WHAT NEWS ON THE RIALTO?

All the latest news, blogs and opinions from staff and guest writers.

NEWS

THE RIALTO OPEN PAMPHLET COMPETITION 2020 RESULTS

THE RIALTO OPEN PAMPHLET COMPETITION 2020 RESULTS

REPORT FROM THE JUDGE, WILL HARRIS I feel uncomfortable with the idea of “judging” because it can suggest some kind of special objectivity and wisdom on the part of the judge. And my only qualification for this role is that I love poems, subjectively and with very...

Nature and Place 2020 winners announced

Nature and Place 2020 winners announced

We have now received the results of the Nature and Place Poetry Competition back from Pascale Petit and are delighted to announce that the winners are: 1st Prize of £1000 – ‘Hermit Crab in a Doll’s Head’ by Cindy Botha 2nd Prize of £500 – ‘Insects’ by P Q R Anderson...

STAFF BLOGS

GUEST BLOGS

This tide of Humber – Imtiaz Dharker

This tide of Humber – Imtiaz Dharker

The idea of poems crossing borders into different art forms has always excited me, and the BBC’s Contains Strong Language festival offered a chance for multiple crossings between dance, music and poetry. My poem This Tide of Humber, commissioned by the BBC for...

Diamond Dogs Rule OK

Diamond Dogs Rule OK

Writing The Hounds and their Half-Hound Master Bowie’s Diamond Dogs was originally meant to be a sprawling stage show – a glam rock dystopia on roller skates. Its heady post-apocalyptic imagery and dramatic shifts in mood and tone certainly give it the feel of...

On ‘Station to Station’

On ‘Station to Station’

On ‘Station to Station’ Station to Station is my favourite David Bowie album, and it seemed the natural starting point when I was asked to write a poem about the Dame. Its immediate successor, Low, is the better, more important record but Station to Station has this...

A Day At Wicken Fen

A Day At Wicken Fen

It was a great privilege to spend a day at Wicken Fen, near Ely, in the company of Professor Nick Davies, who has grown to love this undrained, species-rich Fen after studying it daily for more than 30 years. Nick is an expert on the behaviour of cuckoos and how they...

On ‘Lady Stardust’

On ‘Lady Stardust’

When commissioning pieces for the original Bowieoke event, I decided to give the other poets their pick of Bowie albums to write on, and to choose my own from among those left. It came as a welcome surprise that 1972's The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the...