University of Manchester Creative Writing student has topped the annual Poetry Book Society’s National Student Poetry Competition
Annie Muir’s poem ‘Seven Postcards’ was judged by Daljit Nagra, whose poem Ramayana was shortlisted for last year’s T S Eliot Prize.
The winners will read their work at a prize giving ceremony at the Anthony Burgess Foundation at 6pm on the evening of Tuesday 18 March, alongside Daljit Nagra.
Adding to the success, recently graduated MA student Uche Okwonkwo from last has won the £1000 Etisalat Prize for Literature for Flash Fiction for her story ‘Neverland’.
Leo Mercer from Oxford University, who was previously an undergraduate creative writing student at Manchester, took second place with ‘Letter from William to Dorothy Wordsworth’, and third place went to Jade Cuttle for her poem ‘The Binomial Test’. There were eight highly commended poets.
John Mcauliffe, Director for the Centre of New Writing where they are based said: “We are delighted that Annie won this competition: our undergraduate students work to a really high standard and it is terrific to see their work recognised in this way.”
Here is an opening extract from Annie’s winning poem
The headrest on the plane said ‘ have a nice time here you are nearly there
Here there are buses called FINNAIR, and the Metro looks like a cave, with
Chalk like Mooses on the walls. We’ve seen singing policemen perform, and
found a message scribbled on the redbricks of an empty factory. I was her in
1967. I’m feeling sea-sick- see you soon.
You can read the full version and the other poems on the Poetry Website
