When you find yourself in a hall filled with poets from over 100 countries worldwide, you understand that literature truly is a universal language. Today I met Lydia – a poet who showed me that creativity can become a bridge between cultures and generations.
The National Poetry Competition 2022 winners were announced at a live awards event at the Southbank Centre, London on 29 March 2023, creating an electric atmosphere of international literary celebration. Ukrainian poet and photo-artist Lydia Grigorieva caught my attention during the reception when she mentioned combining visual art with verse.
The National Poetry Competition accepts entries from all over the world, with over 10,000 poems being submitted to the competition each year, but the real magic happened between formal presentations. Lydia’s British Library project “Dual Cultures, Between Two Worlds” explores themes I constantly navigate in my own writing.
Her BBC World Service collaborations fascinated me – adapting poetry for radio requires distilling language to its most essential elements. We discussed how photo-poetry combinations create new narrative possibilities, challenging traditional boundaries between visual and textual storytelling.
The ceremony itself felt like witnessing poetry’s democratic power. Winners ranged from established voices to complete newcomers, united by their ability to transform ordinary experience into extraordinary language.
Standing in the Southbank Centre surrounded by this diverse creative community, I realized how much London’s literary scene extends beyond English-language traditions. Poetry becomes the common currency connecting disparate cultural experiences.
This evening opened doors to London’s international poetry networks I hadn’t previously accessed.
Posted from London, where poetry proves that authentic voices transcend all linguistic boundaries.
— Writer Julia Zolotova
