Shortlisted Poet in Focus: Vona Groarke

Author photo © St John’s College, Cambridge

Vona Groarke, shortlisted for the T. S. Eliot Prize 2025 with her collection Infinity Pool (The Gallery Press), is the featured poet in this week’s Eliot Prize newsletter.

The newsletter tells you about the wide range of content we have just published to help you get to know Vona and her work.

In the latest additions to the celebrated T. S. Eliot Prize video series, Vona speaks about Infinity Pool and reads her poems ‘Introduction‘, ‘Infinity Pool‘ and ‘Tipping Point‘. View these videos and more on the T. S. Eliot Prize YouTube channel.

‘I just write poems whenever and however I can’, writes Vona Groarke in her article for the Poetry School’s Writer’s Notes series. ‘And when I’m not writing, I think poems. I see them flickering in the corner of my eye, like those floaters and flashes we’re warned about.’ Devised by our partner, the Poetry School, Writer’s Notes series are educational resources for poets looking to develop their practice and learn from the poets shortlisted for the T. S. Eliot Prize. Look out for articles by more of this year’s shortlisted poets in the coming weeks and browse the series on the Poetry School website.

Download the Reader’s Notes on Infinity Pool, which include a selection of poems from the collection, plus reviews, reading suggestions, and a writing prompt or two for those inspired to respond creatively. The aim of the Readers’ Notes is to inspire deeper readings of the book, individually or shared with friends, book groups or writing workshops.

We have also published an illuminating review, commissioned from John Field, offering vivid insights into the work.

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Vona Groarke was born in the Irish Midlands in 1964. She attended Trinity College, Dublin and University College, Cork. She has been writer in residence...

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