With so much awful news at the moment, I almost missed the announcement of the winners and shortlisted poems in the Plough Poetry Prize. I'm delighted to see my friend Claudine Toutoungi winning second prize with Numbers, which you can read, alongside the other prize-winning poems, here. And it was lovely to know that my … Continue reading The Plough Poetry Prize
For the last few years I've loved following the Ink, Sweat and Tears '12 Days of Christmas' feature, which runs this year from 22nd December to 2nd January. It's fascinating to see different people's perspectives on this time of year. I was delighted to have my poem Christmas Eve in Dad's Kitchen featured on 24th … Continue reading 12 Days of Christmas on Ink, Sweat and Tears
2001 was my final year as an English teacher at Richmond School in North Yorkshire, the school where I'd very happily spent the first four years of my teaching career. The highlight of my time there came that spring, when I took a group of sixth form students for a week's writing course run by … Continue reading Oxford Brookes International Poetry Competition
At the end of half term I made a quest to Guernsey to see if I could track down two of my poems, which were being displayed on buses as a result of having been selected in the 2019 Poems on the Move competition, judged by Maura Dooley. Having been given the registration numbers of … Continue reading Guernsey Poems on the Move
I feel so lucky to have had my poem 'The way you knew' Highly Commended in this year's Bridport Prize, judged by Hollie McNish. It was lovely to meet the other poets over lunch at the Bridport Arts Centre, including 2nd prize winner Jim McElroy, who introduced me to a new word, 'Hoor', skilfully deployed … Continue reading The Bridport Prize: Highly Commended
It's exciting to have a poem published in this new anthology from Smith/Doorstop, edited by Paul Deaton, Kim Moore and Ben Wilkinson. It's fascinating to see how many poets have taken inspiration from running - as well as to read in the biographies how many different reasons people have for doing it. There are poems … Continue reading ‘The Result is What You See Today’: Poems about Running
Helena Nelson at Happenstance Press recently launched the International Wrapper-Rhyme Challenge. The idea is simple: write a rhyming poem about a food or beverage on the wrapper itself. All the entries are to be exhibited at StAnza, Scotland's poetry festival, in 2020. It's great to find a poetry competition that doesn't take itself too seriously, … Continue reading HappenStance Wrapper-Rhyme Challenge
This poetry-writing masterclass with Alison Binney asks participants to think about the voices of women from the past. What are they saying? Why are they saying it? How are they saying it? What are others saying about them? How might their voices speak to our lives today? The poems in Women of our Ilk, Alison’s work … Continue reading Ghost-whispering: A poetry masterclass with Alison Binney at Gladstone’s Library – Saturday 23rd May 2026, 10.30am to 3.00pm
I was delighted to have had two poems selected in the Guernsey Poems on the Move competition by judge Maura Dooley. It was lovely to be able to go to the winners' ceremony on 1st May, and to hear all of the other chosen poems. The unique thing about this competition is that the winning … Continue reading Guernsey Poems on the Move