​What Am I Looking For?
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Anne Caldwell is a poet, editor, lecturer and works for the Open University. She is based in Hebden Bridge in West Yorkshire. She has been described as one of ‘51 world class prose poets’ in the international anthology, Dreaming Awake, Prose Poetry from Australia, the USA and United Kingdom, (Madhat Press, 2022). Her last book of prose poems was published by Valley Press, (Alice and the North), and she has since gained a national and international reputation for this genre. Her poems have appeared in many magazines including Spelt, Poetry Wales, Ink Sweat and Tears, And Other Poems, The Rialto and Axon (Australia). Anne was nominated for a best single poem Forward Prize in 2023. She has 5 previous collections of poetry, including Neither Here Nor There, (SurVision, 2024) which won a James Tait Prize. Anne edited The Valley Press Anthology of Prose Poetry and Prose Poetry in Theory and Practice (Routledge) with Oz Hardwick. She has a new collection with Valley Press called The Language of Now out in Spring 2026.



What am I looking for?
Poetry allows for playfulness with language and I'm keen to see inventiveness and originality. The same can be said for layout on the page, and I do think the form of the poem should enhance and complement the content and meaning. I believe a good poem can find its shape. I enjoy the fact that poems can imply rather than tell a reader what to think, and that the poet can leave the meanings of the work to speak for themselves. The voice of the poet should be clear and distinctive. I would encourage writers entering the competition to stay away from archaic language and think of how the contemporary ways in which we communicate can be celebrated in poetry. It is such a musical form in which to write, so rhythm and word order and line endings are worth considering carefully. I am really looking forward to reading the entries this year and it is a delight to be asked to judge the competition.