Michael Marks Awards for Poetry Pamphlets

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The Michael Marks Awards for Poetry Pamphlets are annual awards for pamphlets published in the UK. The awards aim to promote the pamphlet form and to enable poets and publishers to develop and continue creating. Since their inception, they have grown to include three annual awards, for "Poetry Pamphlet", "Publisher" and "Illustration", carrying prizes of up to £5,000, and awarding places on "The Michael Marks Poets in Residence Program" in Greece. Additional awards have included the "Poetry Pamphlet in a Celtic Language" and, as of 2022, the Environmental Poet of the Year prize.

Contents

The awards were founded in 2009 by the Michael Marks Charitable Trust, in a collaboration with the British Library that continues to this day. They are funded entirely by the Michael Marks Charitable Trust, and are enabled through partnerships between the British Library, the Wordsworth Trust, The TLS and the Harvard Center for Hellenic Studies, and in association with the National Library of Wales and the National Library of Scotland. As of 2012, the awards have been administered by Wordsworth Trust. The Michael Marks Charitable Trust was established in 1966 by the late Lord Marks, 2nd Baron of Broughton. [1] Both awards carry a prize of £5,000. [2]

The Nobel laureate Seamus Heaney praised the prize's establishment:

These inspired awards recognise that the pamphlet has a fundamental importance in literary culture far exceeding anything suggested by the dictionary – "a brief publication, generally having a paper cover". For many of the best poets now writing it was not only their first means of distribution but the first ratification of their gift." [3]

Winners and nominees

The award recognises an outstanding work of poetry published in pamphlet form – defined by the Awards as containing no more than 36 pages – in the UK. [4]

The following is a list of shortlisted pamphlets. Winners are listed in yellow, first in their year.

YearAuthorTitlePublisherRef(s)Judges
2009 Elizabeth Burns The Shortest DaysGaldragon Press [2]
Polly Atkin Bone Song Aussteiger Publications
Siobhán Campbell That Water Speaks in TonguesTemplar Poetry
Sarah Jackson Milk Pighog Press
Kate Potts Whichever music Tall Lighthouse
seekers of lice quotself-published
2010 Selima Hill Advice on Wearing Animal Prints Flarestack Poets [5]
Tom Chivers The Terrors Nine Arches Press
David HartThe Titanic Café closes its doors and hits the rocks Nine Arches Press
Hugh McMillan Devorgilla's Bridge Roncadora Press
Richard Moorhead The Reluctant Vegetarian Oystercatcher Press
Nii Ayikwei Parkes ballast: a remix Tall Lighthouse
2011 James McGonigall Cloud PibrochMariscat [6]
Neil Addison Apocapulco Salt Publishing
Simon Armitage The Motorway Service Station as a Destination in its Own Right Smith/Doorstop
Sean Burn mo thunder The Knives, Forks and Spoons Press
Olive Broderick DarkhairedTemplar Poetry
Ralph Hawkins Happy Whale Fat Smile Oystercatcher Press
2012 Róisín Tierney Dream Endings Rack Press [7]
Paul Bentley Largo Smith/Doorstop
Douglas Dunn Invisible Ink Mariscat Press
Charlotte Gann The Long Woman Pighog Press
Maitreyabandhu The Bond Smith/Doorstop
2013 David Clarke Gaud Flarestack Poets [8]
Kim Lasky Petrol Cyan Electric Smith/Doorstop
Kim Moore If We Could Speak Like Wolves Smith/Doorstop
Ben Parker The Escape Artists Tall Lighthouse
Neil Rollinson Talking Dead Aussteiger Publications
Chrissy Williams Flying into the Bear HappenStance Press
2014 Laura Scott What I Saw The Rialto (poetry magazine) [9] [10]
Christine de Luca Dat Trickster Sun Mariscat Press
Mimi Khalvati Earthshine Smith/Doorstop
Ian McMillan Jazz Peas Smith/Doorstop
Richard Moorhead The Word Museum Flarestack Poets
Samantha Wynne-Rhyderrch Lime and Winter Rack Press
2015 Gill McEvoy The First Telling HappenStance Press [11] [12]
Alan Jenkins Clutag Five Poems Series No. 2 Clutag Press
Anja Konig Advice for an Only Child flipped eye publishing (flap pamphlet series)
Peter Riley The Ascent of Kinder Scout Longbarrow Press
David Tait Three Dragon Day Smith/Doorstop
2016Richard ScottWoundThe Rialto
Polly ClarkA Handbook for the Afterlife.Templar Poetry
Fiona MooreNight LetterHappenStance Press
Camille RalphsMalkinEmma Press
Lizzi ThistlethwayteAngels and Other DipteraWater Flag Press
2017Charlotte WettonI Refuse to Turn into a HatstandCalder Valley Press.
  • Leaf Arbuthnot
  • Phil Hatfield
  • Ruth Padel
  • Sir Nicholas Penny
Natacha BryanIf I Talked Everything my Eyes Saw.Gatehouse Press Lighthouse.
Alyson HallettToots Mariscat Press
Theophilus KwekThe First Five Storms Smith/Doorstop
Phoebe StuckesGin & Tonic Smith/Doorstop
2018Carol RumensBezdelkiThe Emma Press
Gina WilsonIt Was and It Wasn'tMariscat Press
Rakhshan RizwanPaisleyThe Emma Press
Ian ParksIf Possible (Cavafy Poems)Calder Valley Poetry
Liz BerryThe Republic of MotherhoodChatto & Windus
2019Rowan EvansThe last verses of BeccánGuillemot Press
Seán HewittLanternOfford Road Books
Anita PatiDodo provocateurThe Rialto
Declan RyanFighters, losersNew Walk Editions
Morgan Owenmoroedd/dŵrCyhoeddiadau'r Stamp
2020Paul MuldoonBingeThe Lifeboat [13]
Gail McConnellFothermatherInk Sweat and Tears Press
Jamie McKendrickThe yearsArc Publications
Sarah WimbushBloodlinesSeren
Alycia PirmohamedHingeignitionpress
Rhys IowerthCarthen denauCyhoeddiadau'r Stamp
2021Gboyega OdubanjoAunty uncle poems The Poetry Business [14]
Fiona BensonAriadneBroken Sleep Books
Holly SinglehurstThe sky turned thick as honey The Rialto
Matthew HollisLeavesHazel Press
Selima HillFridge The Rialto
Hugo WilliamsBadlands Mariscat Press
Leontia FlynnNina Simone is singing Mariscat Press
2022Shane McCraeHex and Other PoemsBad Betty Press [15]
Naush SabahLitaniesGuillemot Press
Maya C PopaDear Life Smith/Doorstop
Matthew HaighVampiresBad Betty Press
Tomi AdegbayibiColours & Tea (Human)Muscaliet Press
John BurnsideApostasyDare-Gale Press

