Summer School 2012

The 8th Tower Poetry Summer School for young poets aged 18-23 will be held in Christ Church, Oxford from 28-31 August 2012. The tutors will be Alan Gillis (University of Edinburgh, Scotland) and Kevin Young (Emory University, Atlanta, USA).

 

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Poetry Matters

Poetry Matters is an exciting on-line poetry magazine which provides a fresh, dynamic perspective on poetry issues through a mix of news, reviews and comment.

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Tower Poetry,
Christ Church,
Oxford, OX1 1DP
Tel: 01865 286591
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Winners 2003 : Third Prize

Hannah Briggs

Pilgrimes with Passports

Herkneth! If the lest to viage be verray to ye,
to me moste ye verify youre identity.
Clepen me Franke, gropinge passports my facultee,
moste seeken drogges hoolly and hy harlots withseye.

Yive: nom, age type – Nationality?
- Britney mate, british, blond and 5 “ 3.
Ah! A faire and tretis wench, eek with curteisie,
you lust me muchel and so may pace, thriftily and ny.

Where youre destination? Wantowne, reechless knarre!
Metrowe Magaluf, the Grete Sea or Coste del Mar?
- Spiritual freedom is my desire a quest to take me far,
dreams of nirvana in Nepal alone with my sitar.

Such resons have these peple, alwey with felicitee,
so wende, wende, wende on youre viages hence verify identity!!
Cometh neer Tariq, wanderinge fer to Middle Easte,
Noot his craft but with visage lyk nyght hym moste been terroriste!

Areste! Hav yow takel hiding in youre gipser?
- No, let me through I’m innocent. I work in journalism!
Ah, youre passporte has ypreved to me youre digne degree
- News travels fast pal so must I, now can I please go free?

Me gouvernance sikerly is streit and stout
war again peple estrange nowthe.
Scathe tho seem to me the foo, hem lest werres, hem slee,
me trowe.

Yive genus: female, single mother of 3
Semely faire, swich complexioun gentil!
- Your judgements are kind but hide the real truth.
For convicted murderers, a passport’s no use.

Here endeth my tale what nedeth wordes mo?
Everichon differe,
Me jugge hem namo.
 

About Tower Poetry

Tower Poetry exists to encourage and challenge everyone who reads or writes poetry. Funded by a generous bequest to Christ Church, Oxford, by the late Christopher Tower, the aims of Tower Poetry are clear: to stimulate an enjoyment and critical appreciation of poetry, particularly among young people in education, and to challenge people to write their own poetry. Creative writing should be a central element in literary education, and learning about writing poetry can help students to think about ways of reading poetry.

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Publications

The TwelveThe Twelve:

Poems from the 7th Tower Poetry Summer School 2010
Edited by Daljit Nagra and Jo Shapcott
The Twelve contains 56 poems from the 12 young poets who attended the Summer School.