Iota

News just in: the shortlist for the Iota International Poetry Competition 2010 has just been announced, judged this year by the talented - and typically stylishly turned-out - poet Tim Turnbull. And amongst some familiar names - Martyn Crucefix, Mick Wood, Matthew Caley and Christopher North - I'm chuffed to see a poem of my own shortlisted.

The full list of prizes, shortlisted poets and poems is below; the winners will be announced at an awards event at the University of Gloucestershire on April 19th.


1st Prize £2,000
2nd Prize £1,000
3rd Prize £500
10 Supplementary Prizes of £50


(in no particular order)


"Here is The News" by Carol Beadle

"A truck called 'Perseverence' ", by Martyn Crucefix

"Look Who's Shunting The Nuclear Train", by Mick Wood

"Playtime", by Maeve Henry

"Los Angeles", by Matthew Caley

"The embolism suffered by Edward's father (during a sudden cold
snap)", by Rosie Sheppard

"Doors", by Kevin Russell-Pavier

"In the Gardens of Titans", by Clint Frakes

"Everyone Matters", by Jamie Walsh

"Untitled", by Pat Cash

"Where the Bull Got In", by Kate Miller

"New Flat", by Ben Wilkinson

"Eurythmy Artiste with Toque", by Christopher North


[ends]

More about → Iota

The TLS

Alongside reviews of Matthew Francis's new Faber collection, Mandeville, Dennis O'Driscoll's Reality Check, and what looks to be an interesting feature in the Commentary section on Movement poet Thom Gunn, I've just checked the TLS website to find that my poem 'The Mole' is published in this week's issue (25th April).

This is my second poem in the TLS - and hopefully not the last - after a short sequence on the scientist Nikola Telsa appeared back in February 07. Do pick up a copy if you get chance.

In other news, I should also be reviewing an interesting new pamphlet collection soon - Flood, by a young poet called Paul Abbott. It's published by Clutag Press, an Oxford-based publisher who specialise in high quality pamphlets (having recently published work by Mick Imlah, Tom Paulin and Seamus Heaney), and is promisingly described as "a Waste Land for the twenty-first century".

Which reminds me - for those who are interested, the Tower Poetry competition winners for 2008 are up on the site. Good to see Pomegranate poet Richard O'Brien commended.

More about → The TLS

Commended Poet Shock in National

So the first, second and third place winners of the National Poetry Competition have been announced. You can read them here.

I for one don't feel ready to comment on the quality and deservedness of these winning poems just yet (competitions are so much luck, especially the National and the undoubtedly high standard of many of its entries), but something interesting has turned up of late: word is that a lot of fuss is being made behind the scenes at the Poetry Society over one of the commendations.

This is down to former PM Tony Blair having apparently entered the competition and having been anonymously judged as a commended poet.

The problem apparently stems from his poem's contents, smearing certain current cabinet members and revealing some incredible truths about his time in office.

Of course, this recalls the recent story of the mysterious versifier at Downing Street, though one would hope that the quality of Blair's poem is greater than that of the doggerel 'upon the stair'...

With regard to Blair's verse, then, it is suspected that the judges thought that the poem was by another author and hence written in a witty, postmodern, Luke Kennard-esque style. So at least that bodes well for its overall quality. The realisation that the poem was written by Blair, however, revealed a darker, more truthful and disturbingly confessional side to it.

Whether or not Blair's poem will actually be commended remains to be seen, of course, but I among many others will be very interested to read it.

More about → Commended Poet Shock in National