Three poetry collections by Irish poets have been shortlisted for the 2019 Pigott Poetry Prize. The prize, now in its sixth year, is the largest for a poetry collection by an Irish poet. The prize for the winner has been increased from €8,000 to €10,000 and the other two finalists each receive €1,000.
Insistence by Ailbhe Darcy (Bloodaxe), Now We Can Talk Openly About Men by Martina Evans (Carcanet) and A Quarter of an Hour by Leanne O'Sullivan (Bloodaxe) are the three shortlisted titles, announced by Catherine Moylan, chairperson of Listowel Writers' Week.
Darcy has already been shortlisted for the £25,000 TS Eliot Prize, while all three were shortlisted for the Irish Times Poetry Now award won by Derek Mahon for Against the Clock (Gallery Press).
More than 60 collections were submitted for this year’s award and adjudicators Jo Shapcott and Ian McMillan had the task of picking the shortlist of three on behalf of Listowel Writers’ Week.
McMillan said: “Adjudicating this competition has been an absolute joy; the craft, skill, ambition and magic in all of these books has underlined for me, as if needed underlining, that Irish poetry is in a very healthy state.”
The winner of will be announced at the opening ceremony of the 49th Listowel Writers’ Week on May 29th. The prize is sponsored by Mark Pigott, who said, “It is a blessing to be able to support this wonderful literary award and recognise the leading poets of Ireland”.
Listowel Writers’ Week takes place from May 29th to June 2nd. Guests include Douglas Kennedy, Tishani Doshi, John Kelly, Colm Tóibin, Marianne Power, Andrew Miller, Fergal Keane, Orla Guerin, Elizabeth Day, Sinéad Gleeson, Nicole Flattery, Rick O’Shea, Roddy Doyle, Liz Nugent, Will Dean, Ian Maleney, Stuart Barnes, Marina Carr, Sarah Webb, Steph Booth, Sarah Webb, Dave Rudden, John Boyne, Roisin Meaney, Niall Breslin and Chris Judge.
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