Di Slaney wins Write Out Loud’s ‘Echoes’ competition with ‘Dolly Parton’s wig’ - in memory of a ‘dear friend and inspiration’

Di Slaney has won Write Out Loud’s 20th anniversary ‘Echoes’ poetry competition with her poem ‘Dolly Parton’s wig’, written in memory of the late poet Kathryn Bevis, who died last year from cancer two months after publishing her first collection, The Butterfly House, with Seren. Our competition judge, Neil Astley, editor and publisher of Bloodaxe Books, said Di Slaney’s winning poem was “a fitting tribute echoing a poet loved ...

Read and leave comments (3)

News and Opinion

In her mid-20s, Len Pennie is already a poetry phenomenon. She became renowned on social media such as TikTok during lockdown for posting a "Scots wor...

Read and leave comments (0)

Words from three of Scotland’s leading poets have been unveiled on the Scottish Parliament’s Canongate Wall, on Edinburgh’s Royal Mile. Earlier this y...

Read and leave comments (0)

I am an unashamed fan of Matthew Paul’s poetry – so to describe his second collection as long-awaited is no exaggeration, as far as I am concerned. I ...

Read and leave comments (0)

To Haydon Bridge in Northumberland, to find the cottage where the poet Philip Larkin and his long-time lover, Monica Jones, met four or five times a y...

Read and leave comments (1)

This is the first in a series - to mark our 20th anniversary year - where we go behind the scenes at Write Out Loud to meet those key players who work...

Read and leave comments (1)

The last few months have been a busy time for Young Write Out Loud. After our successful pedal-powered event in February at the Moonraking festival in...

Read and leave comments (0)

The 2025 National Poetry Competition, run by the Poetry Society, is open for entries. This year’s judges are Denise Saul, Ian Duhig and Susannah Dicke...

Read and leave comments (0)

For two decades or more, the name Henry Normal was most often associated with an illustrious string of hit television comedies such as The Mrs Merton ...

Read and leave comments (0)

More articles …
Send your articles to news@writeoutloud.net

Upcoming Events

Add your gig

venue - New River Methodist Church

Wesley Chapel »

12:30pm at 4210 Ernest Dr, Wesley Chapel, FL 33543, US

venue - Denver Mercury Cafe

Denver »

7:30pm at 2199 California St., Denver, CO 80205, US

Default event image

Tulsa, OK »

7:00pm at 303 M.L.K. Jr Blvd, Tulsa, OK, 74103, US

Image - 'Go to the poets': Erica Hesketh

Zoom »

7:30pm at Zoom

View more events …

Join Write Out Loud

Join Write Out Loud to post your poems, join in the discussions and, optionally, receive our newsletter.

Visit the signup page to create an account.

Who runs Write Out Loud?

Contact Information

The site is run by a team of volunteers. So please be patient in waiting for replies.

Press releases, articles, gig reviews to news editor, Greg Freeman: news@writeoutloud.net

Poetry/book Reviews editor, reviews@writeoutloud.net

To list events, please submit your event. Queries to: gig@writeoutloud.net

The Poetry Directory of magazines, competitions, publishers, courses, etc. Listings info to: directory@writeoutloud.net.

Moderation, blogging and related issues: moderator@writeoutloud.net

Access/log-in or general enquiries: info@writeoutloud.net

This site uses only functional cookies that are essential to the operation of the site. We do not use cookies related to advertising or tracking. By continuing to browse, you are agreeing to our use of cookies.

Find out more Hide this message