Poetry Wales magazine

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Poetry Wales magazine

National poetry magazine of Wales. Publishing contemporary poetry, features and reviews since 1965.

Emerging from a rich bilingual culture, Poetry Wales explores the diverse perspectives of Welsh poetry in English and its international relationships. Its interest in translation, and in local and national identities in a global context, are at the forefront of some of the most exciting developments in poetry today. The magazine is open to tradition and experiment, publishing poetry from a wide ra

nge of approaches. Against this background of dynamic contrast, it offers a lively and informed critical context for the best contemporary poetry.

15/12/2025

🎶 It's the most wonderful time of the year... Poetry Wales Award time!

The award is now open for entries, closing 16th February 2026.

Sponsored by Llenyddiaeth Cymru / Literature Wales and judged by the marvellous Betehany Handley, we're already looking forward to seeing what this year's batch of entries will bring us.

Prizes for award winners include a stay at Tŷ Newydd and publication in Poetry Wales magazine, plus publication on our website for ten highly commended poets.

As always, we are open for entries of up to five previously unpublished poems per poet. The entry fee is £5/poem - or free for subscribers to the magazine and for those from low-income households.

Instructions on how to submit to the competition, as well as the full terms and conditions of entry and everything else you could possibly need to know, can be found on our website: visit www.poetrywales.co.uk/award/

Good luck!

10/12/2025

🏁 Start your engines 🏁

How is a poetry competition like RuPaul's Drag Race? This isn't a riddle - it's the question that Poetry Wales Award 2025 judge Jeremy Dixon asked and answered in his introduction to the awarding ceremony back in May. If you missed that, however - or if you want to revisit it - he has kindly written up what he learned from his time on the other side of the judging, and what he'll be taking forward as a writer submitting to competitions in the future.

With the 2026 Award launching next Monday, now is the best possible time to take Jeremy's advice and make sure your wigs, sequins, and heels are in order.

Read the full piece: https://poetrywales.co.uk/start-your-engines/
..

"The poem has to be complete and correct, leaving no room for improvement, no hems showing or wigs incorrectly glued. A competition is not like submitting a manuscript to a publisher or a poem to a magazine. In a competition you are an anonymous number and there is no opportunity for anyone to suggest edits or tweaks to your poem, so it must exist as a perfectly formed piece of work from the start."

24/11/2025

Breaking news! 📢

The digital issue of our Winter issue, Home & Resilience, is now available to download from our website, or to read via if you have a digital subscription.

Print issues are on their way to our office and will be sent out soon 💌

Grab your copy here: https://poetrywales.co.uk/product/winter-2025/

29/10/2025

'How I Write a Poem' is back this week with a conversation between Tamara Evans and J.S. Dorothy about the iconic Cardiff pub 'The Vulcan Hotel', and how its history and transplantation to St Fagans inspired Tamara's new poem.

https://poetrywales.co.uk/tamara-evans-how-i-wrote-the-vulcan-hotel-is-transported-from-adam-street-adamsdown-to-st-fagans-national-museum-of-history/

28/10/2025

📣 Cover reveal for or Winter 2025 issue - Vol. 61 Issue 2 | Home & Resilience.

Out in November, highlights include a takeover from 'Ling Di Long / Mufambi', a Wales–Zimbabwe collaboration uniting poets across continents; a 'Clecs' interview with Sarah McReadie, Poet Laureate for the Wales Women's Football team; the winning poems from the Poetry Wales Award 2025 and the Wales Young Poets Award; a feature on poetry and art by Ali Asadollahi, and so much more.

