This week in our poetry news round up we look at the death of the pioneering spoken word artist Black Ice and the newly announced poetry longlist for the 2026 Nigeria Prize for Literature.
Spoken Word Pioneer Black Ice Dies Aged 54
[caption id="attachment_20768" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] Photo by Frank Micelotta/Getty Images[/caption]
Black Ice, the Philadelphia poet who did as much as anyone to carry spoken word ...
This week in our poetry news round up we look at the newly announced shortlists for the 2026 Forward Prizes for Poetry and the death of the poet and art critic Edward Lucie-Smith.
2026 Forward Prize Shortlists Announced
The shortlists for the 2026 Forward Prizes for Poetry were announced on Thursday July 16th, narrowing the field to twenty poets across the four categories. Founded in 1992 by William Sieghart, the Forward Prizes ...
This week in our poetry news round up we take a look at the Ledbury Poetry Festival, which is currently in full swing, and the posthumous collection of last poems from the Pulitzer Prize winner Franz Wright.
Ledbury Poetry Festival Underway
The Ledbury Poetry Festival, one of the largest and longest-running celebrations of poetry in the UK, is currently taking place in the Herefordshire ...
This week in our poetry news round up we look at the newly announced longlists for the 2026 Forward Prizes for Poetry and some of the names making the cut.
Forward Prizes for Poetry Reveal 2026 Longlists
The longlists for the 2026 Forward Prizes for Poetry were announced on Monday June 22nd. Founded back in 1992 by William Sieghart, the Forward Prizes have grown ...
This week in our poetry news round up we widen our gaze a little to the broader literary world, as both halves of one of the most significant book prizes for women writers were handed out: the 2026 Women's Prize for Fiction and the Women's Prize for Non-Fiction.
Virginia Evans Wins the 2026 Women's Prize ...
This week in our poetry news round up we look at the death of the celebrated author and poet Jane Yolen, and a major restructuring of the Griffin Poetry Prize that brings back its Canadian award.
Author and Poet Jane Yolen Passes Away Aged 87
Jane Yolen, the prolific American writer who was as comfortable in poetry as she was in children's books, fantasy ...
This week's poetry news round up takes a look at the winners of the Frank O’Hara Prize and the Griffin Poetry Prize. We also look at Milk Wood Memoir.
Winner of 2026 Frank O’Hara Prize Announced
The poet Maia Campbell, who publishes using the name M. Campbell has been announced as the 2026 Frank O'Hara Prize winner. The ...
Today, we look at Belarus' best poetry, the rare footage from the Lorca documentary and celebrate a poet and activist's life.
Best Belarussian Poetry Book Award Ceremony Takes Place in Warsaw
The Natallia Arsennieva Prize, which is awarded for the best Belarusian-language poetry book, held its award ceremony on 27th May in Warsaw.
The goal of the ...
This week’s poetry news round up takes a look at the current US Poet Laureate, the 90th birthday of Olzhas Suleimenov and the 2025 winner of the Luschei Prize in African Poetry.
Arthur Sze Takes on the Art of Translated Poetry
The current US poet laureate, Arthur Sze, took a rather unconventional path to the role. Born to Chinese immigrant parents in 1950, the ...
