TS Eliot Prize workshop
It’s that time of year again: In just a month it will be time for the TS Eliot Prize - still arguably the most important prize for poetry in the UK — and I’m thrilled to say I will be delivering my TS Eliot Shortlist workshop on Zoom, over the weekend of the 14/15th January. (The winner will be announced on the 16th.)
Regulars will know the drill: ten books, and so little time! But somehow the time always magically stretches, and we have plenty of animated discussions about every book on the list.
What’s it good for? We all know there is no such thing as ‘The Best’ anything, let alone poetry collection of the year. Well, ten books is enough to get a sense of more or less what’s out there. It’s a snapshot in time and a chance to go into some amount of depth on ten books, and ten poets, without buying ten books and taking them home to read alone. On the contrary! If literature is a conversation, what can be better than a conversation about literature? You don’t need to have read any of the books, as I’ll be emailing handouts to all participants.
And who’s it good for? Anybody who fancies finding out more about what poetry’s out there being written at the moment. Poets, readers, teachers, people with a curiosity — just come along and find out. I run a friendly, jolly discussion, and am always interested in different points of view.
After this workshop you’ll know which books (if any) you do want to read properly — and if you go to the big reading at the Southbank Centre on the Sunday, you’ll not only have a deeper, richer experience of the readings, you can buy books there and have them signed by the poets.
If you’re not buying, you’ll still have a working knowledge and handouts with a couple of poems from each, and possibly even a few dazzling insights from the conversations!
I’ve been running these workshops since 2012, not counting the ones missed because of the pandemic. They’ve become a real touchstone in my year, and an integral part, for me anyway, of the poetry calendar. A really joyous, fun way to get going into the New Year.
See here for more information about the workshop.
See here for a plethora of information about the TS Eliot Prize itself.
Just drop me a note to let me know you’re interested and I’ll put you on the list and send you payment details.