Poet Laureate to judge Lit Fest competition
UK POET LAUREATE Simon Armitage will judge the entries in the 2020 Guernsey International Poetry Competition (Poems on the Move), organised by the Guernsey Literary Festival.
Mr Armitage was appointed poet laureate in succession to Carol Ann Duffy this year. The competition, which has a £1,000 first prize for the winning poem in the open section, was launched on 15 September and is sponsored by Guernsey Post.
In addition to judging the competition, Mr Armitage will come to Guernsey for the festival, which runs from 29 April to 3 May next year, for the presentation to the winners and then to give a performance of his own work.
Guernsey Post chief executive Boley Smillie said: ‘The competition is a respected part of the literary festival and is a brilliant opportunity for everyone to take part.’
Mr Armitage was Oxford Professor of Poetry (2015-2019) and his accolades include an Ivor Novello Award for song-writing in the Bafta-winning film Feltham Sings and the 2018 Queen’s Gold Medal for Poetry. He has published 28 collections of poetry, including his latest, Sandettie Light Vessel Automatic, and his acclaimed translation of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.
He also writes extensively for television and radio, and is the author of two novels and the non-fiction bestsellers All Points North, Walking Home and Walking Away.
Filter judge Candy Neubert is a poetry reader for the Bridport Prize. Her last two poetry collections, Channel and Island, were partly inspired by Guernsey.
A poem by Sharon Black, who lives in France, scooped the £1,000 first prize in the open section of the 2019 competition.
As in past years, the competition is split into three categories, Open (18 and over), Channel Islands residents (18 and over) and Young People (aged 12-17).
Poems from each class will be chosen for display on local buses and winners will be part of a display first at the airport and then around the island.
There is a maximum length of 14 lines for individual poems and entries will close on 15 January 2020. Full details and entry forms are available on the Guernsey Literary Festival website, www.guernseyliteraryfestival.com, or the website www.poemsonthemove.com or on leaflets which can be found at a number of sites in the Channel Islands, including libraries, Beau Sejour, the airport and Guernsey Museum at Candie. Details will also be in the UK magazine Poetry Review and other poetry and literary magazines.
