Poet In Residence

Acclaimed poet Frances Leviston returned for her tenth annual residency this month, to deliver a range of workshops, lectures, masterclasses and a poetry competition for our budding writers.

Girls from Year 7 through to the Sixth Form had the opportunity to work with the award-winning writer, whose first collection of poetry, Disinformation, was published over a decade ago; her poem, High Force, was recently been published in The New Yorker. During her residency, Frances judged a poetry competition and was impressed by the number of entries and the calibre of the girls’ writing.

Year 7 Winner: Carla. ‘Turning Ten’ —  a very touching and well-controlled poem that really had something sensitive to say about the process of getting older.

Runner-Up: Helena. ‘The people inside me’ — this poem was inventive and entertaining, and completely committed to its unusual metaphor.

Runner-Up: Ivona: ‘The Park’ — a poem that offers a series of very sophisticated questions that really brought its subject to life.

Year 8 Winner: Katla. ‘A cherry is at war with itself’ — I loved the metaphoric leap this poem makes, taking the structure of a cherry as a way of thinking about conflict, and following it through very creatively to the end.

Runner-Up: Alice: ‘Hiccups’ — the language in this poem was absolutely appropriate to its subject matter, and very funny and charming.

Runner-Up: Astrid: ‘The Lake’ — a very clear, spare poem that really placed me in the location it described.

Year 9 Winner: Lily: ‘The Dawn We Missed’ — a dreamy, mysterious, but very precisely-phrased poem full of astonishing images.

Runner-Up: Katie. ‘Avocado’ — I admired the sharp imagery, carefully chosen words, and effective use of repetition.

Runner-Up: Emma. ‘The Kitchen of a Beehive’ — another very inventive extended metaphor, where the language really swarms with excitement.

Year 10 Winner: Eva. ‘Masquerade’ — this poem had an impressive sense of style and finesse.

Year 11 Winner: Penelope. ‘Reflection’ — a mature and complex poem reflecting on the nature of vanity, and bringing together two contrasting sets of imagery to excellent effect.

Congratulations to all our many entrants.