Natasha Ryan: How I Wrote It – Three Foyle Young Poets on their Winning Poems

Spring is always busy at The Poetry Society, with lots of poets visiting schools for World Book Day, slam projects, and challenges and workshops on Young Poets Network. It’s also when we launch our annual competition for poets aged 11-17, the Foyle Young Poets of the Year Award. The award is one of the world’s foremost writing competitions for young poets, with a reputation for finding and nurturing emerging voices. This year’s award is judged by the brilliant Vanessa Kisuule and Jack Underwood, and is open for entries until 31 July at foyleyoungpoets.org

To inspire entrants, the winning poems from the 2023 award are freely available to read in an online anthology – teachers or poets working in secondary schools can also request a free class set of print copies by emailing fyp@poetrysociety.org.uk

For further inspiration, we asked three of last year’s winners to share an insight into how they wrote their winning poems. Here are extracts from their accounts: read the full features at bit.ly/foyleyoungpoets

When I was beginning to write my poem, ‘Hometown Eulogy’, I was on a plane from China to England, reflecting on how much had changed within myself and my identity since I last visited four years prior. I had so much to say, and all I needed to do was find the right words. In my first draft, I framed the poem almost as a letter to my younger self: the one who was also on the plane all those years ago, who also did not know what “home” truly meant, nor what it means to divide yourself across two cultures. If I had to guess why my poem may have been successful, I would say it was because it came from my own raw experiences, and the feelings and emotions I had attached to them. Writing that stems from yourself is a good place to start, because the unique life you lead shares moments in common with those reading your poetry, and our incredible ability to empathise translates into the appreciation of your work.

Frank Qi, age 17

I wrote ‘Not black enough’ because I wanted to try out writing something that related to me on a personal level. I decided on the topic of racism because it’s something I experience on a day-to-day basis, and I feel like I rarely see young writers talk about it. I also wanted to prove a point: that racism goes on everywhere when you are a young black girl. I chose the title ‘Not black enough’ because I wanted something simple that would touch people on a personal and close-to-heart level. I wanted to write poetry that was realistic and direct, much like Maya Angelou, who I respect for the way she presented her poetry and how real she was about it. 

Tyra Alamu, age 14

When I have an idea for a line, I try and write down everything I can think of that could relate to it, without worrying if it’s good or not. Once I’ve filled the space with some vaguely verse-y ramble, I snip out the pieces I like and draft an actual poem, playing around with formatting, phrasing and imagery. I love tying together the images in my poems… sometimes the best poems are the ones that began as messy ideas, and were then refined into something you’re proud of. Personally, winning the Foyle Award with ‘suggestions for first love’ was not something I ever expected. [It] meant so much to me, and brought me one step closer to being like the poets I admire and forming a place of my own in the world of writing.  

Bea Unwin, age 15

If you know a keen poet aged 11-17, encourage them to enter their poems into this year’s award for the chance to be among the 2024 winners. It’s free to enter, poems can be on any theme and must be 40 lines or shorter. foyleyoungpoets.org

Natasha Ryan

Natasha Ryan is Education Manager at The Poetry Society. Frank Qi, Tyra Alamu and Bea Unwin were top 15 winners in the Foyle Young Poets of the Year Award 2023.