Manchester Metropolitan University (Manchester Met) MA in Creative Writing student Toni-Ann La-Crette has been announced as one of the runners up in this year’s PBS National Student poetry competition. Toni-Ann was shortlisted for her poem ‘Cutty Sark’
The competition is organised by the Poetry Book Society (PBS), set up in 1953 by T S Eliot ‘to propagate the art of poetry’. The Society offers membership to poets in return for information, reviews and discounts on the best contemporary poetry. It also runs the annual TS Eliot Prize for Poetry and welcomes members from all over the world.
Speaking to Humanity Hallows, Toni-Ann said, “I saw the link to the competition posted up on the Manchester Met Creative Writing Facebook page, and decided on a whim just to go for it! I’d never applied to a competition before, so completely didn’t expect to get anywhere. I feel extremely chuffed to have made it as a runner up. It just goes to show how its worth pushing yourself outside of your comfort zone from time to time, and getting your work out there.”
The competition was open to undergraduates and MA poetry students and was judged by poet and Guardian First Book Award winner, Andrew MacMillan. The overall winner was Daisy LaFarge, a University of Edinburgh student, who won £200 and full PBS membership for her poem ‘the lockjaw boys of towncountry’ All winning poems, including Toni-Ann’s, are available to read in a free e-book anthology.
For more information, see the Poetry Book Society website.
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