GUEST POET 6 Kate Noakes

Since the first ever female poet laureate has recently been announced, it seems fitting that Pure Poetry should also "get in on the act" of discovering the anomaly that is "female poets". Yes, believe it or not, Carol Ann Duffy is not the only one! We introduce to you another that we have discovered - Kate Noakes.

I think it was former Guest Poet (a male one - David Foster Morgan) who first introduced me to Kate's work. Once I'd got over the shock that a woman could produce poetry of such quality, I decided to include some of Kate's work in issue 2 of Square magazine. She also had the good fortune to appear in Cool (the magazine previously known as Square). Eyes right for three of these poems.

I had the good fortune of meeting Kate in the flesh recently when I visited the sleepy University town of Reading, where Kate resides. I think in Square I might have made mention of the fact that Kate was English. Not so, according to her. Despite living in Wales' neighbouring and rival land, she is keen to defend her Welsh origins.

Kate has been quite widely published in several small press magazines in the UK, USA, Canada and Europe. She has won prizes in the 2006 Poetry London competition and the 2007 Iota competition. In 2007, she WON the Cheshire Poetry competition and in 2008, WON the Rhyme & Reason Competition. Can she make it a hat-trick of wins and WIN a poetry competition in 2009, Pure Poetry wonders (keep a look-out bookmakers!).
 
She has been invited to perform at the Poetry Society, The Big Chill, Glastonbury Festival, Nottingham Poetry Festival, Windsor Arts Centre and Hay Festival. She ran the poetry writing workshop at the 2007 Women in Tune Festival.

Her first collection Ocean to Interior was published in 2007 by Mighty Erudite Press (purchasable HERE). The final three poems (right) are taken from her second book, The Wall Menders which will be published by Two Rivers Press later this month, and will be available to buy from HERE.

Clearly, Kate's credentials are pretty much established, and Pure Poetry is honoured for her to be the site's Guest Poet No. 6!
 

A selection of Kate's poetry