The BRIDPORT PRIZE - Short story and poetry competition

Bridport Prize 2006 - Poetry Prizewinner's. Judge : - Lavinia Greenlaw

Judges poetry report

Photographs of the Poetry prize giving

1st Prize Ł5000 Anthony Snider Wilmington, USA. "Panegyric"

A native of North Carolina, Anthony Snider lives in Wilmington, NC, where he works for the NC Coastal Reserve managing research reserves on barrier islands. He completed his MFA in Creative Writing from Vermont College in July 2006. He formerly held a faculty position teaching environmental policy at the University of Minnesota which he left to focus on poetry. He is currently putting the finishing touches on his first book length collection of poems. He spends his spare time kayaking in salt marshes.

2nd Prize Ł1000 Joel Toledo, Quezon City, Philippines. "The Same Old Figurative"

Joel M. Toledo is a faculty member at the English Department of Miriam College in Quezon City, Philippines. He won first prize for the Poetry in English category of the Don Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature in 2005 for his collection, “What Little I Know of Luminosity.” He placed second in the same category in 2004 for the collection, “Literature and Other Poems”. He was the recipient of the Philippines’ 2005 National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) Writer’s Prize for poetry, a grant for the possible publication of his first book of poems. In 2005, he was runner-up in the San Francisco-based Meritage Press Holiday Poetry Prize for the poem, “Save As Draft”. He graduated with a Masters Degree in Creative Writing at the University of the Philippines, where he also took up B.A. English (Creative Writing) and B.A. Communication (Journalism). He plays the drums for the local rock band, Los Chupacabras. He is 34 years old and living in Quezon City, Philippines with his wife April and kids Red and Moira.

3rd Prize Ł500 Jonathan Hadwen, Enoggera, Queensland, Australia. "she took a fall"

Jonathan lives in Brisbane, Australia. Dividing his time between attending art classes, working as a web-developer for a University, and writing, Jon's life is devoted to his family, his girlfriend and their little black dog.
One poem will be published in the 2006 anthology of entries into the Henry Kendall Poetry Award.

Supplementary Prizes (alphabetical order) - Ł50 Each :-

Isabel Ashdown, Chichester, West Sussex. "Milk and Eggs"

Isabel Ashdown lives and writes from the makeshift office of her Victorian home in West Sussex. She grew up in a provincial seaside village on the south coast of England, from which she now draws many of her creations, including her runner-up poem, 'Milk and Eggs'. The Bridport Prize is her first award for poetry. Having spent 15 years working for companies such as Virgin and The Body Shop, Isabel left her job in senior management to pursue her literary ambitions. She is now in the final year of a creative writing degree at Chichester University, which boasts a number of previous Bridport winners amongst its staff. Isabel shares her life with her carpenter husband and two young children.

Helen Carr, Carmarthenshire. "Supermarket Girl"

Born in Swansea 1951. Read English at University of Leeds '69-'72. I was a teacher in Steiner Waldorf Schools for several inspiring years. I now live in Carmarthenshire, where I teach young adults with special needs in a Camphill community. I have written, intermittently, throughout my life. Over the past two years I have committed myself to writing regularly, and to sending my work out into the world to seek its fortune.

Claudia Daventry, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. "Perspective"

Claudia Daventry was born in London and read a lot of English books while she was supposed to be studying French and Spanish. After being at the same distinguished Oxford college as W.H. Auden (though not at the same time) and getting the same undistinguished degree result, it should have been clear that poetry was the way forward. However, she ignored these signs for far too long and worked instead as a copywriter, extra in a kung-fu movie, production-line worker and singer in a Catalan blues band. At the moment she lives in Amsterdam, where she writes, teaches, translates, runs after her children and performs her poetry. Even though her work has appeared in the international lit mag Versal, she is not as good as W. H Auden.

