Poets, academics, artists, editors, readers and lovers of poetry gathered on Tuesday evening at the British Library, to launch the Roehampton Poetry Centre. Led by professors David Harsent and Fiona Sampson, and based around the international English language quarterly POEM, the new poetry centre aims to offer courses, readings and prizes. Two prizes are launching next year. The Ruskin prize will be an open competition awarded to the best single poem, while the Roehampton prize will be awarded to the best poetry book of the year written by a poet living and working in the UK.

The Roehampton Poetry Centre has been created by Fiona Sampson,  who joined Roehampton University’s department of English and creative writing as professor of poetry earlier this year. She has published more than 20 books of poetry, criticism and philosophy of language in over 30 languages, and has received numerous awards, as well as being shortlisted twice for both the TS Eliot and Forward prizes. From 2005-2012, she was the first woman to edit the Poetry Review since Muriel Spark’s tenure in 1947-49. She is the current editor of POEM.

David Harsent,  who joined the university as professor of creative writing in September this year, will be the centre’s chair. He has also received many awards, has been shortlisted three times for both the Forward and TS Eliot prizes, and won the Forward prize in 2005 with his collection, Legion.  

Dr Laura Peters, head of the department of English and creative writing at the University of Roehampton, said: “We are all excited by the prospect of the Roehampton Poetry Centre. We will be offering students unrivalled access to what we hope will become the centre of the poetry community in the UK. It’s an exceptional opportunity.”

A Roehampton Reading Series will be launched with a reading by Sean O’Brien and Robin Robertson at the Chancellor’s Hall, Senate House, London WC1 on 11 February 2014.

Picture shows, from left:  Laura Peters, David Harsent, Fiona Sampson, and Paul O'Prey, Roehampton University’s vice-chancellor