Magma is delighted to congratulate Judy Brown on winning first prize in this year’s Poetry London Competition with ‘Letter to My Optician’.
Judy has been a member of the Magma team and, before that, a member of the City Lit group from which Magma sprang. We have all delighted in her gift for rich and startling imagery whenever her poems have appeared in Magma and elsewhere, and clearly Don Paterson, the competition judge, did too. Judy’s first pamphlet collection, Pillars of Salt, was published by Templar Poetry in 2006 and we’re sure it won’t be long before a more substantial collection of her work appears.
Congratulations too to Howard Wright for winning second prize in the competition. Howard is a Magma regular and was our Showcase poet in Magma 28. And congratulations to Matthew Caley for his Commended. Matthew has appeared many times in Magma and featured at many of our readings, even going so far as St Andrews to read for us at the STAnza Festival in 2007.
I am thrilled for Judy as I think this is a tremendous poem.
I wonder if judy would allow you to give me her email address as I gather she lives near me in South London (Dulwich and West Dulwich)and I had an idea for a South London event.
Thank you to all of Magma for keeping us so well informed about the poetry world.
Wendy