Sarah Davies, Bedford. "First Time Mum"

I was born in New Brighton, Wirral - the greatest 'seaside resort of the future' that never was. From this I gained my love of the British seaside, the sea and fairgrounds. I started writing when I was about 6 - my first poem was recited proudly in front of my grandparents and featured a 'velvet-pawed' tiger who 'tortured a rabbit and killed a hare' - cheery stuff! I was always in love with the power of words. I think it was the potential in poetry for startling imagery that appealed, possibly a result of both parents (and brother) being involved in the visual arts. One of my regrets is that I don't (or can't) draw.

I went on to study English at Edinburgh University, then Communications at London College of Printing and somehow ended up working in Multimedia and Learning design. In my 20s I stopped writing, but started again a few years ago and now it is an important part of my life. I live with my long term partner Roy, and my baby daughter Jenny Miranda who is utterly beautiful and whose arrival has transformed everything. Looking after her though, does mean that at the moment, writing and more importantly editing as much as I'd like is pretty difficult; though my goal in the next year is to hone and submit as much as I can for publication.

At the moment, I live in Bedford -- I'd still like to be near the sea but sadly, am as far away from the coast as I can get in England.

Christopher James, Suffolk. "The Light Age"

Christopher James has won the Ledbury and Bridport Poetry Prizes and in 2002 was a recipient of an Eric Gregory from the Society of Authors. His first collection, the Invention of Butterfly was launched this year and is available from www.raggedraven.co.uk 'James' ability to develop an original idea, character or place is remarkable, and he writes on the sure foundation of a genuine talent (Will Daunt, Envoi 144) New poems have also appeared in Smiths Knoll, Poetry Nottingham and The Rialto.

Cynthia Kitchen, Lancs. "Deflations in Sad Weather

I am married with one son and have been writing and having poetry published since the 1980's.
I am a primary school teacher by profession but am now semi retired and draw my inspiration from Morecambe Bay, Cumbria.
Publications are in a range of magazines and I have been a prize winner and runner up in various competition anthologies including Manchester, Chester, Lancaster, Ver Poets Open Competition and Staple Anthology.
I have been featured on B.B.C Radio Merseyside and my first collection is due from Headland Publications in 2007.

Shaun Levin, London. "Invocation"

Shaun Levin’s collection of short stories, A Year of Two Summers, was published in 2005. A novella, Seven Sweet Things, was published in 2003. His short stories appear in anthologies as diverse as Modern South African Stories, Does the Sun Rise Over Dagenham, Gay Times Book of Short Stories, and The Slow Mirror: New Fiction by Jewish Writers. He has been writer-in-residence in a school, a theatre, a bookshop, and on the island of Tasmania. He is the editor of Chroma: A Queer Literary Journal.

Devon McC Jackson, Sante Fe, New Mexico. "Waxwing Bohemians"

Born in the South (Nashville) and more or less raised in the Southwest (Albuquerque), went to college in the East (Columbia University). I have an MFA in fiction from The New School (class of 1998). I'm a freelance writer. I've written for The New York Times, Smithsonian, Vanity Fair and Outside magazine, among other newspapers and magazines.

John Okrent, New York, USA. "To Friday Evening"

This is my first time sending out my poetry. I was born and raised in Worthington, MA, and then raised some more in New York, NY. Now I live in Brooklyn and work as a caregiver at a daycare center in Manhattan. I am in the process of applying to medical school.

Janet Ward, New York, USA. "99˘ Dream"

Janet Ward has been writing poems since seventh grade, when the Beats swept her off her feet and she saw the light of language for the first time. She went on to study with Ron Koertge, Stephen Ratcliffe, and Chana Bloch. In addition, Frank O'Hara, e.e.cummings, the city of New York, John Donne, jazz, Emily Dickinson, and Samuel Beckett continue to wield their influence over her work.
In 2002, she entered one poem into a competition for the first time. Out of over 6,000 entries, she emerged as one of three winners in that contest and subsequently appeared at an event held at Symphony Space in New York City, where she read her poem and shared the stage with Gerald Stern, Sharon Olds, Paul Muldoon, Sandra Cisneros, and Nikki Giovanni, who personally selected her poem, "change," as the adult winner of the 10th Anniversary Poetry-In-Motion Contest, co-sponsored by the Poetry Society of America and the MTA. From May through October of 2003, "change" appeared on New York City buses and subways, and in August, Ms. Ward was invited to read her poems at Cornelia Street Café in Greenwich Village. She continues to give readings in New York City. Her poem, "nonetogram," appears in the liner notes of the Alan Ferber Nonet jazz album, "Scenes From An Exit Row," released in June 2005 on Fresh Sound Records.
Janet Ward lives and writes in New York City, where she also works as an actress and a secretary.

