Great Regulars: Described as "one of America's

foremost public intellectuals" by the Poetry Foundation, and as "a poet of towering reputation and towering rage [who] brought the oppression of women and lesbians to the forefront of poetic discourse and kept it there for nearly a half-century" by the New York Times, [Adrienne] Rich's career spanned seven decades, numerous prizes and more than 20 collections of poetry as well as acclaimed essays, articles and lectures.

from Alison Flood: The Guardian: Adrienne Rich, award-winning poet and essayist, dies aged 82

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Allison McVety has won the National Poetry Competition for a poem that has its roots in her attempt to take an English A-level without bothering to read the set text, Virginia Woolf's To the Lighthouse.

McVety, a former Microsoft engineer turned published poet, went into her exam as a teenager having only read a small part of each chapter of Woolf's novel. "I thought I would be able to pass with flying colours, but I failed it abysmally," she said today.

from Alison Flood: The Guardian: Allison McVety wins National Poetry Competition with homage to Virginia Woolf

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Literary novelist Ann Patchett's fight to save independent bookshops, which has seen her open her own shop in Tennessee and champion the importance of bookselling on American television, has led to her nomination as one of Time magazine's most influential people in the world.

from Alison Flood: The Guardian: Ann Patchett named as one of Time's most influential people

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Lavinia Greenlaw's "outstanding" sound work Audio Obscura, which sent listeners on journeys of discovery through Manchester Piccadilly and London St Pancras train stations, has won the Ted Hughes award for new work in poetry.

The prize, established by poet laureate Carol Ann Duffy, rewards "the most exciting contribution to poetry" over the last year. A drama documentary by Simon Armitage, an orchestral piece by Christopher Reid set in the first world war, and a sequence of dramatic war poems by Andrew Motion were all in the running for this year's award.

from Alison Flood: The Guardian: Lavinia Greenlaw wins Ted Hughes award 2011 for new work in poetry

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