The Poetry Society

An introduction to our guest editior: Julia Rampen

In the summer of 2005, the Poetry Society phoned. At that point I knew very little about poetry at all. Six months earlier, my English teacher had submitted poems I had written in class workshops and now it turned out that I was to be a Foyle Young Poet 2005. I felt a bit of a sham. I did not read poetry, only that in the Standard Grade curriculum. Iambic pentameter sounded like a difficult topic in maths. But then I went to the opening in London and discovered for the first time people my age who did indeed know these things, but more importantly loved writing as much as I did.

Now I think of the Foyle Young Poets Award as opening a door to a corridor of my life I'd never explored before. The poetry network is not spangled with celebrities. But the work it throws up is often all the more challenging and interesting by virtue of not being mainstream. I came back from the Arvon course knowing I needed to start reading, and it was hard. But poetry fits surprisingly well into a busy life. I read it on the bus, in my work breaks, when I'm waiting for friends. Recently I've enjoyed discovering the wintry writings of Tomas Tranströmer, the poet Craig Raine and am also tackling Pablo Neruda.

As well as reading, of course, Foyle Young Poets has been a great incentive to write. If you are a poet under the age of 18 there are some amazing competitions, with FYP and Tower Poetry heading the list. I've been lucky enough to go on three courses – including a Tower one in Oxford – and have seen my poetry pulled apart by everyone from George Szirtes to the editor of Poetry Review, Fiona Sampson. Their red lines have undoubtedly had a big impact on my work, as has simply being in the company of very talented other young poets.

Living in Scotland, I find that the hardest thing is staying connected. However, the Scottish Poetry Library is nestled in the centre of Edinburgh and I aspire to get a group together to perform in the Edinburgh Fringe if not this year, then next. From January to June I will be in India, and intend to keep a poetry diary of my travels. I also plan to submit regularly to magazines. Having been relatively ignorant about it for so many years, I want to write poetry that converts people into readers.

A good example of the way Foyle Young Poets can give birth to unexpected projects is Pomegranate Poetry. This online magazine was started recently by a group of previous winners, who decided that. despite "a near-slavish admiration for the Poetry Society", it was time for young poets to get behind the editorial desk. Issue two has picked up some big names including Luke Kennard, the youngest nominee for the Forward Prize in its history.

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