2021 saw our Poet of the Year Competition receive an amazing 598 entries beating even last year’s record number.  Perhaps this is proof that during difficult times poetry is a wonderful means of  coping, expressing yourself and recording thoughts, ideas and memories in a special way. 

Out of this vast number of poems the Judges, after some lengthy discussions, have chosen an extra-long longlist of 48 poems which will be published in our annual anthology. The poems range immensely in subject matter and in format, coming from all over the world though we are pleased to say our local Kentish poets are well represented.

The judges will now choose a shortlist from these poems and from these the winners will be chosen. We are honoured that the First Prize has been generously donated by Prof Geralyn Pinto in memory of her late sister Rita Mathias.

The shortlisted poets will be invited to read their work at our Awards Evening on 7 October; National Poetry Day. The event will be held in Chilham Village Hall, doors open at 8pm and reading’s commence at 8.15pm. Entry is free and everyone is welcome. During the evening the winners will be announced, plus there will be a prize for the Best-Read poem and the People’s Choice as chosen by the audience on the night.  

The longlisted poets and the titles of their poems are listed below. Copies of the anthology will be available at the Awards Evening and from the Festival Office shortly. 

Poet of the Year Longlist 2021:

Warning; contains images that some viewers may find distressing – Freya Bantiff Side Order – Freya Bantiff Reaching Out – Freya Bantiff Timepiece – Freya Bantiff Poem Beginning with the Last Lines of a Failed Poem – Partridge Boswell Stone Cottage – Partridge Boswell Ode to My Vocation – Partridge Boswell Daffodils are made for golf clubs – Philip Brennan The life of seagulls – Mike Burns-Stark On Brighton Beach – Diana Cant To the English Language – A C Clarke Source Singer – Ross Cogan Coats – Ross Cogan What I Told the Wren – Tina Cole Traveller – Tina Cole Monochromes – Tina Cole Quietude – Martin Cordery No Fanfare – Judith Dimond Clutter – Kevin Dyer I think we need dahlias this year – Kevin Dyer Tangerine Dream – Naoise Gale Vincent – Dawn Glaisher Renovating My Father – Nicollette Golding Match Point – Oz Hardwick Bert Jarman at the Pentre – Christian Hardy Growing – Kathleen Jones Before – Kathleen Jones The Oil Fields of Tibú – R J Keeler Winter Journey – Jeffery Loffman Lemon Drops in the Pocket of My Father’s Overcoat – Maeve McKenna Glanders – Rosemary Norman South Kensington – Rosemary Norman Crumbs – Stephanie Powell Princes Freeway – Stephanie Powell Elizabeth – Eleanor Punter La Môme Piaf – Eleanor Punter my own personal Polonia – Mara Adamitz Scrupe No beast so fierce – Derek Sellen Many Doors – Mary Anne Smith Sellen Eleven Days – Gary Studley Rain – Gary Studley The Equine Attraction is Closing – Mark Totterdell orlando/salmacis – Elizabeth Train-Brown Starfish – Christian Ward The day your reflection left – Christian Ward We Who Teach (James chapter 3) – Ciara E White My Shameless Lips – James Knox-Whittet Coping – Georgia Wilson