The first major writing prize I ever won was the Betjeman Poetry Prize, in 2018, when I was twelve. My poem was about the moors around Macclesfield. The best thing about the whole experience was when one of the judges, Scottish poet laureate Jackie Kay, in her charming but offhand way compared me to my literary hero Emily Brontë, which led to lots of newspaper articles making the comparison (here). Nothing could have made me happier. I also remember the kindness of the other judge, Zaffar Kunial, whose poetry I love, and the fantastic conversation we had about different poets.
You can hear actor Samuel West reading ‘The Moors’ here , and me reading it on the Betjeman Poetry Prize website
