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Searching for Fenland's next poet laureate




The search to find Fenland’s next poet laureate will soon begin.

From July, poets aged 18 years old and above, who currently live or work in Fenland and North East Cambridgeshire, will be eligible to enter the competition to find Fenland’s next poet laureate.

This year’s competition will be judged by John Lyons, a Trinidadian-born poet, painter, illustrator, educator and curator, who lives in the area.

MP Steve Barclay at the launch of last year's competition.
MP Steve Barclay at the launch of last year's competition.

Organiser Elizabeth Sennitt Clough, who is a successful poet herself, said: “There is no set theme but it is expected that the entries will reference Fenland in some way, either subtly through imagery or more directly about life in Fenland, for example.

“To be eligible for entry into the 2020 Fenland Poet Laureate Competition, poems must be less than 40 lines and previously unpublished, with one entry per poet and poems may be in free verse or a stricter form.”

Those wishing to enter the competition are asked to send two hard copies of their entry to the following address: PO Box 234, Wisbech, PE14 4EZ.

Entrants are also asked to include a brief statement explaining what they feel they have to gain from the role of Fenland Poet Laureate and what community-based work they would like to develop throughout their year as the area’s man or woman of verse.

As the competition will be judged anonymously, organisers have asked entrants not to include their name and contact details on either copy of their poem.

The winning and commended poems will be published in the Fenland Poetry Journal and, if social distancing measures allow, the winner and runners-up will be invited to attend a ceremony for the presentation of awards by the adjudicator John Lyons.

For further information, please contact fenlandpoetlaureateaward@gmail.com



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