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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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. […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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), […]
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 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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Poetry Society Member Inua Ellams is among poets from five African nations who have been shortlisted for the seventh Brunel International African Poetry Prize. The £3000 prize is open to African poets worldwide who have not yet published a full poetry collection and the judges this year are Matthew Shenoda from Egypt, Leila Chatti from […]
While poets and readers all over the globe celebrate poetry in a multiplicity of languages and voices, we’ve gone local. Hyper local. We’ve zoomed right in to the Monmouth and Brecon Canal, setting for a new filmpoem made by Chris Morris and based on a poem by Jonathan Edwards. Canal Song – newly uploaded to […]
In advance of his reading at the ‘In Town Tonight’ event on Friday 22nd March at The Poetry Café with Phillis Levin, Ben Rogers at The Poetry Society spoke to the poet Mark Ford You lived in Kenya until the age of four and the process of writing the poem ‘After Africa’, about your move […]
In advance of her ‘In Town Tonight’ reading on Friday 22nd March at The Poetry Café with Mark Ford, Ben Rogers at The Poetry Society spoke to the American poet Phillis Levin Poet Kimiko Khan described The Penguin Book of the Sonnet: 500 Years of a Classic Tradition in English as “one of my desert-island […]
Congratulations! to Poetry Society Members Jenny Mitchell and Carl Griffin, winners of the 2018 Geoff Stevens Memorial Poetry Prize organised by Indigo Dreams Publishing. As a result of their joint win both Jenny and Carl will have new publications coming out later in the year. Jenny was recently Highly Commended in the Poems For Home […]
The Foyle Young Poets of the Year Award 2019 is now open for entries. This year, we’re delighted that award-winning poets Jackie Kay and Raymond Antrobus will be our judges. Raymond joined Birmingham’s Poet Laureate and former Foyle Young Poet Richard O’Brien at Harborne Academy, Birmingham, to launch this year’s competition and celebrate World Book […]
In advance of the National Poetry Competition’s 40th anniversary readings at Kings Place on 20th March, The Poetry Society speaks to one of the ten poets featuring at the event, Fran Lock who won third prize and was commended in the National Poetry Competition 2014 and 2015 respectively with poems ‘Epistle from inside the Sharknado’ […]
Plenty of Poetry Society Members (highlighted below) on the shortlist for the 2019 Teignmouth Poetry Festival. Winners to be announced Saturday 23 March. This year’s Festival is 21 to 24 March and includes Brian Patten, Kim Moore, Fiona Benson, Martin Figura and Gill McEvoy. Open Competition shortlist in alphabetical order – Judge John Greening Mark Cooper […]
Congratulations to the winners and commended entries in the Against the Grain Poetry Press competition – judged by Abegail Morley, Karen Dennison and Jessica Mookherjee (ATG editors). The winner is Poetry Society Member Jane Wilkinson and all three Commended Poets are Poetry Society Members too: Olga Dermott-Bond, Emma Lee and Jane Lovell. Winners First prize […]
Judge Jane Hirshfield has chosen Poetry Society Member Jane Lovell as the winner of the Terrain.org 9th Annual Poetry Contest. Jane wins $500 and each finalist is awarded $100. “These poems stood out for me for their word-choices—“cockled,” “tines,” “syphon”; for their depth of knowledge; for their ability to acknowledge how much cannot be known; and […]
Hedgehog Poetry Press are publishing six poets who won their Tree Poets competition, including Poetry Society Members Jane Lovell and Jane Burn. The winners, in no apparent order, are: Jane Lovell, Frank McHugh, Jane Burn, Kate Garrett, Elizabeth Gibson and Kay Channon. Their work will be published, split across two pamphlets: Tree Poets : Shades […]
