In 2023, there were winners in two categories – Best Single Poem, and Best Unpublished Pamphlet.
The winner of the Best Single Poem category was Jamie Fields, with How To Sign Playground, and the winner of the Best Unpublished Pamphlet category was Katharine Moss, with The Still Point. Thanks to our judges, and partners and supporters.
Best Single Poem
With over 150 poems being submitted to the Best Single Poem category, it has been a real privilege to read the work being created by deaf and disabled poets from across the UK. We are delighted to be able to celebrate and support the development of the winning, shortlisted and longlisted poets, helping them to build their careers and get their work out to readers and audiences.
Ruth Harrison, Director, Spread the Word
The winner of the Best Single Poem, judged by Jamie Hale and Romalyn Ante, is Jamie Field for How to Sign Playground.
As a deaf person who struggles to communicate, I feel I can only truly express myself through poetry, and to have the validation from a Prize bridging both worlds means so much.”
Jamie Fields, winner, Best Single Poem
He is awarded £500, an online Writers’ Surgery session with The Literary Consultancy and an online residential and masterclass by the Arvon Foundation. The poem draws together written English and BSL in a vivid and embodied poem, rich with languages and imagery. Jamie Field is a Poetry Ireland Introductions recipient 2021, has a MA in Poetry from Queen’s University, Belfast and poems published in Banshee, Abridged and Magma amongst others.
Being involved in such an inclusive Prize and now placing second has lifted my confidence about my writing in a way I hadn’t expected. I feel more encouraged than ever to keep writing, to keep taking chances and working outside of my comfort zone, because we never know what might happen when we do.
Lea Elm, Second Place, Best Single Poem
The second placed Best Single Poem is Lea Elm for Paper Houses, awarded £250, and third placed, Katharine Goda for A is for Anger, awarded £100. The highly commended poets, Jennifer Brough – Metaphors, Ruth Yates – School on Saturday and Moira Garland – After listening to Evelyn Glennie’s TED Talk: How to Truly Listen are each awarded £50. They will also receive development opportunities from Spread the Word, CRIPtic Arts and The Literary Consultancy.
It means the world to me to have been placed in the Disabled Poets Prize. Of course it’s always lovely to feel that your work is seen and valued. In this case, it is all the more special because the poem grew from a film workshop I was part of at RTProjects, an outstanding arts/mental health charity that has saved and immeasurably brightened many lives. The poem voices collective experiences which are poignant, courageous and vital, and I am proud to have the opportunity to share them, to hold up to the light a few moments of the stories we live in and with and by.
Katharine Goda, Third Place, Best Single Poem
The other longlisted poems were Colin Dardis – A Dream of Bogwood, Naoise Gale – Fable, Elizabeth Gibson – The Other Planet, Paula Knight – In Real Life, Imogen McHugh – The Strange Creatures and Kathryn O’Driscoll – A Brief Period of Instability.
Best Unpublished Pamphlet
The winner of the Best Unpublished Pamphlet, judged by Jamie Hale and Peter Raynard, is Katherine Moss for her collection ‘The Still Point’.
Poetry can be exhilarating, feel unsettling, can place demands upon us to stop and reflect upon words and sounds. The reader sometimes needs the respite of the blank space that surrounds a poem. They may need to push away the text to give space to think and to grasp meaning. Unlike the novel, poetry will not always carry us safely into escapism. T S Eliot refers to ‘the still point’ in his poem, ‘Burnt Norton.’ I recognise this as an effect upon the poet’s audience, how words can capture the intentional reader. I strive to one day achieve this ‘stillness’ in my writing. As one of the winners of the Disabled Poets Prize I have been given an amazing opportunity to discover my voice as a poet and perhaps feel authentic in claiming to be a writer.
Katharine Moss, Winner, Best Unpublished Pamphlet
She is awarded £500, publication by Verve Poetry Press, an online Writers’ Surgery session with The Literary Consultancy and masterclass by the Arvon Foundation. ‘The Still Point’ explores the intersection of truth and mythology within family history with a particular interest in the Irish Diaspora, examining Katherine’s own life as a disabled woman and mother, drawing on nature to weave the personal and political. She is a graduate of The Manchester Writing School and was awarded the Dr Lee Kai Hung Postgraduate Bursary. Her work has been published in Consilience and produced by The Garrick Theatre.
Participating in the Disabled Poets Prize gave me the chance to connect with other chronically ill poets and hear stories similar to mine. For me, poetry is protest. It is a chance to be heard in a society that deems ‘vulnerable’ people as not worth listening to. I am so thankful to the judges and organisers for their work, for their advocacy and for shining a light in increasingly dark times. That light will only get brighter with further opportunities such as this.
Rebecca Ferrier, Second Place, Best Unpublished Pamphlet
The second placed unpublished pamphlet is A Diet of Leeches by Rebecca Ferrier, awarded £250, and third placed is Remapping by Justine, awarded £100. The highly commended unpublished pamphlets are: type one by Shloka Ramachandran, Twelve Steps Behind by Noemi Gunea and Wander by Katie Simpson, each awarded £50. They will also receive development opportunities from Spread the Word, CRIPtic Arts and The Literary Consultancy.
This news comes at one of the most challenging times in my life and writing career and gives me hope for the future. My own experiences over the last few years suggest how vital this competition is.
Justina Hart, Third Place, Best Unpublished Pamphlet
The other longlisted pamphlets were Keeping Mum by One Inky Queer, Nature is Nurture by Fiona Robertson, Her Knitted Cardigan by Ruth Yates, Iamborn by Karis Williamson, and I Am Not Your Mother by Helen Rice
The Reading
In its first year, the Prize was made possible by CRIPtic Arts, Spread the Word, Verve Poetry Press and Festival and individual donations from Jamie Hale and Nathalie Teitler. The 2024 Disabled Poets Prize is supported by ALCS, and is actively seeking donations and conversations with people and organisations who are interested in supporting deaf and disabled poets and would like to contribute to the Prize’s growth.
In its first year, the Prize was made possible by CRIPtic Arts, Spread the Word, Verve Poetry Press and Festival and individual donations from Jamie Hale and Nathalie Teitler. The 2024 Disabled Poets Prize is supported by ALCS, and is actively seeking donations and conversations with people and organisations who are interested in supporting deaf and disabled poets and would like to contribute to the Prize’s growth.