This week, we at My Poetic Side take a look at the acquisition of Wordsworth’s Final home, and the shortlists for the Moth and Thomas Prizes.
Wordsworth’s Final Home in the Lake District Acquired by Trust
The Wordsworth Trust has acquired Rydal mount, the final home of William Wordworth, the world-renowned romantic poet. The historic property was purchased with the help of the Charlotte Aitken Trust and the Julia Rausing Trust. Wordsworth lived in Rydal Mount, which is located on the outskirts of Ambleside, Cumbria, from 1813 until he died in 1850.
Rydal Mount was put up for sale roughly 12 months ago, when descendants of the poet realised that rising costs were making its continued public operation unsustainable. The house and its associated gardens had been owned by the Wordsworth family for the last 57 years.
The Wordsworth Trust is now hoping to expand its community and educational programmes through the new site but for the immediate future the property and its grounds will be closed to the public whilst maintenance work is carried out.
The Trust also manages Dove Cottage, the first home that the poet had in the Lake District. They have done so for more that 130 years. Dove Cottage is home to an internationally significant archive that includes Dorothy Wordsworth’s Rydal and Grasmere journals as well as the vast majority of the poets verse drafts.
Dylan Thomas Prize Shortlist Announced
The Dylan Thomas Prize, which is aimed at writers aged 39 or under, the age at which Thomas died, and awards £20,000 has published its 2026 shortlist.
There are six writers on the shortlist, including Seán Hewittand Derek Owusu. Entries can be fiction in any form, including poetry, drama, short stories and novels. This year’sshortlist offers four novels and two collections of poetry.
Hewitt, a British-Irish poet, was nominated for the award in 2025 with Rapture’s Road, a poetry collection, this years shortlisted work is a debut novel Open Heaven which offers a portrait of gay first love. Owusu was a prize nominee in 2023 and has been shortlisted for Borderline Fiction which looks at the story of a young black man navigating relationships and mental health difficulties.
The poetry collections on the shortlist are both from debut writers. Joy is My Middle Name was written by Sasha Debevec-McKenney. It looks at race, sex pop culture and addiction. Under the Blue from poet Suzannah V Evans is about lived realities of care.
The winning work will be announced at a ceremony in Swansea, the birthplace of Thomas on 14th May.
2026 Moth Poetry Prize Shortlist Published
The Moth Poetry Prize, one of the most prestigious unpublished poem prizes has a prize pot of €10,000 and is judged anonymously. The judges have to select a shortlist of just four from all of the entries with a further eight poems being selected for commendation.
The winner of the prize, which will be announced as part of a live event that will take place on The Moth’s Instagram page on 15th April, will receive €6,000, the runners up will each receive €1,000 and the commended poets €250 each.
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