Michael Marks Awards for Poetry Pamphlets

The Michael Marks Awards for Poetry Pamphlets are annual awards for pamphlets published in the UK. The awards aim to promote the pamphlet form and to enable poets and publishers to develop and continue creating. Since their inception, they have grown to include three annual awards, for "Poetry Pamphlet", "Publisher" and "Illustration", carrying prizes of up to £5,000, and awarding places on "The Michael Marks Poets in Residence Program" in Greece. Additional awards have included the "Poetry Pamphlet in a Celtic Language" and, as of 2022, the Environmental Poet of the Year prize.

The awards were founded in 2009 by the Michael Marks Charitable Trust, in a collaboration with the British Library that continues to this day. They are funded entirely by the Michael Marks Charitable Trust, and are enabled through partnerships between the British Library, the Wordsworth Trust, The TLS and the Harvard Center for Hellenic Studies, and in association with the National Library of Wales and the National Library of Scotland. As of 2012, the awards have been administered by Wordsworth Trust. The Michael Marks Charitable Trust was established in 1966 by the late Lord Marks, 2nd Baron of Broughton.[1] Both awards carry a prize of £5,000.[2]

The Nobel laureate Seamus Heaney praised the prize's establishment:

These inspired awards recognise that the pamphlet has a fundamental importance in literary culture far exceeding anything suggested by the dictionary – "a brief publication, generally having a paper cover". For many of the best poets now writing it was not only their first means of distribution but the first ratification of their gift."[3]

Winners and nominees

The award recognises an outstanding work of poetry published in pamphlet form – defined by the Awards as containing no more than 36 pages – in the UK.[4]

The following is a list of shortlisted pamphlets. Winners are listed in yellow, first in their year.

