Former poet laureate Andrew Motion and Pulitzer winner Jorie Graham head the ten-poet shortlist for the £25,000 TS Eliot prize, the UK and Ireland’s most prestigious award for a single volume of poetry, theguardian.com reported. The competition selected these finalists from 174 submissions.
Three Essential Takeaways for Poetry Readers
- Debut Representation: Imani Mason Jordan’s PIVOT stands out as the sole debut collection featured on the 2024 shortlist.
- The Live Showcase: Nominees will perform their works at London’s Southbank Centre on January 17, with the winner announced the following day at the Wallace Collection.
Gravity and Killing Spree Define the Heavyweight Contenders
Andrew Motion enters the competition with Gravity Archives, a collection that showcases his trademark eye for mortality. Sandeep Parmar observed in a Guardian review that the book surveys both personal and external decay with a rooted and resolute perspective. Motion previously served as the UK’s poet laureate from 1999 to 2009 and has published more than 15 collections.
Jorie Graham arrives on the shortlist with Killing Spree, marking her second appearance as a finalist after her 2012 nomination for PLACE. Graham previously secured the 1996 Pulitzer prize for poetry with The Dream of the Unified Field.
| Poet | Shortlisted Collection | Notable Accolades |
|---|---|---|
| Andrew Motion | Gravity Archives | Former UK Poet Laureate (1999–2009) |
| Jorie Graham | Killing Spree | 1996 Pulitzer Prize Winner |
| Keith Jarrett | Hide Me Under the Blood… | Forward Prize Shortlist, Poetry Slam Champion |
| Kim Moore | The House of Broken Things | 2022 Forward Prize Winner |
Bridging Poetry Slams and St Paul’s Cathedral
British poet and writer Keith Jarrett joins the finalists with his second collection, Hide Me Under the Blood and I Shall Be Satisfied, which also earned a nod for this year’s Forward prize. Jarrett brings a distinct performance background to the page as a poetry slam champion whose work has previously lit up the facade of St Paul’s Cathedral.
Leontia Flynn, who chaired the judging panel alongside Ishion Hutchinson and Daisy Lafarge, emphasized the unifying ethos of the diverse selections. Though very different in voice, style and preoccupation, these 10 collections share a determination to meet the challenges faced in difficult times with closer attention to language,
Flynn noted. The panel winnowed the final ten down from an initial pool of 174 submissions provided by 65 different British and Irish publishers.
Debut Writers and International Poets Make the Shortlist
Imani Mason Jordan provides the sole debut voice on the list with PIVOT, representing an emerging generation of writers breaking into major literary prizes. The shortlist also casts a wide geographic net, incorporating Canadian poet Sylvia Legris for Sleep Gate and Shara McCallum, whose collection Behold marks her seventh published volume.
The ten finalists are completed by Kim Moore with The House of Broken Things, Holly Pester with Cafés, Jana Prikryl with The Channel, and Irish poet Billy Ramsell with Render. These finalists will present their work to live audiences at the Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall on January 17. Judges will reveal the £25,000 victor at a ceremony hosted at the Wallace Collection the following day.
