We’re delighted to have received a record number of submissions for the T S Eliot Prize 2018, with 176 collections from 48 publishers currently being considered by Judges Sinéad Morrissey, Daljit Nagra and Clare Pollard. British poetry has arguably never been stronger, with a wealth of publishers large and small making great poetry accessible to all. This year’s submissions include a raft of famous names, as well as a number of débuts and up and coming poets. Unfortunately, it’s not possible to cover every single collection submitted here, but we’ve tried to give a flavour of the range of voices currently on offer as there is something for every possible taste in poetry, whether traditional or avant-garde, from prose-poetry to more traditional forms.
From newer publishing houses such as Boiler House Press, Offord Road Books, Indigo Dreams, Nine Arches Press, Vanguard Editions and V Press, to evergreen independent publishers like Arc, Arete, Bloodaxe, Carcanet, Eyewear, HappenStance, Mica Press, Peepal Tree Press Salt, Seren, Templar and the Gallery Press, this year’s submissions read like a who’s who of British poetry publishing, and these voices sit alongside submissions from the major houses, reflecting the range and diversity of British poetry today.
The list below contains a link to the website of every publisher who submitted for this year’s Prize, and while the Judges make their extremely difficult decision on this year’s Shortlist, we recommend exploring the wonderful poetry published in 2018 by a massive range of voices. Where else can you find previous Shortlistees such as Robin Robertson, Moniza Alvi, J O Morgan, Sean O’Brien and Carol Ann Duffy rubbing shoulders with indie favourites Amy Key, Andrew McMillan, Imtiaz Dharker, Bobby Parker, Sophie Collins, Kate Tempest, Raymond Antrobus and Oliver Reynolds, to name but a few? There are also a number of exciting début collections submitted this year, including work by Phoebe Power, Niall Bourke, Danielle Boodoo-Fortune, Charly Cox and Nafeesa Hamid. We guarantee that you will find something below to surprise and delight, regardless of your taste in poetry.
Stay tuned for the announcement of this year’s Shortlist on 18th October, the same day that the Southbank Centre’s London Literature Festival brings ten days of great writing to the capital. The Shortlist announcement will be followed by our email newsletters, which will feature each shortlisted poet in turn. As always, our newsletter will guide you through this year’s shortlist, with critical analysis, poetry, our video readings and interviews and details on other poetry news and events taking place in the run up to the Shortlist Readings at Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall on Sunday 13th January 2019. To ensure you’re up to speed with the UK’s most popular poetry prize, make sure you follow us on Twitter and sign up to our newsletter.
Arc Publications
Arete Books
Bloodaxe
Boiler House Press
Cape Poetry
Carcanet
Chatto & Windus
Doire Press
Eyewear Publishing
Faber & Faber
Fairacre Press
Happenstance Press
Harvill Secker
Holland Park Press
HQ, HarperCollins
Indigo Dreams
Isobar Press
Lilliput Press
Liverpool University Press
Luath Press
Mica Press
Nine Arches Press
Offord Road Books
Palewell Press
Parthian Books
Peepal Tree Press
Penguin
Penned in the Margins
Picador
Platypus Press
Red Squirrel Press
Salt Publishing
Seren
Shearsman Books
Smith/Doorstop
Templar Poetry
The Gallery Press
The High Window
The Irish Pages Press
The Rialto
Two Rivers Press
V. Press
Vagabond Voices
Valley Press
Vanguard Editions
Verve Poetry Press
Ward Wood Publishing
Worple Press