❤️ twitter.com/rhea_seren/sta… Retweeted by The Poetry Society
...and ‘what was all that about?’ we say, as we stumble out of one more ill-spent evening. ‘Love’. Of course. poetrypf.co.uk/carolesatyamur… RIP Carole Satyamurti Retweeted by The Poetry Society
sorry to hear, through @ianduhig , of the death of the wonderful Carole Satyamurti; this astonishing achievement, her retelling of the Mahabharata , will last a very long time Retweeted by The Poetry Society
Sad to hear of the death of Carole Satyamurti. I found her to be a gracious, gentle person when she led an Arvon course that I did (years ago). Loved her poetry too. RIP. twitter.com/ianduhig/statu… Retweeted by The Poetry Society
Carole Satyamurti RIP Retweeted by The Poetry Society
We are very saddened by the news of Carole Satyamurti’s sudden death: bloodaxebooks.com/news?articleid… Retweeted by The Poetry Society
RIP Carole Satyamurti. A poignantly fitting share of her fantastic poem ‘Passed On’, which explores loss, legacy, and letting go. Retweeted by The Poetry Society
Remembering Carole Satyamurti @natpoetrylib Here is one of my favourite poems by her ‘Ourstory’ Retweeted by The Poetry Society
We need something to counter the hate speech, the divisiveness, and it’s possible with poetry. Joy Harjo, U.S. poet laureate time.com/5658443/joy-ha…