Collected poems of Anthony Burgess to be published later this year
The collected poems of writer Anthony Burgess, best known for his dystopian novel A Clockwork Orange, are to be published by Manchester-based Carcanet later this year.
Anthony Burgess (1917–1993) was a novelist, poet, playwright, composer, linguist, translator and critic. He wrote more than 60 books of fiction, non-fiction and autobiography, as well as classical music, plays, film scripts, essa...
29th September 2020
Sonnets and bonnets: Simon Armitage to appear at drive-in poetry reading
A poetry drive-in is due to take place on Sunday 11 October at Kenwood Hall hotel, Sheffield, when the poet laureate Simon Armitage will read live for an audience socially distanced in their cars. Advertised as an evening of “sonnets and bonnets”, Armitage will be premiering two new works commission...
20th September 2020
Poetry: compulsory or optional at next year's GCSE exam? That is the question
An exam body has quietly – or, maybe, not so quietly – reinstated poetry as a compulsory topic in its GCSE English literature exam next year. There was an outcry last month – in the poetry world, at a...
20th September 2020
Anne Stevenson, poet and biographer of Sylvia Plath, dies aged 87
The American-British poet Anne Stevenson has died at the age of 87 at her home in Durham following a short illness. Saying it was “deeply saddened” to announced her death, her publisher Bloodaxe said ...
14th September 2020
Lockdown limbo: poetry and music band Bard Company launch book after cancelled gigs
Two organisers of regular Write Out Loud Nights – Ian Whiteley (Wigan) and Jeff Dawson, aka Jeffarama! (Bolton) – have teamed up with fellow members of their Bard Company poetry and music band to prod...
12th September 2020
Refugee poet and translator George Szirtes named as Booker prize judge
A poet and translator who came to Britain as a refugee at the age of eight after the Hungarian uprising in 1956 has been named as one of the 2021 International Booker prize judges.
George Szirtes, ...
8th September 2020
Emma Purshouse gets the lockdown lowdown on Black Country dialect poetry on BBC Radio 4
Writer and performance poet Emma Purshouse explored the Black Country and its poetry on BBC Radio 4 on Sunday 6 September, investigating why contemporary writers in the region are still using dialect ...
6th September 2020
Thousands back petition over 'grave concerns' for future of National Poetry Library
More than 6,000 people have already signed a petition expressing “grave concerns” about the future of the National Poetry Library at London’s Southbank Centre. The petition points out that imminent jo...
6th September 2020
'A Bradford millionaire': line from The Waste Land is clue to £20,000 donation
A line from TS Eliot’s poem The Waste Land has provided a bizarre clue to a £20,000 donation from the poet’s estate to the Brontë Parsonage, the BBC has reported. The Covid-19 pandemic has put the mus...
6th September 2020
Rave On, John Donne: Ireland's poet-president Michael D Higgins delivers tribute to song's writer Van Morrison
The president of Ireland, and poet, Michael D Higgins, has performed ‘Rave On, John Donne’ as part of a tribute by the magazine Hot Press to the poem/song’s writer, Van Morrison, to mark the 75th birt...
2nd September 2020
