On National Poetry Day we are very pleased to announce a new scheme to get more reading groups reading poetry.
Poetry was described recently by the Poet Laureate Carol Ann Duffy as “a necessary and nourishing part of our lives”. The Poetry Book Society wholeheartedly agrees and is offering reading groups the chance to get involved with the best contemporary poetry through the T S Eliot Prize reading group scheme. The scheme is based on the shortlist for the 2011 T S Eliot Prize for Poetry and aims to encourage fiction reading groups to try poetry.
The full shortlist of 10 poets will be announced on Thursday 20 October and will include the four Poetry Book Society choices of Night by David Harsent (Faber),
November by Sean O’Brien (Picador), Profit and Loss by Leontia Flynn (Jonathan Cape) and Armour by John Kinsella (Picador).
From 20 October, reading groups can download a biography and a photo of all 10 poets and three poems from their book, together with reading group notes, from the Poetry Book Society website, where you can also vote for your favourite poet. The results will be announced at the awards ceremony.
There will be generous discounts for reading groups and a weekly email with background information and updates. You can also enter the draw for tickets for the celebratory T S Eliot Prize Readings in the Royal Festival Hall on London’s Southbank on Sunday 15 January 2012. It should be a successful night – the 2010 Readings attracted one of the biggest audiences for a poetry event of recent times.
The judges of this year’s Prize are Chair Gillian Clarke, Stephen Knight and Dennis O’Driscoll. The winner will be announced at the award ceremony on Monday 16 January 2012. For more information, visit the Poetry Book Society website. You can also buy the books from the PBS shop.
