Last year, Simone was part of the judging panel for Leeds Poetry Festival’s annual competition alongside Poppy Jennings, Izzy Britain and Tom Sims. The theme for the second edition was ‘Taking up Space’.
Here are a few words Simone wrote about her experience of judging which were printed in the anthology:
“This year, judging Leeds Poetry Festival’s competition has refreshed my outlook and given me the confidence to submit more of my own work to places in future. When you submit work, you throw it out into this deep void, not knowing if people will really read it, or notice your intention, or care about your careful metaphors. We traced over every single word, caressing them between our lips. It was beautiful. Each piece spoke to each of us differently and through discussions, we connected the dots, pulling together this powerful collection. I cannot wait to see it take up space on shelves.”