Last Saturday night, as many of us were standing with our hands in our pockets, shivering in the freezing November weather as we ‘oohed’ and ‘aahed’ over small, but still lethal amounts of explosives making pretty patterns in the sky, Write Out Loud poet Rachel McGladdery was taking part in the grand slam final of the first ever Liverpool Lennon International Poetry Competition.

And later that same evening – she was announced to be the first ever winner - not bad going for a girl who only started writing seriously around two years ago!

This is the second slam Rachel has won this year - the first being the Write Out Loud/NXNW back in August. Rachel puts a lot of her success down to sheer good luck, but anyone who has read her work knows that it is sheer talent. She also credits the support and feedback she’s had from Write Out Loud and the friends she’s made here for helping her to keep going when she’s felt a bit defeated.

The theme of the competition was simply – ‘to celebrate the life of the music legend – John Lennon’, and poets from across the world entered in a bid to read at the slam in front of poet laureate - Carol Ann Duffy. Twelve poets battled it out on stage – including three others that you can read more of here on Write Out Loud – very well done to Isobel, Steve Regan and Mab Jones, who came third; second prize went to Tim Stone from Liverpool.

The competition seems set to become an annual event, and we’ll bring you news of that when we have it. In the meantime, if you ‘d like to know more about Rachel McGladdery you will be pleased to know that there will be an article all about her in December’s ezine; and you can read some of her work right now on her profile page at: www.writeoutloud.net/public/poetview.php?profilesid=1277