The shortlist for the Foreward Poetry Prize has been announced. Here are the six finalists.
Glyn Maxwell, Hide Now
Sharon Olds, One Secret Thing
Don Paterson, Rain
Peter Porter, Better than God
Christopher Reid, A Scattering
Hugo Williams, West End Final
The Guardianreports that all six of the poets named in the shortlist are well-established writers.
All six names shortlisted for this year's £10,000 best collection prize are well-established, with the youngest being Don Paterson, 45, who won the Forward best first collection 16 years ago. This year he is nominated for his yet-to-be-published Rain. A titan of an older generation is also nominated with Peter Porter, 80, a previous winner, shortlisted for his 18th collection Better Than God. The Guardian praised it as "a densely fleshed book by a poet at the height of his powers".
The Forward prize's founder, William Sieghart, said the entries – 109 submissions in the best collection category, 57 for best first collection and 120 for best single poem – highlighted "the rude health of the UK's contemporary poetry scene".
The winner of the £10,000 prize will be announed on October 7th.
