The Disabled Poets Prize team is delighted to announce the shortlists for the inaugural Disabled Poets Prize.
The Disabled Poets Prize 2023 was founded by Jamie Hale, with CRIPtic Arts, Spread the Word, and Verve Poetry Press and Festival. The Prize is supported by private donations from Jamie Hale and Nathalie Teitler. The Prize aims to nurture, encourage, and celebrate the talents and successes of deaf and disabled poets.
Barriers to entry to the arts for deaf and disabled people are high, with often inaccessible live spaces and expensive entry prizes. The prize, which is free to enter, and open to deaf and disabled UK writers, saw nearly 200 entries across two categories – Best Single Poem and Best Unpublished Pamphlet.
Prizes include a number of cash prizes, a writers’ surgery with The Literary Consultancy, a place on an online Arvon Foundation masterclass and membership of The Literary Consultancy’s Being A Writer community platform. The winner of the best unpublished pamphlet will be published by Verve Poetry Press. The final results will be announced at a special event as part of Deptford Literature Festival on Saturday 18 March, in-person and livestreamed.
Judges Peter Raynard, Romalyn Ante and Jamie Hale praised the high standard of entries. For further thoughts on the entries, see the Judge’s Notes from Founder & Judge, Jamie Hale.
Best Single Poem for the Disabled Poets Prize 2023
Judged by Romalyn Ante and Jamie Hale
Shortlist
- Jennifer Brough – Metaphors
- Lea Elm – Paper Houses
- Jamie Field – How to Sign a Playground
- Moira Garland – After listening to Evelyn Glennie’s TED talk: How to Truly Listen
- Katherine Goda – A is for Anger
- Ruth Yates – School on Saturday
Longlist
- Colin Dardis – A Dream of Bogwood
- Elizabeth Gibson – The Other Planet
- Naoise Gale – Fable
- Paula Knight – In Real Life
- Imogen McHugh – The Strange Creatures
- Kathryn O’Driscoll – A Brief Period of Instability
Best Pamphlet for the Disabled Poets Prize 2023
Judged by Peter Raynard and Jamie Hale
Shortlist
- Rebecca Ferrier – A Diet of Leeches
- Noemi Gunea – Twelve Steps Behind
- Justina Hart – Remapping
- Katherine Moss – The Still Point
- Shloka Ramachandran –
- Katie Simpson – Wander
Longlist
- One Inky Queer – Keeping Mum
- Fiona Robertson – Nature is Nurture
- Karis Williamson – Iamborn
- Ruth Yates – Her Knitted Cardigan
Congratulations to all shortlisted and longlisted poets, and thank you to all those who entered. The judges enjoyed reading all your work.
To find out more about the longlisted and shortlisted writers, their writer bios can be found here.
We hope you will be able to join us on Saturday 18 March at a special in-person and livestreamed event announcing the Award results, featuring many of the talented shortlisted poets. The event will be part of Deptford Literature Festival and free tickets will be available to book in February.