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The Poetry Society announces its new panel of Vice Presidents.

The Poetry Society is delighted to announce its impressive panel of 12 new Vice Presidents. For the next three years Simon Armitage, Gwyneth Lewis, Michael Longley, Roger McGough, Ian McMillan, Adrian Mitchell, Sean O'Brien, Don Paterson, Anne Stevenson, Hugo Williams and Benjamin Zephaniah will play prominent roles in affirming the Poetry Society's place as the country's flagship poetry organisation as it moves towards its centenary in 2009. 

Simon Armitage is one of the leading poets of his generation. He has published nine volumes of poetry including Killing Time (1999) and Selected Poems (2001). His most recent collections are The Universal Home Doctor and Travelling Songs (2002). He has received numerous awards for his poetry including the Sunday Times Author of the Year, the Forward Prize and a Lannan Award.

Gwyneth Lewis was appointed Wales's first National Poet in 2005. Her first collection, Parables and Faxes (1995), was shortlisted for the Forward Prize (Best First Collection) and won the Aldeburgh Poetry Festival Prize. She won an Eric Gregory Award in 1988. Zero Gravity (1998) was shortlisted for the Forward Poetry Prize (Best Poetry Collection of the Year) and was a Poetry Book Society Recommendation. Y Llofrudd Iaith (2000) won the Arts Council of Wales Book of the Year Award. Her latest book of poetry is Keeping Mum (2003).

Michael Longley's collections of poetry include, No Continuing City: Poems 1963-1968 (1969), Poems 1963-1983 (1985), The Echo Gate: Poems 1975-1979 (1979) and Gorse Fires (1991), winner of the Whitbread Poetry Award. His most recent collection, The Weather in Japan (2000), won the Hawthornden Prize, the T. S. Eliot Prize and the Belfast Arts Award for Literature.  

Roger McGough has twice won the Signal Poetry Award: first in 1984 with Sky in the Pie, then again in 1999 for Bad, Bad Cats. His most recent book of poetry is Everyday Eclipses (2002). His Collected Poems was published in 2003, and his live poetry album, Lively, is now out on CD. He has written for and presented programmes on BBC Radio including 'Poetry Please' and 'Home Truths' and was awarded an OBE in 1997.               

Ian McMillan's poetry collections include Dad, the Donkey's on Fire (1994), I Found This Shirt: Poems and Prose from the Centre (1998) and Perfect Catch (2000). His poetry for children includes Elephant Dreams (1998) and most recently The Invisible Villain (2002). He presents BBC Radio 3's lively language and literature programme The Verb, and is currently the East Midlands Three Cities Poet Laureate.

Adrian Mitchell has published 13 collections including Blue Coffee (1996), Heart on the Left (collected poems 1953-85) (1997), All Shook Up (2001) and The Shadow Knows – poems 2000-2004 (2004). He has won an Eric Gregory Award and a PEN Translation Prize and his poem 'Human Beings' was recently voted Poem for Space on National Poetry Day.

Sean O'Brien's poetry collections include The Indoor Park (1983), winner of a Somerset Maugham Award, The Frighteners (1987), HMS Glasshouse (1991), and Ghost Train (1995), which won the Forward Poetry Prize (Best Poetry Collection of the Year), as did Downriver (2001), making him the first poet to have won this prize twice. Cousin Coat: Selected Poems 1976-2001 was published in 2002.

Don Paterson's first collection of poetry, Nil Nil (1993), won the Forward Poetry Prize for Best First Collection. God's Gift to Women (1997) won the T. S. Eliot Prize and the Geoffrey Faber Memorial Prize. His latest collection of poems, Landing Light (2003), won both the 2003 T. S. Eliot Prize and the 2003 Whitbread Poetry Award. 

Anne Stevenson's collections of poetry include A Report from the Border, Granny Scarecrow (2000) and her most recent book, Poems 1955-2005 (Bloodaxe 2005), is a selection drawing on thirteen earlier collections. Recognition of her writing includes the Northern Rock Foundation Writer's Award in 2002.

Hugo Williams poetry has won an Eric Gregory Award and a Cholmondeley Award. Some Sweet Day won the Geoffrey Faber Memorial Prize (1975) and Billy's Rain was awarded the T. S. Eliot prize (1999). His Collected Poems (2002) brings together work from eight books.

Benjamin Zephaniah's second collection of poetry, The Dread Affair: Collected Poems (1985) contained a number of poems attacking the British legal system. Rasta Time in Palestine (1990), an account of a visit to the Palestinian occupied territories, contained poetry and travelogue.Other collections include Pen Rhythm (1980), Talking Turkeys (1994) and Funky Chickens (1996). His most recent books are We Are Britain! (2002), a collection of poems celebrating cultural diversity in Britain, and Chambers Primary Rhyming Dictionary (2004).

Since it began in 1909 the Poetry Society has successfully raised awareness of poetry to a wide constituency through its publications, education work, competitions, events and activities. In more recent years these have included the Poetry Places scheme, National Poetry Day and the Society's award-winning website www.poetrysociety.org.uk

The Poetry Society has members all over Britain and in many other countries. Last year it set up a new "Stanza" initiative to allow its members, poets and poetry-lovers alike to expand the Society's work through local groups or organisations, a new events programme, and a strong historical tradition distinguishes the Poetry Society as a leading UK literature organisation with a dynamic new gallery of Vice Presidents who take their place alongside the Poetry Society's new President, Jo Shapcott.

-ENDS- 

For further information or to interview any of the Vice Presidents please telephone 020 7420 9895 or email marketing@poetrysociety.org.uk

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