POETRY PRIZE, in association with the PHILIP LARKIN SOCIETY

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We are delighted to announce that this year’s winner is Charlie Kite who wins first prize for To the ghost of Philip Larkin, who won't shove off and leave me alone.

Charlie Kite, describing the inspiration behind the poem, said, 

'I’ve drifted back and forth with Larkin as a poet; from an early teen obsession to a feeling of coldness towards his work, back to fascination. I wanted to capture that complex relationship here, bringing in my own experiences as a writer that have influenced me while acknowledging Larkin’s enduring influence on my work.'

Our huge congratulations to Charlie on winning the top prize! The competition was judged by Kyra Piperides and Clarissa Hard, editors of the About Larkin journal.

On judging the poetry competition, Kyra Piperides said:

'As we celebrate Philip Larkin's centenary, we were really honoured to be asked to judge The Pomegranate's Larkin-inspired competition - even more so when we started reading the entires which were an absolute treat to spend time poring over. We were really impressed by the strength of the entries, which responded to Larkin, his life work, and various places in really creative and thoughtful ways. The winning poems wrangled with complex relationships with the poet and his work, brought the world of Larkin into the twenty-first century, and made the ordinary somehow extraordinary with that familiar, Larkinesque transcendence.'

Second Prize is awarded to Joe Caldwell, for his poem I walk back too early. 
 

Joe Caldwell said:
 

'This poem is prompted by seeing a bus with rain-soaked windows on a sunny day, and the awareness that sometimes we are aware of weather approaching before it gets to us. And connected to this, the awareness that sometimes we can see in things - seasons, relationships, experiences - hints of their ending before it arrives.' 

Third Prize is awarded to Alexandra Davis for her poem titled On Visiting Philip Larkin.
 

 Inspiration for the poem 'was the result of a week long placement in Hull in order to explore the life and legacy of Philip Larkin.'

In addition to the three main prize winners, there were two Highly Commended poems. 

Adam Crawford for Despair Made Beautiful.
 

Describing the inspiration behind the poem, Adam said:

'While unrelenting dismalness and morbidity are not the sorts of traits normally celebrated in writers, Larkin employed them abundantly and fearlessly to geniusly chilling effect.'