Highly commended:
Paul Beatty of Stockport, (see short story winner) for ‘Dreamcatcher’ where life, in the vastness of the cosmos, speeding along at impossible rate, can be captured in the tiniest of places ‘The pockets of cardigans’ for example, or ‘finger prints on the surface of an undusted shelf.’ And when we come across such a reminder we are brought up short ‘To encounter those who have gone/with fearful suddenness.’
Noel Williams of Sheffield, for ‘Homemaker’, a gentle, loving poem as tribute to a partner with the ability to make the best of all circumstances – even an unlovely canal mooring where ‘You threw the curtains wide/to paint the ceiling with ripples of the moon.’ This person ‘made my roof and walls’. Surely the ultimate compliment.
Rosie Garland of Manchester, with two poems, ‘Moratorium’ where ‘sleep is no longer necessary’ and dreams must be folded and stored, to be visited on anniversaries only. And ‘Rubbing brass’ with its highly tactile images ‘massage with linseed oil’, ‘smoothing all the places where bones crest and peak.’
Olga Kenyon of Manchester, for ‘Piece of Spanish Sandstone’, a reflection on the endurance of a piece of pink stone from a sheep enclosure. It has been weathered by glaciers, streams and storms, and finally been gathered by children to build a sheep pen. ‘The falling walls’ shadow is enough/to mourn the refugee Moors, and the poet draws a parallel with her own intention to endure ‘with the gentle perseverance of rock.’
In the Humorous Category, the winner was Chris Banks of Bristol, with a gloriously tipsy villanelle ‘Christmas Party’ – perfectly crafted, and detailing the well-known stages of inebriation, ending with ‘This punch is not as strong as you might think,/So I can manage one more diny trink….’
PUBLISHED COLLECTION PRIZE
This was extremely difficult to adjudicate. Two collections (of seven poems) stood out – as different as the proverbial chalk and cheese. In the end Rosie Garland emerged as winner (see two poems in the Highly Commended list). All these poems ping our human sensitivities; they communicate.
That, in the end, is what poetry must do.
Highly commended:
Josh Ekroy, London, for an educated, polished and satirical set. A slightly manic sestina ‘It starts with a cartoon’, and ‘Emily Bronte’s Personal Ad’ were particular favourites. Without doubt, this is a poet’s poet.
Noel Williams, Sheffield (see Highly Commended list). Some very personal poems, drawing on memory. ‘Tattoo artist’ is particularly effective.
Sarah L. Dixon, Manchester . Well crafted, sensitive poems from an accomplished poet. The eight very short lines of ‘Applewood Nursing Home’ are heartbreakingly effective.
