Ruby Mason, one of our Foyle interns for 2017, offers an insightful review of the Tower Hamlets SLAMbassadors Showcase on 6 July. SLAMbassadors is the national youth slam championship, run by The Poetry Society – and it’s open for entries from poets aged 12-18 till 30 September 2017. Sitting in the darkened Soho Theatre the […]
Hello Mary Jean! Thanks for chatting to us. Poetry is a part of your life in lots of different ways – could you tell us a bit more about the various things you are currently involved in? Thanks for inviting me! I’m currently a Research Associate at the Royal Holloway Poetics Research Centre, and am […]
The BBC Proms Poetry Competition, run by the BBC Proms in association with The Poetry Society, explores the connection between words and music by asking entrants to submit a poem about a piece of music in this year’s Proms season. The Proms is an eight-week series of music concerts and other events, held mainly at the Royal Albert Hall in […]
As soon as the weather starts hotting up, we’re reminded that – beach trips and barbecues aside – exam season is also looming for thousands of young people across the UK and beyond. To help you beat the heat of the exam hall this month, we’ve put together a few tips and ideas on how […]
The biggest poetry competition for young writers is once more on the hunt for the very best poems by writers aged 11-17! The Foyle Young Poets of the Year Award is an opportunity for any young poet aged 11-17 to accelerate their writing career. Since it was founded in 1998 the Award has kick-started the […]
Hannah Ellis, teacher, writer and granddaughter of poet Dylan Thomas, talks to us about her grandfather’s life and legacy, and how you can get involved in International Dylan Thomas Day 2017 I never particularly enjoyed school. By the time I was sixteen and taking my GCSEs, I was desperate to leave and to escape years of educational […]
We chat to Phil Connor, a commissioning editor at Unbound, about how their unusual publishing model works, why he has a lot of enthusiasm for poetry anthologies, and how you might kick-start a career in publishing. Thanks for talking to us about your work at Unbound, Phil. First of all, for those who might not […]
A Book of Fragments and Dreams has been published by Unthank Cameo Books to commemorate the life and work of Rebecca McManus. Rebecca, a Foyle Young Poet of the Year 2010, was due to graduate from the University of East Anglia when she was killed by a speeding driver in 2014, aged 21. Her Book […]
Young poet Hannah Hodgson talks to us about the life experiences that motivate her writing. When I think about all the things which influence me to write a poem, personal experience leaps out as a major factor. This may be because I am newly disabled and chronically ill. I can no longer eat or drink and […]
We talk to writer and film programmer Jay Bernard about resisting reformist agendas, writing marginal lives, and why you should be wary of the tagline ‘young poet’. Hi Jay – thanks for talking to us. You work across various different artforms: film, graphic art, poetry. As an artist, do you find that your different interests and talents […]