Birmingham Young Poet Laureate 2012-13

Claire Guest is the eighth Young Poet Laureate for Birmingham.

The announcement was made on National Poetry Day, Thursday 4 October 2012. Claire was presented with her award by BBC presenter Adrian Goldberg and with a cheque for £100 worth of books by Rachel Lindsay from Peters.

17 year old Claire attends Sutton Grammar School for Girls and has taken a keen interest in the post of Young Poet Laureate over a number of years. She says:

'I’ve been fortunate enough to make the shortlist for the past two years in the YPL competition. Seeing the other young poets perform broadened my mind with regards to poetry; for example, I’d never heard of slam poetry. These new ideas gave me a fresh wave of passion, and I want to share this enthusiasm with other young people.

Over the past year, I’ve worked to improve my poetry, making it more original and inventive. I’ve practised performing my poetry; in the past this had made me nervous, but I have now grown in confidence and enjoy reading my poems to others.

Many young people are used to the more traditional style of poetry taught in school, and whilst some like this style, it does not appeal to all, so it is important that young people are made aware of alternatives.

Many young people use art or music to express themselves, but there must be others like me, who are pretty much tone deaf and couldn’t draw to save their life – for me, poetry was the best way to condense feelings and ideas into something more tangible.'

Read some of Claire's poems

Claire will be writing and performing poems throughout the year. You can read the four wonderful poems which Claire submitted when she applied for the post of Young Poet Laureate.

Claire's blog
Claire will be letting us know about her experiences throughout the year in her online diary.

Would you like Claire to perform at your event?

Claire will be writing specially commissioned poems and performing at events throughout 2012-13. If you would like her to perform at your event, you can apply through the online booking form.