V. Press is very very delighted to announce that the winner of this year's V. Press Prize for Poetry is Ella-Louise Fisher!
This year's V.
Press Prize for Poetry shortlist of four manuscripts chosen by the
University of Worcester was particularly strong and varied.
V. Press
editor Sarah Leavesley enjoyed the range of inventive, innovative, humorous,
thought-provoking and moving poems in the shortlisted selections. In addition
to striking lines, images and individual poems, she was also impressed by the
care and crafting in getting these poems to work together as a whole, linked by
theme, form/presentation or a narrative thread.
Deciding
between these manuscripts was tough, but she eventually picked ‘Robins,
Feathers, Pearls’ by Ella-Louise Fisher as the winner of the V. Prize for
Poetry 2023 because of the completeness of its moving relatable narrative of
grief and healing. Powerful precise imagery, techniques like repetition and a
range of forms are used effectively across these poems to highlight different
aspects of loss and love, while also reinforcing each other and the overall
narrative.
Sarah is looking forward to working with Ella-Louise on her pamphlet for publication by V. Press in 2024.
Last Year's V. Press Prize for Poetry
“A book about eating disorders and abuse might sound like a tough read – but, although these poems teeter on the edge of an abyss, they are written with healthy doses of warmth and humour, and an appetite for life that proves moving and uplifting.” Dr David Swann
“Braised in Wine’s evocative, compelling and moving poems whet the appetite, while also exploring how what we eat and drink may feed into other aspects of life – body image, self-worth, relationships and more.” Sarah Leavesley, V. Press prize judge
Braised in Wine is very amusing and very genuine.
Winner of the V. Press Prize for Poetry 2022
Summer Reading
“These poems are startling in their emotional clarity. They capture the surreal disconnection of lockdown as well as celebrating what a joy it is to be together once more. They are filled with a quietly powerful sense of wonder that is both passionate and melancholy. From tango dancers to taxi cab drivers, they draw us into a world that is heart-breaking in its beauty.”
Aoife Mannix
Dancing in Babylon is very elegiac and very cathartic.
ISBN: 978-1-7394122-0-3
36 pages
R.R.P. £6.50
More information, a sample poem and ordering for Dancing in Babylon can be found here.
PS To get V. Press news like this direct to your inbox (or to know when we post news like this on the website), sign up for our newsletters. You can do this by going to the right-hand side-bar (just below the V. Press logo) on the website home page. Type your email address into the blank text box there, then click on the subscribe button.
