Feedback: What poets and the press are saying about the Award..

"The Young Poets Society: Meet Britain's rising stars of verse"     

Independent on Sunday, 3rd October 2009                                    

                       

“Right from the beginning, the Poetry Society has been supporting my writing career. In fact, it would be fair to say that, if it weren’t for winning the Foyle Young Poets of the Year Award in 2006, my writing would probably have petered out a few months after it started, and I wouldn’t have had any writing career to speak of. Going on my first Arvon course with Paul Farley, Kate Clanchy, Jean Sprackland, Colin Watts and fellow young poets was an experience like nothing I had ever encountered before, and it is no exaggeration to say that I came back from Arvon a different person, buzzing with the electricity of having made new friends and of having discovered more about myself. From then on, I became more and more involved in the world of poetry: regularly going to events at the Poetry Café and other venues, using my membership card for discounts in bookshops, doing work experience at the Poetry Society, and eventually going on to be commended in the FYP Award in 2007 and win it again in 2008 and 2009. Now, having passed the age limit for the FYP Award, I have taken out my first paid membership to the Poetry Society for the next three years. The journey that started in September 2006 when I got that phonecall that all young poets wait for is far from over. My lifelong gratitude goes to the Poetry Society for helping me to realize my potential at the stage where it really mattered” Adham Smart, Foyle Winner 2006, 2008 & 2009

"Previous winners have repaid their promise, and then some. Richard O'Brien set up Pomegranate, a poetry ezine, to publish the best new work by writers under 30. Caroline Bird (1999 and 2000) was the youngest writer shortlisted for the 2008 Dylan Thomas Prize. Now 22, she co-tutored February's course.If there was a theme among last year's entries, says [Lemn] Sissay], it had to do with "a need to counter the thunderstorm of mass information we receive through every medium". But the 15 winning poets on the course came from all walks of life – from the daughter of a family of gypsies to the son of a London theatre producer" Katy Guest, Independent on Sunday, 7th March 2010.

“What’s so amazing about this award is the large numbers of young writers the competition is able to inspire.  The encouragement of knowing what you’ve done has surfaced, and that you must be on track in some way, is huge.” Jane Draycott, Foyle Judge 2010

“The Foyle Young Poets Awards are important beckoning points for younger writers. They recognise a poet's first adventures into a public space for their poetry.” Prof. David Morley, National Teaching Fellow, Warwick University

                                                                                             

"Poets Corner: Britain's new generation"

Independent on Sunday, 4th October 2010                                                

“More than anything else, winning the Foyle Young Poets of the Year Award has helped fuel my passion for poetry even further while discovering and honing my own voice with the inspiring support of other same-wave-lengthers. Marvellous.” Dom Hale, Foyle Winner 2009 & 2010 (read the full article here)

“I just wanted to let you know how much I enjoyed my Arvon experience, and to thank you for everything you did to organise it. Although I was initially hugely nervous about going, it turned out to be one of the best weeks of my life - there are already plans for the 14 Foylers to meet up again at Easter! I'm determined to raise the profile of the competition in my school, as I think the opportunities it offers are incredible. Thank you again!” Phoebe Walker, Foyle Winner 2009

"Judging the Foyle award this year was pretty much the most rewarding thing I've ever had the pleasure of being part of so far. What I’ve read is a tribute to the talent and vision of the young poets, and also to the teachers who’ve evidently instilled such confidence and passion". Luke Kennard, Foyle Judge 2010

“The Poetry Society understands that creativity is not a mathematical formula, therefore it cannot be taught, it can only be encouraged. What I learned there was impossible to learn in school: getting on stage around London, attending workshops with kids from vastly different backgrounds, being recommended for radio shows and going to the Hurst for an Arvon course with two world-class poets is not something that happens in formal education. Teach all the grammar and arithmetic you like, institutions such as the Poetry Society augment a young person’s passion for learning, and aid the application of this learning to life. The Poetry Society has been a direct and major influence on the choices I’ve made and the career I aspire to: it was the kind recommendation letter from the ex-director that helped my application to university and their much appreciated recognition of my interest in the broader world of literature that has boosted my CV. It was the passion of the education department who ran the workshops I attended that has led to me doing the same for pupils in other schools. I read many of the poems I went on to publish at open-mics in the basement, met many of the people I now call friends in the café and saw some brilliant performances - all before I was twenty. I do not come from a literary background, but I consider the Poetry Society an extended family that tirelessly recommends, promotes and encourages, and has the best interests of the art – and the individual artist - at heart. I’m coming towards the end of my education, but maintain an interest in the changes happening in our school system. I'm aware of the anxiety surrounding drop-outs, "dumbing down" and the uneven quality of the education people from different backgrounds receive. I can say with absolute confidence that the Poetry Society effortlessly attains the thing that eludes most politicians (and many teachers): the ability to instil a sense of purpose in all the young people who encounter it.” Jay Bernard, Foyle Winner 2005 & SLAMbassador Winner (formerly Rise Slam) 2004

“The Foyle Foundation and The Poetry Society have been on an amazing journey over the last 8 years in developing The Foyle Young Poets. During this time the scheme has grown to become a major programme and literary award attracting thousands more applicants as we have pioneered new ways of targeting and reaching young people and schools. The Foundation has been deeply impressed at how The Poetry Society over this period has grown in stature, skills, professionalism and expertise as the scheme has developed and expanded helped by the Poetry Society’s national development role” David Hall, Chief Executive, The Foyle Foundation.

“As well as giving my poetry space to develop, the course also gave me a set of lovely new friends! Poetry is essentially our thoughts and feelings in the truest way we can represent them, and sharing this meant there was a wonderful openness and trust in the group. By the end of the week, I loved everyone and felt as if I had known them all my life. The casual, non-competitive atmosphere made it easy to write honestly without feeling self-conscious, and this was reflected in the work.” Phoebe Power, Foyle Winner 2009

 “Coming back into the real world has been a strange thing after the Arvon course, rather like waking up from a dream: a beautiful dream in which, in the valley of Housman’s “blue remembered hills”, one could sit and write and discuss poetry for hours, and where men wore fezzes with goatee beards; a place where you and your work are made to feel valued and appreciated. One question remains - Can I go again please?” Michael Kalisch, Foyle Winner 2008

“Thank you so much "Foyle Young Poets" For this whole experience. This competition has to be the best I have entered, it is fun, friendly and kid safe. Thank you so much and I am very nervously awaiting the results!”  Foyle Entrant 2010

“It's like I've finally been validated as a person! Ah!” Foyle Commended 2010