I’ve been asked by Michael Mackmin to organise a ‘ones to watch’ feature for The Rialto’s 25th anniversary edition — published in May and including poems from Andrew Motion, Carol Ann Duffy and Tomaz Salamun, among many others.
I have been busy soliciting submissions from individuals (ongoing) I’d like to include, if possible, to make sure I can make a certain point or two with it. In the interests of fairness, however — and to add an element of experimental fun — I am also now seeking to broaden the catchment beyond my own network biases and peccadilloes with further recommendations and a short-deadline open call.
So, calling all poets, 35 and under! Please send 3-5 poems (no more than 5 sides) to this email address by 31st of March. These should either be previously unpublished or published somewhere of significantly lower profile than The Rialto (where Rialto would act as a greater showcase and validation of your work). Yes, it is a short deadline — that’s part of the challenge. It is also an experiment (for future work) to test or prove that such a submissions process might work well for things…
This is not limited to UK poets — we are curious to see others, too — but it will probably remain focused on the UK, based on the likely catchment. We’ll see…
Depending on response, this may also develop into a regular feature, after establishing itself with this first introductory list, perhaps focusing on different genres or age groups, and including different submissions processes. So, get sending your poetry and spread the word! Please pass this on, in any way you see fit, to poets you feel fit the bill, or send me some work yourselves. But be quick! I look forward to reading your poems.
Nathan Hamilton