Michael Marks Publishers' Award

The Michael Marks Publishers' Award recognises an outstanding UK publisher of poetry in pamphlet form.

The following is a list of shortlisted publishers. Winners are listed in yellow, first in their year.

YearPublisherRef(s)Judges
2009 Oystercatcher Press
HappenStance Press
Tall Lighthouse
Templar Poetry
2010 HappenStance Press
Oystercatcher Press
Templar Poetry
Veer Books
2011 Crater Press
Kater Murr's Press
The Knives, Forks and Spoons Press
Mariscat Press
Roncadora Press
2012 Smith/Doorstop
Donut Press
Pighog Press
Rack Press
2013 Flarestack Poets
Mariscat Press
Rack Press
Pighog Press
Shearsman Books
2014 Rack Press [9] [20]
Emma Press
flipped eye publishing
Smith/Doorstop
Shearsman Books
2015 Mariscat Press [12] [11]
Eyewear Publishing
Smith/Doorstop
The Emma Press

Award for Poetry in a Celtic Language

In 2019, the inaugural Michael Marks Award for Poetry in a Celtic Language was awarded to Morgan Owen for his pamphlet moroedd/dŵr, published by Cyhoeddiadau'r Stamp. [21]

Michael Marks Award for Environmental Poet of the Year

This was inaugurated 2022-23 and recognises an outstanding UK poetry in pamphlet form about climate change, its effects and what to do about it. [22] There is one award each year. They have been:

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References

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  2. 1 2 Alison Flood (25 June 2009). "Poetry pamphlet award goes to Elizabeth Burns". The Guardian. Retrieved 20 September 2012.
  3. "Homepage: Michael Marks Awards for Poetry Pamphlets" . Retrieved 29 August 2022.
  4. "The Michael Marks Awards for Poetry Pamphlets 2011". Poetry Book Society. 15 February 2011. Retrieved 20 September 2012.
  5. "The Michael Marks awards for poetry pamphlets shortlist". The Guardian . 13 May 2010. Retrieved 20 September 2012.
  6. "Michael Marks Award Winners". Poetry Book Society. 16 June 2011. Retrieved 20 September 2012.
  7. "Reality and Hyperreality". The Swan Sea Bay. August 2012. Retrieved 6 November 2013.
  8. Mika Ross-Southall (21 November 2013). "The wee malt". TLS. Retrieved 29 May 2014.
  9. 1 2 "2014 Winners". wordsworth.org.uk. Archived from the original on 30 October 2015. Retrieved 5 December 2015.
  10. "2014 Shortlist". wordsworth.org.uk. Archived from the original on 3 May 2015. Retrieved 5 December 2015.
  11. 1 2 "2015 Winners". wordsworth.org.uk. Archived from the original on 30 October 2015. Retrieved 5 December 2015.
  12. 1 2 "2015 Shortlist". wordsworth.org.uk. Retrieved 5 December 2015.
  13. "The 2020 Shortlists".
  14. "The 2021 Shortlists".
  15. "The 2022 Shortlists".
  16. "Countdown to the 2016 Michael Marks Awards for Poetry Pamphlets". British Library. 10 December 2016. Retrieved 28 July 2017.
  17. "Richard Scott and Emma Press win £5000 Michael Marks Awards". Poetry Society. 14 December 2016. Retrieved 28 July 2017.
  18. "Michael Marks Awards for Poetry Pamphlets". British Library. 28 November 2017. Retrieved 2 January 2018.
  19. "The Michael Marks Awards for Poetry Pamphlets 2017". Wordsworth Trust. Retrieved 2 January 2018.
  20. "2015 Publisher Shortlist". wordsworth.org.uk. Archived from the original on 3 May 2015. Retrieved 5 December 2015.
  21. "Gwobr genedlaethol i fardd ifanc o Ferthyr Tudful". BBC Cymru Fyw. 11 December 2019.
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