The shortlist has been announced for the 2012 T S Eliot Prize.  The 10 shortlisted poets and their works are:

• Simon Armitage The Death of King Arthur
• Sean Borodale Bee Journal
• Gillian Clarke ICE
• Julia Copus The World’s Two Smallest Humans
• Paul Farley The Dark Film
• Jorie Graham P L A C E
• Kathleen Jamie The Overhaul
• Sharon Olds Stag’s Leap
• Jacob Polley The Havocs
• Deryn Rees-Jones Bringing the Wren

The Poetry Book Society in partnership with the English and Media Centre are also running a shadowing scheme.  Open to GCSE and A level students, students are encouraged to read the poems and to take part in a poll vote for their choice of winner.  A level (or equivalent) students can also enter an essay competition to write the best 500 word rationale for their choice of poet.

This would be a perfect opportunity for a reading group to participate in the shadowing scheme as along with two poems from each of the 10 shortlisted collections discussion ideas and biographies are also available.  All downloads are available at www.poetrybooks.co.uk/projects/15.  A teachers guide is also available on the emagazine website at www.emagazine.org.uk.

The emagazine also includes 6 suggestions for schools and colleges on how to organise the reading and discussion of the poems at www.englishandmedia.co.uk/eliot/6suggestions.html.

The deadline for rational entries and student poll closes on 18th December 2012.  The Award Ceremony with the announcement of the T S Eliot winner along with the student poll and winning student rationale is on 14th January 2013 at the Wallace Collection, London.