Please do join us at the Royal Festival Hall as our brilliant shortlisted poets take to the stage at 7pm on Sunday 18 January. Enjoy an event simultaneously epic and intimate as we celebrate the best contemporary poetry. Hosted by the genial Ian McMillan, the evening is always a highlight of the literary year.
The event will be British Sign Language (BSL) interpreted and includes live captioning. And if you can’t join us in the hall, you can also book tickets to watch the live stream from home.
Do you have a favourite collection? If you want to get to know the shortlisted collections better, we have fantastic resources to help you discover and dig deeper.
On our YouTube channel there are interviews and readings from the shortlisted poets, plus inventive and insightful video-reviews of the collections from our brilliant Young Critics.
On our website you’ll find information on the poets and their work.
Explore the webpages on each of the shortlisted books to find John Field’s specially commissioned reviews presenting both close readings and wider context as he delves into each collection in detail.
You can access Readers’ Notes too, which provide you with poems, creative prompts and discussion points on each of the titles, whether you’re exploring the books alone or with a group.
And last, but not in any way least, in the wonderful Writers’ Notes series, produced by our partner The Poetry School, you’ll find tips and tricks from our shortlisted poets to inspire your own poetic practice. The latest brilliant addition is by Jamie McKendrick, writing about Tom Paulin’s collection Namanlagh.
Join us at the Shortlist Readings, in person or online, and be sure to mine this website to inspire and extend your reading!
