Press Release: Prizes and Awards
Poetry Pamphlets: The Staple Diet You Can Devour Between Meals
Posted at 8:03AM Friday 05 Feb 2010
The British Library presents the second year of The Michael Marks Awards for Poetry Pamphlets, in partnership with the Poetry Book Society and with the generous support of the Michael Marks Charitable Trust. Now in its second year, the Awards celebrate the vital role of the pamphlet form in introducing new poetry to readers. Books of 36 pages or fewer are where new poetry often first meets its audience – slim volumes allow readers to savour a concentrated gathering or carefully paced sequence of poems. Poetry pamphlets can be exquisitely designed, with striking visual qualities that form a strong part of the meaning of the book as a whole. Small press publishers have been at the forefront of developing new audiences for poetry through such attractive and innovative publications. The Michael Marks Awards for Poetry Pamphlets offer two awards of £5,000: Poetry Award - for an outstanding work of poetry published in pamphlet form in the UK during 2009. Self-published work is welcome. Publisher Award - for an outstanding UK publisher of poetry in pamphlet form, based on their publishing programme in 2009. The awards will be judged by novelist Ali Smith (Chair), poet Jo Shapcott and Richard Price, poet and Head of Modern British Collections at the British Library. Closing date for submissions is Friday 12 March 2010, with the winners to be announced at a celebratory event on 16 June 2010 at the British Library. For more information on the Awards and how to enter, see: http://www.bl.uk/poetrypamphlets. Richard Price, Head of Modern British Collections at the British Library, said: "An enormously powerful and particularly intimate art form, pamphlets are the super-food of the poetry world, the 'staple diet' you can devour between meals. The Michael Marks Awards really recognise poets and publishers at the very cutting edge of their craft, offering emerging artists an excellent opportunity to have their work acclaimed alongside a breathtaking range of contemporary British poetry."
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