Today on My Poetic Side we bring you the lost poems of Nan Shepherd which will be published for the first time, the winner of this years Veronika Prize and the shortlist for the Laurel Prize.

Lost Poems to be Published for The First Time

Following the discovery of a series of lost poems by Nan Shepherd, the acclaimed Scots poet and writer, inside the dust jacket of one of her most famous books, the decision has been made to publish them.

The poems, which were handwritten, are signed and have been verified as authentic by the Nan Shepherd Estate. They were found in a copy of The Living Mountain, the poet’s memoir of the Cairngorms. They have been donated to the Edinburgh institution.

They will be published in Gutter magazine, a publication that is dedicated to new Scottish writing. The poems, 5 in total, all have land as the theme and they will be published late next month.

The editors of the magazine are delighted to be given the opportunity to publish previously unknown poems by such a literary giant from Scotland.

The poems were found almost 40 years after the death of Shepherd who died in 1981.

Nan Shepherd was born in 1893 in East Peterculter. She was a hill walking enthusiast, and the landscape was a huge influence on her work.

As well as poetry she also wrote novels and worked as a lecturer in English for over 40 years.

In 2016, together with the scientist Mary Somerville, she was one of the first women to be depicted on a Scottish banknote.

2020 Veronika Prize

The poet Borut Gombač has been awarded the Veronika Prize in the category of Best Poetry Collection. Iztok Geister Plamen was awarded the Golden Coin of Poetry, which is given for lifetime achievements in the field. Both awards were announced during a ceremony which took place at the Narodni Dom yesterday in the city of Celje where the prize has been awarded since 1997.

Inaugural Laurel Prize Shortlist Revealed

The Laurel prize is an Eco poetry award that is to be funded by Simon Armitage, the poet laureate. The shortlist for this inaugural year includes Colin Simms, Karen McCarthy Woolf and Pascale Petit.

The award is run in collaboration with the Poetry School and will be given annually for the best collection of nature or environmental poetry that has been published.

Simms’ book, Hen Harrier, is the poets third book of poetry specifically devoted to a single species. Mama Amazonica by Petit was the winner of the 2018 RSL Ondaatje prize and Seasonal Disturbances by McCarthy Woolf is an exploration of the city, nature and self.

The winning poet will receive £5000, with a prize of £2000 going to the second-placed work. The third place will be awarded £1000. A commission for the three writers is to be funded by the UK’s Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

The winners will be announced, and prizes awarded either the last week in September or the first week in October depending on the situation with the pandemic.