Aspiring poets have a month to submit entries for the 2015 Bill Overton Poetry prize.

The competition was set up for the first time in 2014 by English, Drama and Publishing.  It honours the memory of Professor Bill Overton who died in 2012.  He was Professor of Literary Studies and former head of the Department of English and Drama, having joined the University in the 1970s. 

Entrants are asked to submit a sequence of poems (up to 300 lines) on a subject of their choice.  The winning sequence will be published, and two runners-up will receive a cash prize of £50 each.  Proceeds from the competition entry fees will go towards funding an early-career poet in residence at the University.

The judges for the competition for the competition are Sarah Kelly and Dr Kerry Featherstone.  Sarah is the University’s current poet in residence.  She is widely published, the author of two chapbook collections and co-editor of AlbaLondres.  Dr Featherstone is a lecturer of Creative Writing and has been published in a range of poetry journals.  He has previously judged several poetry and fiction competitions.

Dr Kerry Featherstone comments: “Bill Overton was hugely respected as a teacher and writer.  Much of his work focused on poetry so this competition is a fitting tribute.  We very much hope this this prize in his memory will contribute to the creative life of the department, our students and budding poets from the local area and beyond.  We look forward to receiving submissions.”

The deadline for entries is Friday 17 April 2015. Further information about the competition, entry criteria and the submission of entries is available here