Bridport Prize Poetry Long List

	Title	Name		Title	Name
1	Legacy, 1946	Lucy Anderson, Northampton, UK	57	The things that matter	Tim Ellis, Harrogate, UK
2	Vanitas: a Double Sonnet on Duplicity	Ellie Madden, Bridport, UK	58	The Poet's Hands	Melanie Steynberg, Australia
3	In Vino Verity	Jane Dickers, Shetland, UK	59	Waking to Dream	Graham Nutbrown, Bristol, UK
4	We get to the end	Linda Rogers, Victoria BC, Canada	60	Hills of Loch Currane	Stuart Ryder, Southampton, UK
5	Free Offer	Catherine Fawcett, Middlesex, UK	61	Liberator	Dennis Stern, USA
6	Building Materials	Michelle Penn, London, UK	62	Pure Energy	John Spencer, London, UK
7	Translation by Bus	John Miller, Reading, UK	63	Bottle Bank	Helen Bannister, Praha, Czech Republic
8	Not Laughing Now	Chris Davies, Herts, UK	64	Apnia	John Leonard, USA
9	For Adults Only	Joan Condon, Bournville, UK	65	"/"	Keith Freeman, York, UK
10	On the way to Tesco's	Muriel Aldt, Bedford, UK	66	After Dinner Dreams	Benjamin Coffer, Herts, UK
11	Marbles	D. K.Angus, Bath, UK	67	Another Vintage Summer	Laurence O'Dwyer, Eire
12	Sea Jellies	Richard Marggraf, Turley	68	Telling George	Tracey Ann Lydon, UK
13	Rain over Parliament Hill	Andrew Miller, Leeds, UK	69	natural hollows	Mary Flanagan, Sweden
14	All Souls' Night	William Palmer, London, UK	70	Is it me?	Alan Smith, France
15	An appreciation of beauty	Linda Snell, Wiltshire, UK	71	Reflection	Harry Newman, New York, USA
16	Big Men	Ann Kelley, St Ives, UK	72	Texts to Heaven	Jenna Weekes, Bournemouth, UK
17	Pumping Iron	Isobel Thrilling, Essex, UK	73	It Was Hove	Donald MacKay, Caithness, UK
18	Danny	Nick Poole, Dorset, UK	74	Too Soon	Jeremy Harman, Toronto, Canada
19	Angel	Michael Newman, Cheltenham, UK	75	Words without sound	Jeremy Harman, Toronto, Canada
20	Clown	Elizabeth Barrett, Sheffield, UK	76	Kitchen lion	Anne Brooke, Surrey, UK
21	Sweet Heart	Mary Woodward, St Albans, UK	77	Veuve Clicquot	Susie Alegre, Warsaw, Poland
22	Ruin	Joel Toledo, Quezon City, The Philippines	78	The Blue Laptop	Susan Keith, LA, USA
23	Softness	Joel Toledo, Quezon City, The Philippines	79	Burnt Toast	Liola Lee, Kent, UK
24	Things I Learned about Bull Kelp	Maureen Harris, Toronto, Canada	80	Paint Brush	Amanda Lynch, Kent, UK
25	Old Persons' Dance	Mollie Russell-Smith, Kent, UK	81	Atlantis	Kevin Summerville, Derbyshire, UK
26	Strawberry Sauce	Sandra Hill, Victoria, Australia	82	Carcass	Jonathan Ayre, Cheshire, UK
27	Nature's Circle	Nigel Malka, Coventry, UK	83	Sestina (from a seaside flat)	Yoshiro Okumura, East Sussex, UK
28	The Man Who Could Hear Hiroshima	Ron Scowcroft, Lancs, UK	84	To Dance	Matt Bright, Oxford, UK
29	Time out of mind	B. Wilson, HMP Dartmoor, UK	85	Neg	Hannah Walker, Norwich, UK
30	A scattering of beetles	C L Harrison, Herts, UK	86	Movable Heart	Sonia Greenfield, Seattle, USA
