By Jacqueline Grima
Manchester Writing School MA graduate Ian Humphreys has recently been announced as the winner of the 2016 Hamish Canham Prize. Ian won with his poem ‘Zebra on East 55th and 3rd’.
The prize was established in 2004 by Sheena and Hugh Canham, named after their son Hamish, a gifted writer and psychotherapist who died in 2003. The judging panel includes staff members of The Poetry Society.
Ian, who has previously won the PENfro Poetry Competition, was delighted to hear that he was this year’s winner. He said, “Writing can be a solitary, uphill slog, so it’s lovely to get a bit of recognition now and again and to be told you’re kind of heading in the right direction.”
He added, “I’d written about a deer walking nonchalantly through Manhattan for an exercise that required us to put an animal in an unusual setting. I changed the animal to a zebra for extra contrast and to introduce an even more bizarre feel. The idea of it disappearing into a zebra crossing at the end of the poem came later and tied in well with the competition theme. When I read it now I see the zebra as a metaphor for a homeless person – someone invisible to mainstream society.”
To read Ian’s winning poem, click here.
aAh! Magazine invites all Manchester Met students with a passion for journalism, writing, design, illustration, and photography to pitch ideas for our upcoming print issue: The REAL Issue. This issue will explore what realness means today, especially for young people and students navigating a world dominated by digital life, social media and AI. What does authenticity…
By Adam Taylor It’s time to post your top artists to show how cool and different you are. Spotify Wrapped for 2025 has finally dropped. This stat-loaded list of listening habits gets everyone excited, revealing top artists, songs, podcasts, music genres, and hours listened – which can be a bit concerning… Spotify adds new features…
Featured image: Suzy Hazelwood aAh! Magazine’s Literature and Creative Student Editors are delighted to announce our first online call for submissions for the 2025/26 academic year. This series invites creative writing students and visual artists to respond to the theme ‘Hometown’, offering the opportunity to showcase their work online. Manchester is a hometown for thousands, and simply…
Featured image and photography: Beck McNally Gary ‘Mani’ Mounfield – a name that many Mancunian music-lovers will know well, died on 20 November this year. No official cause of death has been released to the public. The renowned bassist of The Stone Roses, and later Primal Scream, was a hugely influential musician – particularly in…
Leave a reply