Debut writer Sarah Howe wins TS Eliot Prize!

For the first time since the prize was launched, a debut poet has won the TS Eliot Prize! Sarah Howe has been commended for her collection, Loop of Jade. In it, she explores her poet's dual British and Chinese heritage, having moved from Hong Kong to England at a young age and growing up with a British father and a Chinese mother.    

The panel of judges this year included Pascale Petit, Kei Miller and Ahren Warner. Howe's work has a real focus on the poet's roots and was noted by the judges for its 'erudite and dense, rich, imagistic way' of examining women's issues in China. 

Prior to this award, Howe has also won the Eric Gregory Award for her pamphlet A Certain Chinese Encyclopaedia and the 2015 Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year Award. On National Poetry Day, Stephen Hawking performed a reading of her poem 'Relativity'. Take a look here.

Congratulations to Howe on this tremendous achievement!