PLUS poetry from: Emma Gawlinski, Hafsa Zulfiqar, Mubanga Kalimamukwento, Carol Rumens, Stephanie Powell, Tim Liardet, Katrina Naomi, Richard Poole, Peggie Shangwa, Taylor Edmonds, Mitchell Kudzai Duma, Dylan Huw, Des Mannay, Ronald T. Mtatabikwa, Tiffany Anashe Gwavava, Zoë Skoulding, Erika Hesketh, Jefferson Holdridge, Damian Walford Davies, Olivia Tuck, Day Mattar, Menna Elfyn, Peter Finch,
Daragh Fleming, Ross Cogan, Bruce McRae, Robert Hamberger, Ali Asadollahi,
David Belcher, Tom Bennett, Tori Chamberlain, Isobel Clare, Ellen Davies, Christian Donovan, Adele Evershed, Leena Sarah Farhat, Gwenhwyfar Ferch Rhys, Rhian Saadat, Jenny Sanders, J. M. Summers, Natalie Thomas, C. J. Wagstaff, Laura E. Wallace, Phil Williams, Sarah McCreadie, Natasha Gauthier, Natasha Borton, Liam Bates, Jane Burn, Laura Baliman, Zain Rishi, Amira Hayat

This is an issue not to be missed - pre-order now: https://poetrywales.co.uk/product/winter-2025/

06/10/2025

We are delighted to announce that Seren Books and Poetry Wales magazine, the two halves of Poetry Wales Press, have been awarded a $30,000 grant from the Hawthornden Foundation.

As one of only two UK-based publishers to be approached by the foundation for this round of funding we are pleased to have been recognised for our hard work and stellar reputations, especially in a time of unprecedented financial pressure for the Arts and Literary sector in Wales.

Read our full announcement here: https://poetrywales.co.uk/poetry-wales-press-awarded-30000-grant-from-hawthornden-foundation/

17/09/2025

In this week's 'How I Write a Poem', Sara Erðig chats to J.S. Dorothy about challenging ableism through poetry, esoteric writing, and the why she chose to self-publish.

https://poetrywales.co.uk/sara-erdig-how-i-wrote-deafhearing-watching-tv-vol-1-2/

09/09/2025

We are delighted to once again be hosting a virtual event at the Tell It Slant Poetry Festival, this time in celebration of our Spring 2025 issue: Home in a Time of Ecological Crisis.

The session will feature Zakia Carpenter-Hall, a Seren author and Poetry Wales guest editor, alongside fellow poets and Poetry Wales guest editors Kandace Siobhan Walker and Tangie Mitchell, and be chaired by our Editor Zoë Brigley Thompson .

Home in a Time of Crisis explores themes of belonging, comfort, and resilience during challenging times. The poets will reflect on Emily Dickinson’s work, reading both well-known and lesser-known poems, alongside their own writing.

Details:
Date/Time: Sunday, September 21, 10 am ET (3 pm BST)
Format: Virtual program (free with registration, or available as 'pay your way')

Registration link & full Festival schedule: https://www.emilydickinsonmuseum.org/home-in-a-time-of-crisis-tis-2025/

20/08/2025

"Marketing is about balancing what you’re comfortable doing and experiencing with owning and celebrating your achievements."

Learn how to market your poetry like a pro with Sarah Johnson, Head of Marketing & Sales and Deputy CEO at Seren Books.

Originally published in our Summer 2025 issue, we are adding the full article to the Resources for Writers section on our website.

Comment below with your favourite tip and/or trick for how to shout about your work while still protecting your peace.

https://poetrywales.co.uk/marketing-for-poets/

13/08/2025

In this week's 'How I Write a Poem,' Iris Anne Lewis speaks with J.S. Dorothy about her poem 'Inundation,' the feeling of relentlessness, and how she sought to capture the transience of humanity and relentlessness of ecological change.

https://poetrywales.co.uk/iris-anne-lewis-how-i-wrote-inundation/

30/07/2025

In this week's 'How I Write a Poem', Tim Relf talks to J.S. Dorothy about mining childhood for material and depicting changes across the lifespan.

https://poetrywales.co.uk/tim-relf-how-i-wrote-teeth-werent-fish/

28/07/2025

"Reviews are an essential component of the literary community—they act as the bridge between poet and reader, dissolving the boundaries between the often exclusive and insular realms of academia and literature to a wider audience." - wise words from our newest team member, Frances Cannon.

Please join us in wishing a warm welcome to Franky as our new Reviews Editor - and get to know them better here: https://poetrywales.co.uk/introducing-our-new-reviews-editor/

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Website

http://www.poetrywales.co.uk/

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