Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Great Regulars: Worth £5,000 to the winner, this is

the first competition to be held since Morgan--Scotland's inaugural Makar, or national poet--died last year, aged 90. More than 2,000 poems were submitted by 900 poets from around the world for the contest named in his honour, with judges and poets Vicki Feaver and Kona Macphee coming up with an all-female shortlist of five finalists.

Gillian Andrews was selected for her poem Loving Medusa, Sarah Jackson for Remains, Jane McKie for Leper Window, Jane Yeh for Four Sisters: Sargent's The Daughters of Edward D Boit and Lydia MacPherson for Ossuary. The competition is sponsored by the University of Strathclyde and hosted by the Edinburgh International Book Festival.

from Alison Flood: The Guardian: All-female shortlist for Edwin Morgan prize

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A long lost book of tributes to Byron from the poet's family vault has been discovered at a bring-and-buy sale in Savannah, Georgia.

Inscribed "to the immortal and illustrious fame of Lord Byron, the first poet of the age in which he lived", the memorial book contains accolades to the writer by famous figures of the day, from the American author Washington Irving to the Irish poet Tom Moore and future president of the US Martin Van Buren. It was placed at Byron's family vault in Nottinghamshire where the poet's body was buried after its return from Greece in 1824, and was filled with eulogies from more than 800 people by 1834.

from Alison Flood: The Guardian: Lost tributes to Byron found at bring-and-buy sale

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Residents of Miami have been getting a little something extra with their charity shop purchases after artist Agustina Woodgate began surreptitiously sewing tiny pieces of paper carrying lines of poetry into the city's thrift store clothes.

Describing her project as "poetry bombing", the Argentinean artist nonchalantly enters Miami's charity shops with needle, thread and scissors, and quickly sews a short quote into a piece of clothing without--she hopes--staff noticing.

from Alison Flood: The Guardian: 'Poetry bomber' targets charity shops

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Disgruntled poets channelled William Carlos Williams yesterday when they delivered a red wheelbarrow carrying members' signatures to the Poetry Society, demanding its board of trustees explain what lies behind a recent spate of high-level departures.

Poet laureate Carol Ann Duffy is just one of 423 members to have added their names to a campaign for the Poetry Society to explain itself after its chair, director, finance manager and president all resigned.

from Alison Flood: The Guardian: Poetry Society lobbied by wheelbarrow

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