Capital Poet

The Final Capital Poet Event

11 May 2006
Celebrity Restaurant at St David’s Hall

Capital Poet Gillian Clarke introduced three of her favourite poets– Kathryn Gray, Imtiaz Dharker and Maura Dooley

The Capital Poet event brought together two of Academi’s largest projects in a celebration of poetry and Cardiff. Read on to find out who took part in this prestigious event.

Gillian Clarke the Capital’s Poet
Born in Cardiff 1937, Gillian is a poet, writer, playwright, editor, and translator. She returned to Cardiff to marry, bring up her children and become a self-employed writer. With over fifty publications and four honorary fellowships Gillian is an acclaimed poet and writer. Gillian Clarke’s publications include The King of Britain’s Daughter (Carcanet, 1993), Collected Poems (Carcanet, 1997), Making the Beds for the Dead (Carcanet, 2004), The Animal Wall (Gomer Press, 1999).

Guest Poets Invited by Gillian Clarke

Kathryn Gray
Recipient of an Eric Gregory Award, Kathryn Gray was shortlisted for the T S Eliot Prize for Poetry and the Forward Prize for Best First Collection in 2004 for her debut, The Never-Never (Seren, 2004). Her poetry and criticism has appeared in major journals and broadsheets, including The Times Literary Supplement, The Independent on Sunday and Poetry Review.
Click here to read Kathryn Gray’s web blog.

Imtiaz Dharker
Born in Pakistan, Imtiaz Dharker grew up a Muslim Calvinist in a Lahori household in Glasgow and eloped with a Hindu Indian to live in Bombay. She is now making a new life between India, London and Wales. She is an accomplished artist and documentary film-maker, and all her books include her own drawings. Her books include Postcards from God (including Purdah, 1997), I Speak for the Devil (2001) and The Terrorist at my Table (2006). All published by Bloodaxe.
Click here to visit the Poetry International website and find out more about Imtiaz Dharker

Maura Dooley
Maura Dooley was born in Truro, grew up in Bristol, and after working for some years in Yorkshire now lives in London. She is a freelance writer and lectures at Goldsmiths’ College. She edited Making for Planet Alice: New Women Poets (Bloodaxe, 1997) and The Honey Gatherers: A Book of Love Poems (Bloodaxe, 2003), and How Novelists Work (Seren, 2000). Her book Sound Barrier: Poems 1982-2002 (Bloodaxe, 2002) draws on collections including Explaining Magnetism (Bloodaxe, 1991) and Kissing a Bone (Bloodaxe, 1996), both Poetry Book Society Recommendations. Kissing a Bone was shortlisted for the T.S. Eliot Prize.
Click here to find out more about Maura Dooley on the Contemporary Writers website

The much awaited results of the 2006 Cardiff International Poetry Competition were announced at the Capital Poet event by judge Hilary Llewellyn-Williams. She presented an adjudication, Gillian Clarke presented the awards and the winners read their poems.

Click here for the results and to read the winning poems.