Mon 8 Jun: Things won are done…

I admit, it’s a nice feeling to see my name on this poster.

So, I find myself as joint-winner of the 2015 Melita Hume Poetry Prize with Maria Apichella. I am delighted beyond more descriptive words, and excited that my collection of poems will now be published as a book, by Eyewear, in 2016.

You can read today’s full press release on the Eyewear blog, here. The competition judge, Toby Martinez de las Rivas, writes:

Tony has reached into the past and brought us a new way of seeing an old, familiar form […] Looking back over my notes as I was reading the collection, I find the following: ‘Supremely generous’, ‘At times, technically brilliant’, ‘A clever mix of overblown Romantic structures with a self-deprecating tone which is very attractive’. It is undoubtedly not perfect – he often writes in full rhyme, and iambic pentameter […] but that slight unevenness is all part of the fun, part of the hugely generous vision, the willingness to push on, which makes this collection ultimately so rewarding and enjoyable.

I am most grateful to Eyewear Publishing and its director, Todd Swift, for all the support through the judging process and through the months to come as the book moves towards publication; to Toby Martinez de las Rivas, for his benign and encouraging consideration of my work; and of course and as ever, to all of you for your continuing readership, encouragement and dream-making.

Over the years, I have often offered Shakespeare’s counsel, ‘Things won are done; joy’s soul lies in the doing’. I continue to draw much happiness from all that has resulted from this creative project and look forward to doing more. I hope that you are encouraged to pick up a pen, and to try doing some poetry of your own.