I am part of the Editing team, and I have contributed to deciding themes for our Spotlight category. Every submission is a joy to read, and I thoroughly encourage all poets to continue submitting!

I would love to see more poetry that isn’t afraid to challenge conventional forms. The idea that your poetry needs to look and sound a certain way may be holding you back – let your poetry breathe and explore the page! I am particularly drawn to poetry that pays attention to the musicality and not just the rhyming potential of words.

I strongly believe that anyone who wants to write poetry, can. Once you break the barrier of being afraid to start, you are a poet! Try and shake the idea that every piece of writing must be perfect and fully formed. It is okay to be disappointed in some pieces – it is a natural part of the writing process. However, never throw these drafts away! There is no such thing as failure in your own notebook, and poems that you one day want to discard could be redrafted into your favourite poem in the future.