31	Bicycles	C L Harrison, Herts, UK	87	Windigo	Jacqueline Dennis, Bucks, UK
32	Only Swimmers Beyond This Point	Barry Taylor, Staffs, UK	88	The Washing	Andrew Bratcher, USA
33	Cause	Que Green, London, UK	89	Ems	Susannah Laubscher, Singapore
34	Road Trip	Helena Forsyth, Aberdeenshire, UK	90	Glueing Together a Vase	Christopher Buehiman, USA
35	Word Poker	Lizzie Mole, Brighton, UK	91	Early April (The Company of Birds)	Marjorie Kovacs, Leics, UK
36	Remembering East Anglia June '43	Charles Drummond, Dorset, UK	92	Water Under The Bridge	David Calcutt, West Midlands, UK
37	A Delicacy	Chris Considine, N. Yorks, UK	93	Sappho's Moon	David Calcutt, West Midlands, UK
38	The gorse fields	Michael Henry, Cheltenham, UK	94	Cuckoo	Claudia Daventry, Amsterdam
39	Tongue and groove	Astrid van Baalen, Amsterdam	95	Carmine Red (Bomb in the London Underground)	Jenny Wren, Berks, UK
40	to: merlininmaze@virgin.net	Heather Park, London, UK	96	Cricketing Ants	Heinrich Beindorf, Germany
41	Falling	J D Taylor, York, UK	97	Listening at the Mouth of the Flower	David Gregory, New Zealand
42	Toby	M Parry, Warwickshire, UK	98	Early Friday Night	Don Morrison, New Zealand
43	Place of Safety	Joy Howard, West Yorks, UK	99	Contortionists in love	Vanessa Cross, Bradford, UK
44	Green Fruit	P Jordan, East Sussex, UK	100	Cleavage	Rumjhum Biswas, India
45	The Suit	Julian Stannard, Winchester, UK	101	Green Jell-O	Angela Locke, Cumbria, UK
46	The Cheese Room	Judy Brown, London, UK	102	He had them removed	Jonathan Hadwen, Australia
47	The Holiday	Naomi Foyle, Brighton, UK	103	Mrs Wildebeest	Jane Kelman, Yeovil, UK
48	Rain	Emily Dening, Cambridge, UK	104	Pear on the Frontline	Sarah, London, UK
49	Blizzards	Jerm Curtin, Spain	105	Missing Pieces	Christina Westhead, Derbyshire, UK
50	For Julius Freytag	James Womack, Cambridge, UK	106	Erica Blue Sky	Diane Conmy, USA
51	Keep Your Eye Out H!	S J White, Wiltshire, UK	107	Playing with the dead	Mark Chamberlain, Surrey, UK
52	Portobello Road	D Lascaris, London, UK	108	Allegro Appassionato	Benjamin Morris, Cambridge, UK
53	The Dog	Howard Wright, Northern Ireland	109	Cars Pass	Alesha Racine, Cambridge, UK
54	Postmod:	Patience Agbabi	110	Winchester Bypass	John Kay, Bournemouth, UK
55	To a Bay mare	Louise Stothard, Liverpool, UK, UK	111	Moths and Cocktails	Stephen Duncan, London, UK
56	Autumn's Golden Apples	Richard Maslen, Suffolk, UK

The Bridport Prize 2006 Anthology offers the reader a taste of the best of new writing: the winners of one of the toughest open writing competitions in the English language. The 26 poems and short stories were chosen by Lavinia Greenlaw and Jane Gardam from thousands of submissions.

The 157 page Anthology also has details of the winners and the judges reports.

Cost Ł12 UK, Ł14.50 overseas includes post and packing.