The shortlist for August’s Pick of the Month is a feast for the senses. Breathe in Gregory Kearns‘ ‘Perfume’, feel the touch of cold in Aishwarya Raghu‘s ‘A Poem about Frost’ and learn ‘When to stop eating chalk’ from Paul Grant. Taste supper with Ashleigh Davies‘ ‘Apollo’; hold Stephanie Limb‘s ‘Pearl’ tight; listen into a ‘Wake up call’ from Finola Scott and note its aftertaste.
All six works have been chosen by Helen or Kate or received the most attention on social media. They can be found below or by clicking on ‘Vote for your August 2019 Pick of the Month′ in the Categories list to your right on the screen.
Voting is now closed. The winner will be announced at 4pm on Monday 23rd September.
The winner each month will be sent a £10 book giftcard or, if preferred, a donation of the same amount will be made to a chosen charity. In the event of the winner being from outside the UK mainland, we will make every effort to provide a reasonable alternative. All shortlisted poetry Picks, provided they remain unpublished and meet other eligibility criteria, will be considered as IS&T submissions for the annual Forward Prize for Best Single Poem. (‘Frequency Violet’ by Kate Edwards was a Pick of the Month for November 2017 and was Highly Commended by the 2018 judges. It features in The Forward Book of Poetry 2019.)