David Morley wins Ted Hughes Award

Great to hear that David Morley has won the Ted Hughes Award for New Work in Poetry for his selected poems, The Invisible Gift. I like the fact that the judges talked about something "theatrical" happening when you open the book, as well as highlighting the rich Romani tradition that David draws on in his work. If you get a chance to see him read, then don't miss it. His work is enchanting in the literal sense of the word.

Carrie Etter nominated

More heartening news - Carrie Etter's excellent Imagined Sons, one of my favourite books of last year, is on the shortlist for the Ted Hughes Award for New Work in Poetry. The winner will be announced in a few weeks - in the meantime, I can recommend it to anyone who hasn't yet read it.

Catch it while you still can

My first full collection, Troy Town, is officially out of print as of today, with no further copies available through Arrowhead Press or Amazon. A final flurry of sales at StAnza last week cleared out the remaining stock, and I'm very grateful to everyone who's bought it since it came out in 2008.

But...I do have around 20 copies still left at home. I'll be continuing to sell them at readings, as well as through this blog - they're £9 including P&P by post, or £7 in person. So, if you want to get your hands on it in all its hardback glory, email me using the link (Getting In Touch) on the right, or use the comment box of this post.

Meanwhile, it's a big day for Arrowhead, with Martin Figura's superb Whistle in the running for the Ted Hughes Award For New Work In Poetry tonight. I'll be keeping everything crossed that he wins, and there'll be more news as I get it.