Anna-May Laugher is a half French, half English, first prize winning poet who was raised both in France and in England, and now lives near Reading. She is also the writer of short stories and recipes and is the owner of a hypothetical sloth called Otto. She reads regularly at the poet's Corner cafe in Reading, attends poetry class at the University of Reading under the expert tutelage of Susan Utting and is also tutored at the Henley River and Rowing Museum by the David Grubb, the poet and short story writer.
Anna-May hjas just completed a two year project writing 54 poems about 'Crivelli's Garden', a painting by Paula Rego.
Her poem, 'Stone Map in Ravelin Park' was chosen by Media Studies students at the University of Chichester to feature in a film voiced by Joanna Lumley as part of the BBC's Big Screen Project in Portsmouth.
Anna-May's poem Stone Map in Ravelin Park was used as the basis of a poem film by Chichester University poetry students voiced by the actress and political activist Joanna Lumley, which has been screened (so far) at Chichester Cinema and BBC's Big Screen in Portsmouth. It was also available for viewing on BBC Hampshire as part of the BBC's Poetry Season. She was also commissioned to write a poem about the River Ingle.
She has had her poems published in Domestic Cherry 2, Carrillon, Roundyhouse, The Journal, Manifold, Chiltern Writers Group, Plume Literary and Meniscus, the University of Canberra online magazine. Poems coming up in Ink Sweat & Tears, Reading University Creative Arts Anthology & Domestic Cherry 3.
Anna-May won the Kick Start Poets open competition in 1999 but stopped writing for some time while looking after her grandson and working in mental health. Following the death of her daughter in 2006, she decided to follow her dream and write full time. She won the open poetry competition of the Havant Literary Festival and has headlined at Nineveh bookshop in Havant. Anna-May has been Writer in Residence at the Bucklebury Farm Park writing about the wildlife and the domestic animals.
Recent readings include: at the Cheltenham Literary Festival fringe, with Susan Utting & Lesley Saunders; and at the Troubadour Old Brompton Road for 'Epiphanies'.Anna-May reads at many venues and was commended in the 2009 Ware Poetry Competition.
Anna-May was awarded first prize in the Bishop's castle Literary festival Competition; 'highly commended' in the Southport Writers' Competition for her poem In praise of kitchen roll; and a 'highly commended' award in The Ware Competition for her poem Avebury.
Anna-May headlined at Petersfield Write Angle in August 2009 & July 2011.
The bottom line: Anna-May had a poem on the buttock of a papier mache covered blow-up doll in an art gallery in Swindon! (The art work was created by Hilda Sheehan)
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