Patience Agbabi will be judging an international poetry competition run by Marsden the Poetry Village for poems submitted on the theme of “Together”, with a deadline of 1 June 2019. First prize is £300, second £100 and third-place £50.

Winning entries and those of selected runners-up will appear in a competition anthology, to be published in autumn 2019, subject to funding. This will also contain poems selected from local poetry workshops run for children and young people as part of a project funded by local charities.

Marsden is a village in the West Yorkshire Pennines, and Marsden the Poetry Village is a group of enthusiasts creating poetry initiatives within its community and nearby, including poetry pubs and cafes where customers can read poetry books whilst drinking a beer or coffee, as well as poems posted regularly on posters in shop windows in the village.

Community and cultural activities in the village include a community cinema, library-based authors’ readings, regular live music, Mechanics’ Institute cultural centre, a canal-boat-based travelling theatre, and a renowned jazz and other festivals.

The fee to enter is £4. If multiple poems are entered in the same submission, £10 will be charged for three poems and then £3 for each subsequent poem. See Write Out Loud's Competitions page for more details

PHOTOGRAPH: LYNDON DOUGLAS 

Background: John Foggin's guide to success in poetry competitions