Year Author Title Publisher Ref(s) Judges
2009 Elizabeth Burns The Shortest Days Galdragon Press [2]
Polly Atkin Bone Song Aussteiger Publications
Siobhán Campbell That Water Speaks in Tongues Templar Poetry
Sarah Jackson Milk Pighog Press
Kate Potts Whichever music Tall Lighthouse
seekers of lice quot self-published
2010 Selima Hill Advice on Wearing Animal Prints Flarestack Poets [5]
Tom Chivers The Terrors Nine Arches Press
David Hart The Titanic Café closes its doors and hits the rocks Nine Arches Press
Hugh McMillan Devorgilla's Bridge Roncadora Press
Richard Moorhead The Reluctant Vegetarian Oystercatcher Press
Nii Ayikwei Parkes ballast: a remix Tall Lighthouse
2011 James McGonigall Cloud Pibroch Mariscat [6]
Neil Addison Apocapulco Salt Publishing
Simon Armitage The Motorway Service Station as a Destination in its Own Right Smith/Doorstop
Sean Burn mo thunder The Knives, Forks and Spoons Press
Olive Broderick Darkhaired Templar Poetry
Ralph Hawkins Happy Whale Fat Smile Oystercatcher Press
2012 Róisín Tierney Dream Endings Rack Press [7]
Paul Bentley Largo Smith/Doorstop
Douglas Dunn Invisible Ink Mariscat Press
Charlotte Gann The Long Woman Pighog Press
Maitreyabandhu The Bond Smith/Doorstop
2013 David Clarke Gaud Flarestack Poets [8]
  • Tanya Kirk
  • Thea Lenarduzzi
  • Judy Brown
Kim Lasky Petrol Cyan Electric Smith/Doorstop
Kim Moore If We Could Speak Like Wolves Smith/Doorstop
Ben Parker The Escape Artists Tall Lighthouse
Neil Rollinson Talking Dead Aussteiger Publications
Chrissy Williams Flying into the Bear HappenStance Press
2014 Laura Scott What I Saw The Rialto (poetry magazine) [9][10]
  • Zaffar Kunial
  • Tanya Kirk
  • Andrew McCulloch
Christine de Luca Dat Trickster Sun Mariscat Press
Mimi Khalvati Earthshine Smith/Doorstop
Ian McMillan Jazz Peas Smith/Doorstop
Richard Moorhead The Word Museum Flarestack Poets
Samantha Wynne-Rhyderrch Lime and Winter Rack Press
2015 Gill McEvoy The First Telling HappenStance Press [11][12]
Alan Jenkins Clutag Five Poems Series No. 2 Clutag Press
Anja Konig Advice for an Only Child flipped eye publishing (flap pamphlet series)
Peter Riley The Ascent of Kinder Scout Longbarrow Press
David Tait Three Dragon Day Smith/Doorstop
2016 Richard Scott Wound The Rialto
Polly Clark A Handbook for the Afterlife. Templar Poetry
Fiona Moore Night Letter HappenStance Press
Camille Ralphs Malkin Emma Press
Lizzi Thistlethwayte Angels and Other Diptera Water Flag Press
2017 Charlotte Wetton I Refuse to Turn into a Hatstand Calder Valley Press.
  • Leaf Arbuthnot
  • Phil Hatfield
  • Ruth Padel
  • Sir Nicholas Penny
Natacha Bryan If I Talked Everything my Eyes Saw. Gatehouse Press Lighthouse.
Alyson Hallett Toots Mariscat Press
Theophilus Kwek The First Five Storms Smith/Doorstop
Phoebe Stuckes Gin & Tonic Smith/Doorstop
2018 Carol Rumens Bezdelki The Emma Press
    Gina Wilson It Was and It Wasn't Mariscat Press
    Rakhshan Rizwan Paisley The Emma Press
    Ian Parks If Possible (Cavafy Poems) Calder Valley Poetry
    Liz Berry The Republic of Motherhood Chatto & Windus
    2019 Rowan Evans The last verses of Beccán Guillemot Press
    Seán Hewitt Lantern Offord Road Books
    Anita Pati Dodo provocateur The Rialto
    Declan Ryan Fighters, losers New Walk Editions
    Morgan Owen moroedd/dŵr Cyhoeddiadau'r Stamp
    2020 Paul Muldoon Binge The Lifeboat [13]
    Gail McConnell Fothermather Ink Sweat and Tears Press
    Jamie McKendrick The years Arc Publications
    Sarah Wimbush Bloodlines Seren
    Alycia Pirmohamed Hinge ignitionpress
    Rhys Iowerth Carthen denau Cyhoeddiadau'r Stamp
    2021 Gboyega Odubanjo Aunty uncle poems The Poetry Business [14]
    Fiona Benson Ariadne Broken Sleep Books
    Holly Singlehurst The sky turned thick as honey The Rialto
    Matthew Hollis Leaves Hazel Press
    Selima Hill Fridge The Rialto
    Hugo Williams Badlands Mariscat Press
    Leontia Flynn Nina Simone is singing Mariscat Press
    2022 Shane McCrae Hex and Other Poems Bad Betty Press [15]
    Naush Sabah Litanies Guillemot Press
    Maya C Popa Dear Life Smith/Doorstop
    Matthew Haigh Vampires Bad Betty Press
    Tomi Adegbayibi Colours & Tea (Human) Muscaliet Press
    John Burnside Apostasy Dare-Gale Press
    • 2016 shortlist announcement.[16] Winner announcement.[17] Wound, by Richard Scott.
    • 2017 shortlist announcement.[18] Winner announcement.[19] I Refuse to Turn into a Hatstand, by Charlotte Wetton.

    Michael Marks Publishers' Award

    The Michael Marks Publishers' Award recognises an outstanding UK publisher of poetry in pamphlet form.

    The following is a list of shortlisted publishers. Winners are listed in yellow, first in their year.

