Dawn Gorman believes poetry should be everywhere - puts it on beermats, uses it to
work with people with memory loss, facilitates writing workshops, organises poetry
events and runs international poetry competitions. She is widely published, and has
performed in New York, Paris, London - and lots of smaller places in between.

“Poetry isn't a profession, it's a way of life. It's an empty basket;
you put your life into it and make something out of that.” Mary Oliver

Bradford on Avon Fringe Festival Poetry Competition 2011

First

Peter Wyton,

Silverback Snack

Second

Stephen Payne,

O.S.

Third

Graham Burchell,

Drifting

Shortlisted Entry

Bev Hewlett,

Belongings

Claire Coleman,

Recipe

BA15 Postcode Area Special Award

Bob Steel,

The Mirror

Recipe

by Claire Coleman

Peel skin.
Cut and quarter firm flesh.
To prevent browning, slip
into salted water until ready to slide
into the bottle. Rinse the brine off first.
Running hot and cold,
fridges, cookers, washing machines,
roofs over heads and shoes on floors.
The luxury of privacy,
of time for loneliness,
not crowded in a makeshift tarp
with only bones holding you up.
Sharp self remonstrance.
Cupboards full of bottled fruit;
while, far too much to process,
windfall pears spoil
where they lie.

Judge's Comments - Dawn Gorman

Echoes here of Joanne Harris's novels and TV chefs, but more importantly an interesting angle on our over-loaded , wasteful, unbalanced 21st century lives, and on our taking things for granted. And what a line: "The luxury... of time for loneliness". One to make you think.