Dame Alice Owen’s School is delighted to announce that one of our Year 12 students, Lauren Lisk, was a runner up in the prestigious Tower Poetry Competition 2023 run by Christ Church at University of Oxford.
Lauren’s poem, “A Black Girl Fears The Sun”, received a commendation by the judging panel.
The competition has been running for over two decades and is considered the most lucrative prize for young poets in the UK. The judging panel bursts with acclaimed writers such as Julia Copus, Gail McConnell and Peter McDonald.
This year’s theme, ‘The Planets’, ignited the imaginations of young people across the country and the judges were overwhelmed with over 1,700 entries – a Tower Poetry record!
In the end, thirteen poems were chosen anonymously by the panel, with a top three followed by ten highly commended writers. The poet who writes the best single poem on the theme of ‘The Planets’ received £5,000. With a second prize of £3,000, and a third prize of £1,500. The ten runners up each received £500.
After speaking with Lauren, post the award ceremony, she said “I feel really honoured! For me the poem was a welcome challenge to write, and as a writer I felt really liberated in its form, as well as its exploration of the subject matter, which I hope encapsulates some of the social issues so prevalent right now and encourages people to see race in another light.”.
Lauren was invited alongside all thirteen shortlisted poets to attend the awards ceremony at Christ Church, Oxford. “Attending the awards ceremony was a very surreal moment, as I had never envisaged myself getting to that point. Surrounded by the picturesque college, English tutors, and other incredible young poets, the day will definitely not be something I’ll forget. I would like to thank all my family, friends and teachers for their ongoing support.”
Lauren’s poem can be read by following the link below. We wish her congratulations and look forward to reading more of her work in the future.
“A Black Girl Fears The Sun” – Lauren Lisk.