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The Forward Prizes have established themselves as central to the literary landscape of modern Britain. Andrew Marr
This is poetry for our times.
This 30th anniversary volume of the Forward Book brings together the best new poetry from the last year. The judges of the 2022 Forward Prizes – chaired by novelist and activist Fatima Bhutto, alongside poets Rishi Dastidar, alice hiller, Nadine Aisha Jassat and Stephen Sexton – considered hundreds of recent poetry collections, plus new poems nominated by magazines, journals and competitions, before arriving at their choices.
The Forward Prizes are the most influential awards for new poetry published in the UK and Ireland, and this selection combines fresh voices with familiar names, making this collection essential reading for seasoned poetry enthusiasts and those just discovering poetry for the first time.
The most coveted awards in British poetry. The Daily Telegraph.
The works in contention for the three categories – Best Collection, Best First Collection and Best Single Poem – address the world head-on. The Guardian.
The Forward Prize for Best Collection
Kaveh Akbar • Anthony Joseph • Shane McCrae • Kim Moore • Helen Mort
The Felix Dennis Prize for Best First Collection
Mohammed El-Kurd • Holly Hopkins • Padraig Regan • Warsan Shire
The Forward Prize for Best Single Poem
Louisa Campbell • Cecilia Knapp • Nick Laird • Carl Phillips • Clare Pollard
Highly Commended Poems
Qudsia Akhtar • Will Alexander • Claire Askew • Polly Atkin • Sheri Benning • Fiona Benson • Emily Berry • Clíodhna Bhreathnach • Sam Buchan-Watts • Victoria Adukwei Bulley • Joe Carrick-Varty • Anne Carson • Maya Caspari • Anna Cheung • Rohan Chhetri • Alex Dimitrov • Mark Fiddes • Jay Gao • Louise Gluck • Roz Goddard • Hannah Hodgson • Sarah James • Carolyn Jess Cooke • Lisa Kelly • Zaffir Kunial • Mukahang Limbu • Fran Lock • Amelia Loulli • Lila Matsumoto • Lucy Mercer • Jake Morris-Campbell • Briancia Mullings • Molly Naylor • Eiléan Ní Chuilleanáin • Eugene Ostashevsky • Stuti Pachisia • Mark Pajak • Anita Pati • Ayesha Raees • Denise Riley • Denise Saul • Peter Scalpello • Elisabeth Sennitt Clough • Greta Stoddart • Anastasia Taylor-Lind •Olly Todd • Jessica Traynor • Ocean Vuong • Julia Webb • Gerard Woodward
The Forward Book of Poetry 2023 brings together the best poetry from 2022, including great work shortlisted and Highly Commended in the 2022 Forward Prizes.
In showcasing the range and ambition of today’s fresh voices alongside work by familiar names, this anthology is both a perfect introduction to contemporary poetry and invaluable for the seasoned poetry reader.