POETRY COMPS 2026

February's writing competition was a double-header: Flash Fiction and Poetry.

Taking the theme of "randomness / selective" on from our in-person meeting in the Quakers Hall on 2 February, the competition was to select a line from a song lyric (not the title!). Authors could choose any genre of song but it had to be a line taken from a song lyric. 

We received 12 poetry entries, which can be read below.

1st place: ENTRY 3: Mike Lansdown - Fog Horn

Joint 2nd place: ENTRY 9: John Hartley - No News is Good News

Joint 2nd place: ENTRY 7: Jenny Sutch - In The Woods

4th place: ENTRY 6: Jan Rees - Lonely People

  January's writing competition was poetry, and the chosen theme was New Beginning or New Beginnings. 

The group were invited to submit poems with a minimum of 12 lines or up to a maximum of 48 lines. The competition has now closed but we received 15 entries, all of which are now ready to read below.

Results were announced at our meeting on 26 January, and it's congratulations to:

• 1st Place: Joanna Bawa - Coffee, with Deer
• 2nd Place: Mike Lansdown - Rescued (A Child Bride's return)
• 3rd Place: Sumi Watters - Save As
• 4th Place: John Hartley - There Must Come An End

WELL DONE TO ALL THOSE WHO ENTERED