I’m delighted to have just stepped in as a last-minute poetry judge (in the face of a poet down with bad covid!) for the Hive Young Writers Competition 21/22. What a joy it was to read through the shortlist and make my choices. Such wonderful writing and so much talent developing in young poets, I know we’ll be hearing many of these young voices again in the not so distant future. I enjoyed getting to comment on the pieces too. I’ve huge admiration for what Hive does for young writers in the north and I’ll be looking forward to the coming anthology.