T. S. Eliot Prize Announced Today

Went to see the shortlisted poets read out last night - all except Seamus Heaney, who couldn't make it.

For a normal poetry night, I'd have said it was middling. Dry, stuffy atmosphere, moving somewhere in the direction of actually being exciting and entertaining from the end of the first half onwards. For a night of, supposedly, the best poetry released in book form in the past year, it was pretty bad.

My pick for the prize would be W. N. 'Bill' Herbert, who had the cojones to sing his title poem in a bluesey drawl, or Paul Farley, who gets extra points for unusual pop culture references and the best collection title, 'Tramp on Fire'. I'm optimistic, because Sophie Hannah is on the judging panel, but there were some depressing hints that Heaney is the favourite.

Full report in the next issue of the roundtable review.

News for poets: I've received notice that a new International Sonnet Competition has just been launched. Here are the details:

"Open Poetry Ltd is pleased to announce the launch on 10 January 2007 of its inaugural International Sonnet Competition, closing on 31 October2007. The judging panel comprises Susan Bassnett, Jacqueline Osherow(USA poet) and Don Paterson. First prize is £1400. Full details and on-line entry form can be found at www.sonnetcompetition.com. Leaflets (including a postal entry form) can also be ordered from the website and we will shortly have some bookmarks available too."

With Don Paterson on judging duties, I'm fairly confident this is worth entering, and I'll keep an eye out for the results. Sonnets are too often associated with limp romanticism, even though numerous modern variants prove that they have a lot more potential. The entry fee is a pretty steep £7 per sonnet, with a discount if you enter three at a time, so my advice, if you're thinking of entering, would be to practice writing them for a few months and then cherry-pick your best. Try variations, such as the Cornish sonnet, utilise half-rhymes and experiment with dropping the irksome iambic pentameter.

I couldn't find any examples online of the kind of modern sonnets I really like, but follow this link for the famous Carol Anne Duffy one that people think so highly of. It's not bad at all.

And look - if you'll indulge me, even I can make a decent go of it:

The Brief Revenge

She kneads the Ocean Salt into his hand;
fine salt, course salt, vodka, water, lime.
His jeans - oil-stained, beer-stained and blood-stained -
he's worn for weeks. His cactus beard the same.

The wind's a wound tonight. Their pickled harbour's
stuffed with creepy crawlies and his breath
is woodrot. Outside, sirens flash like sabres.
Each other's all they've got for home and hearth.

But they're not on the account, and this Port Royal
is the closest that they come to the Sweet Trade.
This state of things does not serve to embroil
them in adventure, but to barricade
them in, landlocked. Their skins will never harden.
Another day, another governor's pardon.

Jon Stone - poetry editor - www.tyrants.co.uk