I’ll always be indebted to the TLC Free Read I received in 2022 and 20024, thanks to New Writing South and Arvon. My readers provided valuable feedback on how to improve certain poems, but they also pointed out the value of some poems I’d found impossible to get published. More importantly, they gave me confidence in my writing and my ability to get a debut collection published. More strategically, it helped me to develop a narrative arc for my collection, which was accepted by my dream publisher, Out-Spoken Press, and has been longlisted for the 2026 Jerwood Prize for Best First Collection.
Simon Maddrell,
lamping wild rabbits,
Out-Spoken Press