Michael Marks Awards for Poetry Pamphlets

UK literary award

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

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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] |

* Ian McMillan
* Jackie Kay
* Richard Price

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] |

* Ali Smith
* Jo Shapcott
* Richard Price

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] |

* Lavinia Greenlaw
* Robert Hampson
* Richard Price

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] |

* Alan Jenkins
* Tanya Kirk
* Carola Luther

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 Press
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] |

* Debbie Cox
* Helen Mort
* Rory Waterman

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 Press
2016 | Richard Scott | Wound | The Rialto |  |

* Lavinia Greenlaw
* Robert Hampson
* Richard Price

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] |

* Julia Copus
* André Naffis-Sahely
* Manuela Pellegrino

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] |

* John Glenday
* Stephanie Sy-Quia
* Natasha Bershadsky
* Giulia Carla Rossi

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

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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 |  |

* Ian McMillan
* Jackie Kay
* Richard Price

HappenStance Press
Tall Lighthouse
Templar Poetry
2010 | HappenStance Press |  |

* Ali Smith
* Jo Shapcott
* Richard Price

Oystercatcher Press
Templar Poetry
Veer Books
2011 | Crater Press |  |

* Lavinia Greenlaw
* Richard Hampson
* Richard Price

Kater Murr's Press
The Knives, Forks and Spoons Press
Mariscat Press
Roncadora Press
2012 | Smith/Doorstop |  |

* Alan Jenkins
* Tanya Kirk
* Carola Luther

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 Press
Shearsman Books
2015 | Mariscat Press | [12][11] |

* Debbie Cox
* Helen Mort
* Rory Waterman

Eyewear Publishing
Smith Doorstop
The Emma Press
|  |

## Award for Poetry in a Celtic Language

[edit]

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]

## References

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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.

## External links

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* Michael Marks Awards, official website of the Awards
* Michael Marks Awards, official website at British Library