The Forward poetry prize at 20

Photograph by Gallo Images/Getty Images

The Guardian | Books

"Set up to bring greater attention to contemporary poetry, the Forward prize celebrated its 20th anniversary this week. Fellow poets and writers pay tribute to those who have won the Best Collection"

As well commentary by other poets for each year, this epic feature also has links to poetry from all the garlanded books and more.

TS Eliot prize for poetry | Excerpts

TS Eliot prize for poetry | Books | guardian.co.uk

Poetry from the 2010 TS Eliot Prize short list - a generous ten excerpts and more than one poem from each. For the links please visit the Guardian page.

Human Chain by Seamus Heaney
New Light for the Old Dark by Sam Willetts
Seeing Stars by Simon Armitage
The Wrecking Light by Robin Robertson
What the Water Gave Me by Pascale Petit
You by John Haynes
Rough Music by Fiona Sampson
White Egrets by Derek Walcott
Phantom Noise by Brian Turner
The Mirabelles by Annie Freud

Paul Celan in Mapesbury Road

BBC iPlayer

"What brought one of the most compelling modern European poets to a perfectly ordinary street in North London? Who did he visit there? And what made him write a poem about the experience? The writer, Toby Litt, investigates this most improbable of brief encounters between Paul Celan, the master elegist of 20th century Jewish experience and Britain at the end of the Sixties."

Available until 12:02pm Tue, 26 Oct 2010
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 11:30am Tue, 19 Oct 2010
Duration 30 minutes

On Ted Hughes's 'Last Letter' to Sylvia Plath

Books | guardian.co.uk: "Critic and friend of both Plath and Hughes Al Alvarez ponders the rather 'uncooked' poem published for the first time last week"

The John Donne poem referred to in the article: A NOCTURNAL UPON ST. LUCY'S DAY, BEING THE SHORTEST DAY. It is a long poem, here are four lines from it:

Study me then, you who shall lovers be
At the next world, that is, at the next spring ;
For I am every dead thing,
In whom Love wrought new alchemy.

Lost poem by Ted Hughes

"Long-lost Ted Hughes poem focuses on Sylvia Plath's suicide" | Jacket Copy | Los Angeles Times

A report about "Last Letter" by Ted Hughes

Unlock the mathematical secrets of verse

National Poetry Day: unlock the mathematical secrets of verse - Telegraph: "Robert Frost put it neatly when he wrote that 'Poetry without rules is like tennis without a net'. Poetry, in other words, is mathematics. It is close to a particular branch of the subject known as combinatorics, the study of permutations..." (Steve Jones)

Steve Jones makes poetry sound rather bloodless. If he wrote something it would be as solid as a concrete block and would float likewise, I think. Includes a nice quote from Robert Frost: 'Poetry without rules is like tennis without a net'.

The Saturday poem

'A human head . . .' by Edwin Morgan

The Guardian continues to provide marvellous examples from modern poets. Follow this link to find more.

Summer Fiction Special | short story | Books | The Guardian

Summer Fiction Special | short story | Books | The Guardian

David Mitchell, Roddy Doyle, Hilary Mantell and others.

New Irish Writing - Hennessy X.0 shortlist 2009

New Irish Writing - Hennessy X.0 shortlist 2009: "Eighteen writers have been nominated for the 2009 Hennessy X.O Literary Awards, which will be announced in the Great Hall at Trinity College on 20 April."

There are links to read the nominated poetry and stories. I recognise James Lawless from New Short Stories 1 (note the name check for the Willesden Herald - yay!) New Irish Writing was my goal when I started being interested in becoming a writer. I'm still interested in that.

Chicago Poetry Tour : The Poetry Foundation

Interactively explore the city with archival and contemporary recordings of poets reading, local music and pictures.

Sleeping with John Updike

"On the first anniversary of the American novelist's death, a new short story by Julian Barnes"

Sloe wine

When I was a child I had not time for filling forms or folding clothes. No minute could be spared from catching bees and huling hoops. I raced like upland rills and brooks that bubble and chase their own reflections. But now I have nothing but time, time to fill forms and stare at the box. Time to fold clothes and make arrangements. What time is it now Mr Wolf? I must have known that childhood was ending - that's why I raced everywhere, that's why I ran and ran and ran.

Poodles

A new poem by Simon Armitage for Tony Blair

"They all looked daft but the horse-dog
looked daftest of all. The cute red bridle and swishing tail,
the saddle and stirrups, the groomed mane.
The hair round its feet had been shaved and fluffed into hooves [...]"

ROCKPILE performs at Busboys & Poets

ROCKPILE performs at Busboys & Poets, Washington DC from ROCKPILE on Vimeo.

Raw footage of the ROCKPILE performance, comprised of poets David Meltzer and Michael Rothenberg in Washington, DC with the New Columbia Orchestra Quintet. The Quintet includes vocalist Nicki Gonzalez, flautist Joseph Cunliffe, guitarist Richard Miller, bassist Don West, and Burnett Thompson at the piano.

The rolling Rockpile poetry and music tour puts on a great show in Washington DC.

Bolero

David Meltzer / Ravel - on the rolling Rockpile tour