Philip Gross wins major children’s poetry award

Congratulations to Philip Gross (left) who has won the  CLPE Poetry Award — the UK’s premier award for children’s poetry — for his volume of selected poems for children, Off Road to Everywhere, which was illustrated by his son, Jonathan Gross. Philip’s event for children, based on the book, was one of the highlights of StAnza 2011 and complemented his evening Poetry Centre Stage reading for adults. The poet won the T.S. Eliot Prize last year for his collection The Water Table, and also received the Wales Book of the Year award for another work, I Spy Pinhole Eye.

The CLPE Poetry Award (the letters stand for Centre for Literacy in Primary Education) honours excellence in poetry written for children. Previous winners include the Poet Laureate Carol Ann Duffy (who assisted with this years’ judging), Jackie Kay, Roger McGough, Fiona Waters, Grace Nichols and John Agard.

Listen to Philip talking about his work in this Scottish Poetry Library Reading Room podcast which was recorded at StAnza in March. And read Susan Mansfield’s interview with him, published in The Scotsman prior to the festival.

Photograph: Stephen Morris

Poetry at the Edinburgh International Book Festival

Liz Lochhead, Scotland's Makar

Poetry lovers have plenty to look forward to at the Edinburgh International Book Festival which has just announced its programme for August. With a range of writers chosen to reflect the fast-changing times we live in, political change, ecology and the internet, the festival aims to give a snapshot of life and literature in the 21st century.

As one of its major themes, the festival celebrates the centenaries of two poetry giants, Sorley MacLean (who was at the heart of StAnza’s Gaelic Focus) and Czelaw Milosz are the focus of Legends in Literature, a series of talks and tributes about the lives and poetry of these two major figures.  And three laureates will be present: Scotland’s new Makar, Liz Lochhead and the Poet Laureate, Carol Ann Duffy, and the new Children’s Laureate, Julia Donaldson, who is the guest selector for the children’s programme.

The line-up of present day poets features Paul Muldoon, Michael Longley, Robin Robertson, and Andrew Greig, David Harsent, and Robert Bringhurst and eminent Polish poet Adam Zagajewski. Among the new voices are Rachael Boast, a StAnza volunteer for several years, whose first collection has just been published by Picador, and Ryan van Winkle, Reader-in-Residence at the Scottish Poetry Library, who hosted the Golden Hour at StAnza earlier this year.

The Scottish Poetry Library (who, like the EIBF are partners to StAnza), have brought their successful series ‘Nothing But the Poem’, offering people the chance to read poetry in depth, without prior knowledge, and in a relaxed environment. Join them for a relaxed hour at the Writers Retreat: subjects include, of course, Sorley MacLean and Czelaw Milosz.

Other treats include poets on their prose writing: Don Paterson talking about sonnets, John Burnside on both his new poetry collection, Black Cat Bone and his new novel set in the Arctic; and Paul Farley and Michael Symmons Roberts praise the beauty of modern wastelands.

All this, plus the announcement of the winners of two major awards: the Scottish Mortgage Investment Trust Awards (which have on the shortlist, Stewart Conn and Jackie Kay), and the Edwin Morgan Competition.

Tickets for the Edinburgh International Book Festival go on sale, 28 June. The festival runs from 13-29 August. For programme and booking details click here

Wedding vows and verses

Poetry has, not surprisingly, played its part in the run-up to the Royal Wedding tomorrow. Last Saturday, the Poet Laureate, Carol Ann Duffy, presented a collection of ‘wedding vows’, published here in the Guardian, by, among others, Scotland’s new Makar, Liz Lochhead, Jackie Kay, Michael Longley and Wendy Cope.  Many are names who have appeared at StAnza.  We were really delighted to see among them, a new poem by Rachael Boast, who has worked for the festival as a volunteer for several years, and whose first poetry collection, Sidereal, is being published next month by Picador. Congratulations to her.

Poetry at the Edinburgh International Book Festival

 

Get your poetry fix at the EIBF this month. New director Nick Barley asked one of Scotland’s premier poets Don Paterson and the Scottish Poetry Library to advise on selections for the Poetry Programme and the line-up is stunning.

Four of the six poets shortlisted for this year’s Forward Prize are appearing: Seamus Heaney’s event is sold out but tickets for Jo Shapcott, Robin Robertson and Sinead Morrissey were still available a few days ago.

Also on the roster are Simon Armitage, Paul Muldoon John Glenday, Carol Ann Duffy (reading from her forthcoming collection, The Bees), Jackie Kay, John Stammers, Ron Butlin, StAnza’s own former Director, Brian Johnstone, Kathleen Jamie (in conversation with Jonathan Bate), Douglas Dunn and Mandy Haggith (on Norman McCaig). Kei Miller, our Poet in Residence last March, is also taking part. Click here for full programme and booking details.

Kei Miller at StAnza 2010

And check out the festival’s innovative – and free –  Unbound evenings at the Highland Park Spiegeltent, which will feature a poetry night on Thursday 19 August. Expect the unexpected…