Aryamati Prize Winners and Shortlist 2020

The Aryamati Poetry Prize seeks poetry promoting social change and peace. Within this aim, there is certainly room for protest, and we were delighted to see complex explorations of this in the prize's second year. Many thanks to fellow judges Kayla Jenkins and Amber Rollinson and to all who entered.





Our Winners are below:


1st Place: Jenny Mitchell with poem: Imagining a Forest Made of Freedom

@JennyMitchellGo

Debut Collection 'Her Lost Language' available here


"Our undisputed favourite this year, for its skilful and moving imagery and its important focus in highlighting the bones broken and freedoms lost throughout the transatlantic slave trade, or indeed through modern slavery, so that we do not lose sight of the progress we have yet to make towards human rights for all and reparations for injustice inflicted. "



Runners Up:


Joanna Lilley with poem: My mother made sure

@joanna__lilley

www.joannalilley.com


"We were hooked from the first line - the stoic bravery and determination of a mother who encourages genocide as a breakfast discussion. We loved the prose poem tone and feel this is such an important poem to be read over and over again."



Julian Bishop with poem: Starbucks in the gutter

@julianbpoet


"We loved the flippant and rhythmic tone to this piece - the character study it offered us, without resolution."



These poems will be shortly available to read on our blog and our winning poem in postcard form, and audio form, as part of Manchester Metropolitan's RAH! Podcast.


Our Shortlist was:


Penny Sharman

Tanisha Barrett

Catherine McCabe

Eleni Cay

David Butler

Bill Lythgoe

Shahé Mankerian

Julian Bishop

Sarah Barr

Sarah Wallis

Mary Mulholland

Peter Viggers

Holly Peters

Jane Kingsford

Natascha Solito

Andrew Martin




It has been a pleasure to read the work submitted and congratulations to our shortlisted and winning poets!

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