Poetry Society Member Steve May is the winner of an inaugural competition for original poetry on the theme of Home, judged by Michael Harrison and John Hegley. 100% of the entry fee went directly to Shelter. Across Scotland and England 6 million households are denied the right to a safe home, or threatened with losing […]
In advance of the National Poetry Competition’s 40th anniversary readings at Kings Place on 20th March, The Poetry Society speaks to one of the ten poets featuring at the event Stephen Sexton, who won the National Poetry Competition in 2016 with his poem ‘The Curfew’, which you can read here. What first encouraged you to […]
In advance of the National Poetry Competition’s 40th anniversary readings at Kings Place on 20th March, The Poetry Society speaks to one of the ten poets featuring at the event Ian Duhig, who has incredibly won the National Poetry Competition twice. What first encouraged you to write poems? Poetry is highly-regarded in Ireland and I […]
Poetry Society Member Molly Underwood has won this year’s £10,000 Manchester Poetry Prize, awarded for a portfolio of poems. Molly said: “I’d like to express my gratitude towards everyone involved with the Manchester Poetry Prize: to Carol Ann Duffy, for establishing the award; to the Manchester Writing School, for the huge amount of work that […]
The Poetry Society has two tickets to give away for its event ‘An Entertainment for W. S. Graham’ on 7pm, Friday 8th February marking the centenary of W. S. Graham, celebrating his life and legacy. The event will feature readings from editors of, and contributors to, a new anthology of poems inspired by Graham published […]
Daljit Nagra has chosen his winner for this year’s Café Writers Competition. “I loved judging this competition that gave me a portal into Britain and abroad. There were many well written and imaginative entries that showed a respect for the craft of verse while pushing at the boundaries of form to create fresh poetry. Well […]
Poetry Society Member Sarah Doyle is the winner of the WoLF poetry competition for her poem ‘On holding an ammonite’. The competition is run by Write Out Loud on behalf of Wolverhampton literature festival, which will take place over the weekend of 1-3 February. Fellow Society Members Jean Atkin and Michael Brown were second and […]
Richard ‘Dick’ Copeland, Poetry Society Member and North Herts Stanza Rep for the Letchworth-based Poetry ID, passed away on Christmas Day 2018. Friends and fellow poets pay tribute. “Dick was a mainstay of the group, attending every week if he could with his wife Ann, also an excellent poet, since they first joined over 18 […]
“… It made me realize what you can write about and how you can use language to exert power on the world and your own life.” The Poetry Society has released a new podcast with US poet sam sax, hosted by Joelle Taylor. The podcast also features our eight SLAMbassadors from 2018, and was recorded […]
Foyle Young Poets Jade Cuttle and Aisha Mango Borja will both have their poems read by Natalie Simpson on 30 December 2018 as part of BBC Radio 3’s Words and Music programme. The programme will be available from 17.30 on 30 December here. This episode of Words and Music is titled Rebel, Rebel, marking the […]
The Poetry Society has released a short film of Joseph Coelho’s new poem ‘Look Into My Lights’, commissioned as part of the Look North More Often programme. The short film, created by Hamlett Films, follows three pupils from St Clement Danes Primary School on the day of the Trafalgar Square Christmas tree lighting up ceremony, […]
Turn off the TV, unpeel yourself a satsuma and settle down with the latest copies of The Poetry Review and Poetry News, which will either have safely landed on your doormat, or are speeding the last few miles to you through the post. The latest issue of The Poetry Review includes new poems by Fleur […]
CONGRATULATIONS to @PoetrySociety Member Mary Wight - winner of the 2019 Federation of Writers (Scotland) Vernal Equinox poetry competition, judged by Stephen Watt. Fellow @PoetrySociety Member Philip Burton was Highly Commended poetrysociety.org.uk/news/vernal-eq…
Calling all educators & children's writers: check out the Children’s Poetry Summit's (@kidspoetsummit) new weekly blog with @MichaelRosenYes, @TeresaCremin, @moses_brian and many other children’s poets and publishers writing about children’s poetry! childrenspoetrysummit.com
