By Anita Foxall. The annual LitFest, organised by Artfulscribe, has firmly established itself as one of Southampton’s cultural highlights, and this year once again delivered a weekend rich with literature, and written and spoken word (13-15/3/26). The University of Southampton, supporter and sponsor of the LitFest, curated the opening...
Articles with the Tag poetry
Poetry collection review: Suburban Locust by Antosh Wojcik
By Anita Foxall. For anyone familiar with Antosh Wojcik’s central presence on the poetry scene, the arrival of his debut collection Suburban Locust has been highly anticipated. Antosh is an incredibly skilled poet and these poems are undoubtedly masterfully crafted. The collection unfolds as a surreal, storm-ridden family chronicle...
Winchester Poetry Prize 2026 is open
Winchester Poetry Festival opens its globally recognised Winchester Poetry Prize for 2026. Winchester Poetry Festival invites writers from around the globe to submit their finest, unpublished poems to be in with a chance of winning £1000 in the annual Winchester Poetry Prize. Established in 2016, this literary competition has...
Poetry: Southampton poets Anita Foxall and Chris Davie
By Anita Foxall. It’s time to bring you more poets and poetry, and on this occasion, I’ll be sharing some of my own work as well. Writing has always been a part of me. I first immersed myself in the depths of short stories, only to find, almost unknowingly,...
Book review: Modern Poetry & Frank: Sonnets, by Diane Seuss
By Anita Foxall. Modern Poetry and Frank: Sonnets were my first encounters with Diane Seuss’s poetry, both Fitzcarraldo Editions published in February this year which I picked up from Southampton’s own October Books. This Michigan born poet grabbed my attention as soon as I started reading the first...
Hampshire Young Poets Competition returns for 2025 with the theme Friendship
Winchester Poetry Festival and Hampshire Cultural Trust are working together once more to encourage young people in Hampshire to express themselves through poetry, in the Hampshire Young Poets Competition 2025. This year’s theme is ‘Friendship’ and young people from across Hampshire are asked to write a poem of no...
Poetry: focus on Southampton poets Srishti Agarwal and David Spencer
By Anita Foxall. The Southampton spoken word scene continues to be buzzing with fresh talent. These two poets have brought their unique voices and captivating performances to Write a Note recently, and now share a little of their work here with you. Srishti Agarwal Srishti Agarwal is of...
Write a Note welcomes new poets
By Anita Foxall. Southampton is a city of culture, regardless of any formal titles, that is incontestable. As host of Write a Note, I have the privilege of welcoming poets and writers to share their work on a monthly basis, but I also attend and take part in other...
Review: October Books’ open mic poetry
By Laura McCarthy. October Books’ open mic poetry evening is a monthly event, hosted by the Southampton bookshop on the third Friday of every month, with the next being on Friday 18th October. I went along to the September event. So, what can you expect? Initially, I had no...
New ‘Kathryn Bevis Prize’ to celebrate the best poem from Hampshire entered into Winchester Poetry Prize 2024
In Winchester Poetry Prize’s ninth year, the ‘Kathryn Bevis Prize’ has been introduced to celebrate the best poem entered by a writer based in Hampshire. It will be judged by this year’s competition judge, Clare Shaw. The ‘Kathryn Bevis Prize’ winner will receive £150, plus three one-day poetry workshops...