Always an evening we look forward to, because it highlights the winners of our Open Competition and presents us with a variety of new poems and poets to enjoy, this year’s Judge, Richard Skinner, will be announcing the winners and we will hear the winning poems. Richard will also read his adjudication report, to help us all to gain insights into the criteria on which his decisions were made.
The second half of the evening will focus on Richard’s own reading from his poetry.
Richard Skinner is a writer working across fiction, life writing, essays, non-fiction and poetry. He has published three novels with Faber & Faber, four books of non-fiction and four books of poetry. His work has been nominated for prizes and is published in eight languages. As well as appearing regularly on the UK literary festival circuit, Richard has also delivered key note speeches and workshops at festivals and conferences in Brazil, Turkey, Greece, Spain, France, Germany and Ireland.
Richard’s poetry first appeared in the Faber anthology First Pressings (1998) and since then he has been published widely in print and online. He has published four books of poetry with Smokestack. His most recent book of poems is ‘Invisible Sun’ (‘Breathtaking.’ Roy Marshall). His next book, Dream Into Play, is forthcoming.
Richard is a longstanding member of the music collective Pablo’s Eye, for whom he supplies texts and titles. His collaboration with Pablo’s Eye began with all she wants grows blue (1998) and has continued with their most recent releases: southlite (2017), Tentative d’épuisement d’un lieu parisien (2020) & A Mountain Is an Idea (2022).
In 2011, Richard started Vanguard Readings, a monthly live platform for new writers and established authors that to date has hosted more than 80 events. #VanguardOnTour started in 2016 and has so far made stops at Grasmere, Birmingham, Hay-on-Wye, Margate, Norwich, Leeds, Ludlow, Manchester, Salisbury, Brighton, Harlow & Frome.
In 2014, he founded Vanguard Editions, a not-for-profit press that receives no funding or financial support of any kind. So far, Richard has edited and published three poetry anthologies and eight original single-authored books of poetry, essays, stories, translations and art-writing. Richard is also the current editor of the annual poetry magazine 14. Vanguard Editions has an ACE-funded Social Action imprint that publishes books to support and promote marginal voices.
Richard is Director of the Fiction Programme at Faber Academy, for whom he teaches a variety of fiction and Life Writing courses.
We are in store for a cornucopia of poetry. Join us on April 19th. at 8.00 pm.
The Kent & Sussex Poetry Society 