    Year Publisher Ref(s) Judges
    2009 Oystercatcher Press
    HappenStance Press
    Tall Lighthouse
    Templar Poetry
    2010 HappenStance Press
    Oystercatcher Press
    Templar Poetry
    Veer Books
    2011 Crater Press
    Kater Murr's Press
    The Knives, Forks and Spoons Press
    Mariscat Press
    Roncadora Press
    2012 Smith/Doorstop
    Donut Press
    Pighog Press
    Rack Press
    2013 Flarestack Poets
    • Tanya Kirk
    • Thea Lenarduzzi
    • Judy Brown
    Mariscat Press
    Rack Press
    Pighog Press
    Shearsman Books
    2014 Rack Press [9][20]
    • Zaffar Kunial
    • Tanya Kirk
    • Andrew McCulloch
    Emma Press
    flipped eye publishing
    Smith/Doorstop
    Shearsman Books
    2015 Mariscat Press [12][11]
    Eyewear Publishing
    Smith/Doorstop
    The Emma Press

    Award for Poetry in a Celtic Language

    In 2019, the inaugural Michael Marks Award for Poetry in a Celtic Language was awarded to Morgan Owen for his pamphlet moroedd/dŵr, published by Cyhoeddiadau'r Stamp.[21]

    Michael Marks Award for Environmental Poet of the Year

    This was inaugurated 2022-23 and recognises an outstanding UK poetry in pamphlet form about climate change, its effects and what to do about it.[22] There is one award each year. They have been:

    • 2022-23: Linda France for Letters to Katłįà published by The Wordsworth Trust.
    • 2023-24: Jane Burn with A Thousand Miles from the Sea[23]
    • 2024-25: Ben Verinder with How to save a river.[24]

    References

    1. ^ "The Organisations behind the Awards", British Library, 2011. Retrieved 4 June 2011.
    2. ^ a b Alison Flood (25 June 2009). "Poetry pamphlet award goes to Elizabeth Burns". The Guardian. Retrieved 20 September 2012.
    3. ^ "Homepage: Michael Marks Awards for Poetry Pamphlets". Retrieved 29 August 2022.
    4. ^ "The Michael Marks Awards for Poetry Pamphlets 2011". Poetry Book Society. 15 February 2011. Retrieved 20 September 2012.
    5. ^ "The Michael Marks awards for poetry pamphlets shortlist". The Guardian. 13 May 2010. Retrieved 20 September 2012.
    6. ^ "Michael Marks Award Winners". Poetry Book Society. 16 June 2011. Retrieved 20 September 2012.
    7. ^ "Reality and Hyperreality". The Swan Sea Bay. August 2012. Retrieved 6 November 2013.
    8. ^ Mika Ross-Southall (21 November 2013). "The wee malt". TLS. Retrieved 29 May 2014.
    9. ^ a b "2014 Winners". wordsworth.org.uk. Archived from the original on 30 October 2015. Retrieved 5 December 2015.
    10. ^ "2014 Shortlist". wordsworth.org.uk. Archived from the original on 3 May 2015. Retrieved 5 December 2015.
    11. ^ a b "2015 Winners". wordsworth.org.uk. Archived from the original on 30 October 2015. Retrieved 5 December 2015.
    12. ^ a b "2015 Shortlist". wordsworth.org.uk. Retrieved 5 December 2015.
    13. ^ "The 2020 Shortlists".
    14. ^ "The 2021 Shortlists".
    15. ^ "The 2022 Shortlists".
    16. ^ "Countdown to the 2016 Michael Marks Awards for Poetry Pamphlets". British Library. 10 December 2016. Retrieved 28 July 2017.
    17. ^ "Richard Scott and Emma Press win £5000 Michael Marks Awards". Poetry Society. 14 December 2016. Retrieved 28 July 2017.
    18. ^ "Michael Marks Awards for Poetry Pamphlets". British Library. 28 November 2017. Retrieved 2 January 2018.
    19. ^ "The Michael Marks Awards for Poetry Pamphlets 2017". Wordsworth Trust. Retrieved 2 January 2018.
    20. ^ "2015 Publisher Shortlist". wordsworth.org.uk. Archived from the original on 3 May 2015. Retrieved 5 December 2015.
    21. ^ "Gwobr genedlaethol i fardd ifanc o Ferthyr Tudful". BBC Cymru Fyw. 11 December 2019.
    22. ^ "The Michael Marks Awards Archive". Michael Marks Awards. Retrieved 31 January 2025.
    23. ^ "Environmental poet of the year evening with Jane Burn". Wordsworth Grasmere. Retrieved 31 January 2025.
    24. ^ "How to Save a River – Ben Verinder". Wordsworth Grasmere. Retrieved 31 January 2025.
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