Michael Marks Awards for Poetry Pamphlets

Last updated

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 Press
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 Press
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 poemsThe 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 LifeSmith/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 Press
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]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Griffin Poetry Prize</span> Canadian poetry award

The Griffin Poetry Prize is Canada's poetry award. It was founded in 2000 by businessman and philanthropist Scott Griffin.

Jane Draycott FRSL is a British poet, artistic collaborator and poetry translator.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Burnside</span> Scottish writer (1955–2024)

John Burnside FRSL FRSE was a Scottish writer. He was one of four poets to have won the T. S. Eliot Prize and the Forward Poetry Prize for one book. In Burnside's case it was for his 2011 collection, Black Cat Bone. In 2023, he won the David Cohen Prize.

Michael Symmons Roberts FRSL is a British poet.

Paul Farley FRSL is a British poet, writer and broadcaster.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Julia Copus</span> British poet, biographer and childrens writer

Julia Copus FRSL is a British poet, biographer and children's writer.

Hugh McMillan is a Scottish poet and short story writer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richard Price (poet)</span> British poet, novelist, and translator (born 1966)

Richard John Price is a British poet, novelist, and translator.

Neil Rollinson is a British poet.

Deryn Rees-Jones is an Anglo-Welsh poet, who lives and works in Liverpool. Although Rees-Jones has spent much of her life in Liverpool, she spent much of her childhood in the family home of Eglwys-bach in North Wales. She considers herself a Welsh writer.

<i>The White Review</i> British literary magazine

The White Review is a London-based magazine on literature and the visual arts. It is published in print and online.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Doireann Ní Ghríofa</span> Irish poet

Doireann Ní Ghríofa is an Irish poet and essayist who writes in both Irish and English.

Richard Moorhead is a Professor of Law and Professional Ethics at the University of Exeter. He leads a team working on the British Post Office scandal and that work led to Moorhead’s appointment to the Horizon Compensation Advisory Board. He is giving the 2024 Hamlyn Lectures on "Frail Professionalism: Lawyers’ ethics after the Post Office and other cases".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flipped eye publishing</span> Not-for-profit publishing company

Founded in 2001 by Nii Ayikwei Parkes and J. A. Parkes, flipped eye publishing is a company that publishes original poetry and prose on a not-for-profit model. The not-for-profit approach has allowed flipped eye to focus on new writers with potential, proiritising development, thus facilitating the emergence of truly unique literary talent. The company's editorial focus is on work that is "clear and true rather than exhibitionist," but is not averse to publishing work that might be considered experimental, such as Niki Aguirre's apocalyptic 29 Ways to Drown, which was longlisted for the 2008 Frank O'Connor International Short Story Award. Some of the better known writers first published by flipped eye are Malika Booker, Inua Ellams, Warsan Shire, Ekere Tallie, Jacob Sam-La Rose, Niall O'Sullivan, AJ Odasso, and Leila Segal – a list that illustrates the significant percentage of female writers and British writers of Black and minority ethnic heritage that the company has published. In addition to its imprints, the company operates a number of distinct publishing series: mouthmark series, flap series and defeye.

Sarah Howe is a Chinese-British poet, editor and researcher in English literature. Her first full poetry collection, Loop of Jade (2015), won the T. S. Eliot Prize and the Sunday Times / Peters Fraser & Dunlop Young Writer of The Year Award. It is the first time that the T. S. Eliot Prize has been given to a debut collection. She is currently a Leverhulme Fellow in English at University College London, as well as a trustee of The Griffin Trust for Excellence in Poetry.

Ellen van Neerven is an Aboriginal Australian writer, educator and editor. Their first work of fiction, Heat and Light (2013), won several awards, and in 2019 Van Neerven won the Queensland Premier's Young Publishers and Writers Award. Their second collection of poetry, Throat (2020), won three awards at the 2021 New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards, including Book of the Year.

Ben Wilkinson is a British poet, academic, and critic for The Guardian. He completed his first degree at the University of Sheffield, and his MA and PhD at Sheffield Hallam University. In 2014, he won both the Poetry Business Book & Pamphlet Competition and a New Writing North Northern Writers' Award. He currently teaches creative writing at the University of Bolton and lives in Sheffield, South Yorkshire. He is a keen amateur distance runner and has written variously on the subject.

Martha Sprackland (born 1988) is a British writer.

Ian Johnson, known by his Dharma name Maitreyabandhu, is a British Buddhist writer and poet who lives and works at the London Buddhist Centre. He has written a number of books on Buddhism. His poetry has been published by Bloodaxe and awarded the Keats-Shelley Prize and the Geoffrey Dearmer Award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Polly Atkin</span> English poet and non-fiction writer (born 1980)

Polly Rowena Atkin is an English poet and non-fiction writer based in Grasmere, Cumbria.

References

  1. "The Organisations behind the Awards", British Library, 2011. Retrieved 4 June 2011.
  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.