In this hellish time of geopolitical instability, when every radio bulletin and social media post seems to bring with it news of fresh horror from across the Atlantic, there’s something positively life-saving about slim volumes of nature poetry being slipped through my letterbox at regular intervals during the week. This isn’t a result of some particularly empathetic community support network (though, come to think about it, wouldn’t that be a wonderful idea?), but rather the consequence of being invited by the poet laureate and New Statesman columnist Simon Armitage to be one of the judges for the Laurel Prize, an annual award that recognises, celebrates and encourages the resurgence of nature and environmental poetry.
I’ve been overwhelmed by the power and beauty of some of the writing, which both highlights the scale of the crises we face and challenges us to rise to this extraordinary moment in our history. Applications are open until 1 May (Laurelprize.com).
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