A new Stamford Poet Laureate is in place following a competition at Stamford Arts Centre.
Emily Dickens is the new holder of the title, with Aiden Surridge and Abbie Blair chosen as joint Youth Laureates for the year.
Performance poet Emily said: “This is a huge honour and I am so grateful that I get to grow and take care of the poetry and arts scene in Stamford.
“I’m looking forward to watching the community grow so that the rest of the country can see what we have to offer.”
Emily believes strongly in the diversity of voices and would like to see more women and LGBTQ+ groups at local poetry sessions, sharing their unique perspectives of the world.
A crowd of more than 50 watched as the finalists took part in a live reading for a panel of judges, which comprised Stamford Deputy Mayor Andy Croft; SKDC Arts Programme Officer Karen Burrows; and outgoing Poet Laureate Scott Coe with inaugural Youth Poet Laureate Daniel Paice.
The Stamford Youth Laureate post was jointly awarded to share across the year. Aiden and Abbie will work closely with Stamford Arts Centre and Stamford Town Hall to support the popular local poetry scene.
Aiden, from Stamford, has been involved with the Arts Centre’s regular Pint of Poetry evenings since he was 13. He read his poem, The Way She Swims.
He said: “I feel honoured being Youth Poet Laureate as it’s a big opportunity for me to showcase how diverse poetry can be.”
Abbie, who is currently sitting A-levels, hails from Peterborough and read her composition, Hope.
She said: “I am incredibly thankful to be chosen to be a Youth Poet Laureate and I am looking forward to the opportunity to work with other writers to help encourage the growth of poetry within the local area.”
Outgoing Laureate Scott Coe said: “It’s been an amazing year and I am proud to have carried out my duties and humbled by the response I’ve received.
“It wouldn’t have been possible without support from Karen Burrows and all the staff at Stamford Arts Centre – and also everyone at Stamford Town Council.
“There has also been support from Stamford Diversity Group and MindSpace, both of which I continue working with; I am proud to support the great work that both organisations do for everyone locally.
“Thanks for the support of all the local poets and artists who I’ve interacted with and also the public who it’s been a pleasure to interact with during my time. I would like to thank our inaugural Youth Laureate Daniel Paice; it’s been a pleasure working alongside him and I wish him great success in his future endeavours.”
The Arts Centre, which is run by SKDC, proactively supports poets from across the District with regular poetry and spoken word events. Most recently, the current national Poet Laureate Simon Armitage visited for a special evening of poetry.
