We're delighted to see lots of PBS poets on the 2017 Forward Prize shortlists, including Ocean Vuong's Night Sky With Exit Wounds, Sinead Morrissey's On Balance and Stranger, Baby by Emily Berry! Members can order copies with their 25% PBS discount by following the links below. Here is the full shortlist:
The Forward Prize for Best Collection (£10,000)
Nuar Alsadir – Fourth Person Singular (Pavilion Poetry)
Tara Bergin – The Tragic Death of Eleanor Marx (Carcanet)
Emily Berry – Stranger, Baby (Faber & Faber)
Michael Longley – Angel Hill (Cape Poetry)
Sinead Morrissey – On Balance (Carcanet)
The Felix Dennis Prize for Best First Collection (£5,000)
Maria Apichella – Psalmody (Eyewear Publishing)
Richard Georges – Make Us All Islands (Shearsman Books)
Eric Langley – Raking Light (Carcanet)
Nick Makoha – Kingdom Gravity (Peepal Tree Press)
Ocean Vuong – Night Sky with Exit Wounds (Cape Poetry)
The Forward Prize for Best Single Poem (£1,000)
Malika Booker – Nine Nights (Poetry Review)
Mary Jean Chan – // (Ambit)
Harmony Holiday – The City Admits no Wrongdoing (Prac Crit)
Ishion Hutchinson – Nightfall, Jane Ash Centre, St. Thomas (The Well Review)
Ian Patterson – The Plenty of Nothing (PN Review)
The Forward Prizes for Poetry are among the most coveted awards for poetry published in Britain and Ireland: they have played an key role in bringing contemporary poetry to the attention of the wider public for quarter of a century. They were set up in 1991 by philanthropist William Sieghart to celebrate excellence in poetry and increase its audience, and are awarded to published poets for work in print in the last year.
The three prizes – £10,000 for Best Collection, £5,000 for Best First Collection and £1,000 for Best Single Poem – are unique in honouring both the work of established poets and the debuts of brilliant unknowns.This year’s judging panel is chaired by Andrew Marr, journalist and television presenter, and includes poets Ian Duhig, Sandeep Parmar and Mona Arshi, and artist Chris Riddell. The 26th annual Forward Prizes will be awarded on 21 September 2017 at the Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre.