Fan fare
In Competition No. 2912 you were invited to submit a tribute in verse to a once-popular foodstuff that has fallen…
Triple thrill
In Competition No. 2911 you were invited to submit a thriller in three text messages. This one seemed straightforward enough…
Pet hate
In Competition No. 2910 you were invited to submit a poem by a pet who is cheesed off with its…
Taking the Michael
In Competition No. 2909 you were invited to follow in the footsteps of Michael Gove, who has urged civil servants…
Open and shut case
In Competition No. 2908 you were invited to submit a comically appalling opening to an imaginary novel. Thanks are due…
Tube lines
In Competition No. 2907 you were invited to imagine that poets, living or dead, had been recruited to compose verse…
Poetry in motion
In Competition No. 2906 you were invited to write a poem about an encounter in an airport. Craig Raine’s poem…
I can see a rainbow
In Competition No. 2905 you were invited to write a sonnet whose lines begin with the letters R,O,Y,G,B,I,V,V,I,B,G,Y,O,R, in that…
Court report
In Competition No. 2904 you were invited to take as your first line ‘There’s a breathless hush on the centre…
Off colour
In Competition No. 2903 you were invited to provide an extract from an article in an interiors magazine featuring some…
Howzat!
In Competition No. 2903 you were invited to supply a poem incorporating a dozen cricketing terms. English poets love cricket:…
Pylon poetry
In Competition No. 2901 you were invited to write a poem in praise of a modern-day blot on the landscape.…
Sauce material
In Competition No. 2900 you were invited to write a short story that ends on a condiment of your choice.…
Occasional verse
In Competition No. 2899 you were invited to write a poem commemorating the birth of Princess Charlotte of Cambridge. The…
21st-century Belloc
In Competition No. 2898 you were invited to give an update on one of the children in Cautionary Tales who…
Gizza job
In Competition No. 2897 you were asked for a job application by a well-known writer, living or dead. Inspiration for…
Iffy
In Competition No. 2896 you were invited to take Kipling’s ‘If’ and recast it on behalf of a politician on…
Eating poetry
In Competition No. 2895 you were invited to submit a poem describing a meal with a well-known poet. Sylvia Fairley…
Verses on horses
In Competition No. 2894 you were invited to submit a paean to a famous racehorse. Thanks to David Pearn, who…
On the record
In Competition No. 2893 you were invited to suggest suitable Desert Island Discs for a historical figure, living or dead.…
Consequences
In Competition No. 2892 you were invited to submit an irregular quatrain in which you bring together two people from…
Yawn
In Competition No. 2891 you were invited to think of the most boring lecture topic possible and submit an extract…
End paper
In Competition No. 2890 you were invited to imagine that one of the major newspapers has ceased publication and provide…
Men behaving badly
In Competition No. 2889 you were invited to submit an extract from an imaginary novel written from the perspective of…
Acrostic
In Competition No. 2888 you were invited to submit a poem in the style of a well-known poet, the first…
