Who are the best young poets today? Which new poets are most likely to become the defining voices of their generation? Two young editors, James Byrne and Clare Pollard, set out to answer these questions in Voice Recognition, a vibrant anthology introducing 21 of the most exciting young poets of the 21st century.
Voice Recognition showcases the work of a talented new wave of poets from Britain and Ireland who are just now starting to make their mark. None has yet published a first book of poems. All are likely to produce distinctively different debut collections in the next few years.
Influenced by poetries from across the world, and unafraid to take risks, all these poets are committed to extending and remaking the traditions of poetry in a fast-changing new millennium. Their poems show a lively range of styles and subjects – sometimes sexy, sometimes dark, but consistently brimming with vitality. The future of poetry begins here.
James Byrne is the editor and co-founder of The Wolf poetry magazine. He co-founded New Blood, an event featuring young poets in London. His debut collection, Passages of Time, was published in 2003, and his second collection, Blood/Sugar, was published by Arc in 2009.
Clare Pollard has published three collections with Bloodaxe: The Heavy-Petting Zoo (1998), Bedtime (2002) and Look, Clare! Look! (2005). Her first play The Weather (Faber, 2004) premièred at the Royal Court Theatre. Her documentary for radio, My Male Muse (2007), was a Radio 4 Pick of the Year, and she is a Royal Literary Fund Literary Fellow at Essex University.
Voice Recognition showcases the work of a talented new wave of poets from Britain and Ireland who are just now starting to make their mark. None has yet published a first book of poems. All are likely to produce distinctively different debut collections in the next few years.
Influenced by poetries from across the world, and unafraid to take risks, all these poets are committed to extending and remaking the traditions of poetry in a fast-changing new millennium. Their poems show a lively range of styles and subjects – sometimes sexy, sometimes dark, but consistently brimming with vitality. The future of poetry begins here.
James Byrne is the editor and co-founder of The Wolf poetry magazine. He co-founded New Blood, an event featuring young poets in London. His debut collection, Passages of Time, was published in 2003, and his second collection, Blood/Sugar, was published by Arc in 2009.
Clare Pollard has published three collections with Bloodaxe: The Heavy-Petting Zoo (1998), Bedtime (2002) and Look, Clare! Look! (2005). Her first play The Weather (Faber, 2004) premièred at the Royal Court Theatre. Her documentary for radio, My Male Muse (2007), was a Radio 4 Pick of the Year, and she is a Royal Literary Fund Literary Fellow at Essex University.