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Recent Blog Updates

Articles, Poems, Tips & Advice from our Staff and Campus Community.

Laurel Prize Winner 2026: ‘Midden Witch’ by Fiona Benson

The Poetry School and UK Poet Laureate Simon Armitage are delighted to announce the winner of The Laurel Prize 2026 is Fiona Benson for her collection Midden Witch (Jonathan Cape). Fiona has been awarded £5,000 and a four-night writing retreat in mid-Wales courtesy of 2026 prize partners Write Within. WHAT THE JUDGES SAY “Fiona Benson’s…

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Sarah Howe – How I Did It

Welcome to our Forward Prizes 2026 ‘How I Did It’ series. This year we asked poets shortlisted for the Jerwood Prize for Best Collection to write about the inspiration behind one of the poems from their book. Here’s Sarah Howe on what inspired her to write the poem ‘A History of my Relationship with my…

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5 Tips for Writing About Death in Poetry

Writing about death in poetry can be extremely challenging, so Sascha Akhtar, who is teaching her course Somebody’s Walking Over My Grave this October, has put together some tips for finding the right words to use in your writing. 1. Feel Emotion is frowned upon in Western culture, both in our workspaces, often within family…

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5 Essential Systems for Working Writers

We can’t all be dreamy and disorganised writers – some of us have to know how to send an invoice. Christy Ku, who is running her course The Business of Poetry this Autumn, is here to provide practical knowledge to support your creative self as a working writer. 1. Create a payments tracker When you…

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Laurel Prize Shortlist 2026: Fiona Benson

Fiona Benson has been shortlisted for this year’s Laurel Prize 2026! Read more about her and her poem ‘Bluebells’ from her collection Midden Witch. Image credit: Jessica Farmer of Perspectives Photography About Fiona Fiona Benson lives in Devon with her husband and their two daughters. Midden Witch is her fourth collection and was preceded by Bright Travellers (Seamus Heaney Prize for…

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