The guest list is filling up - if you'd like to come, make sure to book your place! twitter.com/PoetrySociety/…
The very latest summery Poetry Review launches at Poetry Cafe 3 July w/ @no1_emily and the brilliant trio @maryjean_chan, @ilya_poet and Suji Kwock Kim. FREE, but tickets must be booked via [email protected] https://t.co/caWHjnHjxK pic.twitter.com/rYz3VHMmEP
— The Poetry Society (@PoetrySociety) June 19, 2019
"Last year poetry sales in Northern Ireland rose by 40% and two-thirds of poetry sales across the UK were from people under 34-years-old. " bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-nor…
Robin Robertson's The Long Take wins £25,000 Walter Scott Prize for historical fiction. "Robertson shows us things we'd rather not see and asks us to face things we'd rather not face." bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotla…
Frank Bidart and Elizabeth Bishop in 1974. Retweeted by The Poetry Society
Deaf Republic, complete and unabridged, is available now at BBC 4. It will remain online for 29 more days. 🌷 So much gratitude to Mair Bosworth (@heyheymaimai) and everyone else who was involved in making this program possible. 💐 Here is the link: bbc.co.uk/programmes/m00… Retweeted by The Poetry Society
This is happening. At The Poetry Cafe, Betterton St, London, Wednesday 25 September. Brett Evans, Holly Magill, Marie Lightmann, Sharon Larkin @HollyannePoet @Marielightmann @Prolebooks @IndigoDreamsPub @poetrysociety @paulmcgranepoet Retweeted by The Poetry Society
"I ended up self-publishing milk and honey because my creative writing professor told me there was no market for poetry." Hear from Rupi Kaur on how she decided to self-publish, how she's grown in self-confidence and where she's going next: bit.ly/rupiypn Retweeted by The Poetry Society
"Everybody should write, even if it’s not poetry, just keep a journal. It helps so much. Share your work because you never know who it’s going to touch." We are so pleased to share our interview with @rupikaur_! Read it now: bit.ly/rupiypn Retweeted by The Poetry Society
Job Vacancy: Arvon is looking for a new Head of Learning, who will develop and implement a strategy for learning, develop partnerships with external organisations and widen participation for young people, adults and groups. Apply by Thursday 4 July arvon.org/careers/ Retweeted by The Poetry Society
Tonight's Verb will be very nice indeed, we promise. That's because it's all about the word 'nice', 10pm, Radio 3 and on the podcast with Tessa Hadley, @Jesse__Schwenk, @lynneguist and @brian_bilston. How nice. Retweeted by The Poetry Society
A happy morning was spent meeting and podcasting for The Poetry Review with the wonderful @ilya_poet - thank you Ilya! Audio coming soon 🌷 @PoetrySociety @FaberBooks Retweeted by The Poetry Society
So happy I bought this collaborative cento ...it is an amazing poem and a lovely momento of the PoemAThon. Gonna get a nice clear frame. Thanks @PoetrySociety and @paulmcgranepoet 🚀🌚🌙 Retweeted by The Poetry Society
Congratulations to Alice Oswald, who has just been announced as the new Oxford Professor of Poetry! Here's 'Shadow', a poem we commissioned from Alice in 2015, in response to an exhibition of garden-based artwork at @RCT: vimeo.com/132416602
Congratulations to #AliceOswald, who has been elected as the new @UniofOxford Professor of Poetry! 🎉 Alice has a long trail of awards and has written over seven collections of poems - we're thrilled she will be joining us in October: ox.ac.uk/news/2019-06-2… (📷 by Kate Mount) Retweeted by The Poetry Society
Our Places of Poetry solstice poem, written by Will Harris (@soshunetwork) for @EH_Stonehenge after residency last week. @PoetrySociety @ace_national @HeritageFundSW @PoetryDayUK @ahrcpress Retweeted by The Poetry Society
In a further effort to save the planet, we’re switching to membership cards that don’t have a laminated/plastic cover once our current stock of laminated cards has ended. We may switch to 'no cards at all' in future #TinySteps #noplasticchallenge
Summer books of 2019: Poetry The FT's Maria Crawford selects her mid-year reads Surge, by @Brrnrrd Deaf Republic, by @ilya_poet Truth Street, by David Cain ft.com/content/2bc933…