Tag Archive for Indonesian Poetry

Will Harris Wins Felix Dennis Prize

Congratulations to poet Will Harris! His debut poetry collection RENDANG is the recipient of the Felix Dennis Prize for Best First Collection.

Given by the Forward Arts Foundation, the prize honors excellence in contemporary poetry published in the UK and Ireland, including Best Collection, Best First Collection, and Best Single Poem. Harris is the winner of the prize for Best First Collection.

Using long poems, ekphrasis, and ruptured forms, RENDANG is a startling new take on the self, and how an identity is constructed. Drawing on his Anglo-Indonesian heritage, Will Harris shows us new ways to think about the contradictions of identity and cultural memory. He creates companions that speak to us in multiple languages. They deftly ask us to consider how and what we look at, as well as what we don’t look at and why. It is intellectual and accessible, moving and experimental, and combines a linguistic innovation with a deep emotional rooting.

An event announcing Harris and other winners will be hosted by the British Library online at 3 PM (British time). Check out more information here.