Roger Elkin


Roger Elkin is an English poet, born in 1943 in Biddulph, Staffordshire,U K, who has won over 250 prizes and places - 60 firsts - in national and international poetry competitions.

Awards and recognition

The following poems have been awarded 1st Prize in national open poetry competitions:
  1. She Paints, Lake Aske Memorial Award 1982
  2. In His Eighty-Eighth Year, Staple Open 1986
  3. May Visitations, Douglas Gibson Memorial Award 1986
  4. The Ribble At Stainforth, Open University 1986
  5. Cordelia in Exile, Sylvia Plath Award, World Order of Narrative Poems 1987
  6. Oriental Poppies, Yeats Club Open 1987
  7. The Fellowship of Hedges, Envoi Poetry Competition 88 1987
  8. French Fireworks, Wansbeck Writers' Open 1987
  9. Moorland Stirks, Lake Aske Memorial Award 1987
  10. Blood Brothers, Tees Valley Writer Open 1989
  11. Run, run, as fast as you can, Tees Valley Writer Open 1989
  12. Flower Talk, Tees Valley Writer Open 1990
  13. Eating Game, Swanage Open 1990
  14. Inheritance of Coal, Tees Valley Writer Open 1990
  15. Stonewalling, Tees Valley Writer Open 1990
  16. Ward 4B , The Writers' Rostrum Open 1991
  17. Red Admirals, The Trewithen Poetry Prize 1998
  18. Dying, she became islanded, boho Open 2004
  19. Stick, Ginger, Corduroy..., Scottish International Open 2004
  20. At Moments of Kill..., Norwich Writers' Circle Open 2005
  21. Boy Diving, Fakenham Open Poetry 2007
  22. Feral Pigeons, Salopian Open 2007
  23. Hunter-Gatherer Dan, Quantum Leap 19th Open 2007
  24. Ligularia dentata, Segora Open 2007
  25. Gran's Hens, Fosseway Writers' Open 2008
  26. There's this memory, Leicester Poetry Society Open 2008
  27. Blue Hyacinths, Diversity House 2009
  28. Strange Harmony, Northampton Writers' Group 2009
  29. His Eightieth, Haddon Library, Cambridge 2009
  30. Song Of Woman With Child, Hastings International Open 2009
  31. Rambling Peak District, Cannon Poets Open 2009
  32. Finding Stones, Segora Open 2009
  33. Lucky Break, Fosseway Writers' 2010
  34. Vultures, Theatre Royal Hyde Open 2010
  35. Shooting Rhino, Southport Writers' Circle Open 2011
  36. White Phlox, Theatre Royal Hyde Open 2011
  37. White Phlox, Tenby Arts Open 2011
  38. Fallow Deer, going home, Partners Poetry/Aspire Magazine Open 2011
  39. Opening the box, Quantum Leap 28th Open 2012
  40. Task Work, Sentinel Literary Quarterly June 2012
  41. Zulu Dancing, Earlyworks Open 2012
  42. Ferriby Foreshore,, Segora Open 2012
  43. James Bateman's dahlia, Bradford on Avon Open 2012
  44. Understanding Dung Beetles, Build Africa Open 2012
  45. Fishy Triptych, May Poetry Open Competition 2013
  46. Gran's Living-Room Triptych, Southport Writers' Circle Open 2015
  47. Descendants, Segora Open 2015
  48. Me, My Mother & Great Crested Newt, Poetrypulse Open 2015
  49. Of cuts of butchery, Sherborne Literary Society Open 2015
  50. Pear Blossom, November Open Competition 2015
  51. Small Fry, NAWG Open 2015
  52. What historians, Nantwich Words & Music Festival Open 2016
  53. Songs without Words, Buxton Open 2016
  54. On a Wood-Pigeon Proposition, NAWG Open 2016
  55. Rock End, The Waltraud Field Open 2017
  56. Beached Jellyfish, The Lord Whisky Sanctuary Open 2018
  57. The Longest Day, Poetry on the Lake Open, Cinema Poem Prize 2018
  58. Saving face playing drafts, Link Age Southwark Open 2018
  59. Achieving Seventy, The Waltraud Field Open 2019
  60. Remembering Vukovar, Confederation of Writers, Scotland Open 2020
Roger Elkin won the http://www.easternlightepm.com/excelforcharity/dhp2009_winningpoems.html Diversity House for the 2003 Strokestown International Poetry Competition; and one of 6 shortlisted for the Keele University Poetry Prize.

Literary career

His prize-winning poetry has appeared in journals, literary magazines and periodicals, both nationally and internationally.
He has reviewed for Stand, Outposts and Envoi and his critical articles on Ted Hughes's poetry have appeared in collections of essays edited by Keith Sagar and Joanny Moulin ; and also on the "Earth-Moon, Ted Hughes" and the "Ted Hughes Society" websites. He is an acknowledged critical authority on Ted Hughes's [limited edition publication, Recklings.
He was Poetry Tutor at Wedgwood Memorial College, Barlaston.
He was literary advisor to the Leek, Staffordshire Arts Festival, for whom he organised an International Poetry Competition ; the co-editor of Prospice, the international literary quarterly, from issues 17-25 inclusive; and the sole editor of poetry magazine Envoi 1991-2006,.

Published collections