Philosophy Poetry Prize 2021
Philosophy Poetry Prize 2021
In spring 2021, the School of Philosophy and Economic Science initiated the first Philosophy Poetry Prize. Open to all young poets up to the age of 25 and based on the theme of ‘Freedom’, the prize aims to encourage and support young people in the arts through poetry.
The winner of the inaugural poetry prize 2021 is Molly Evans with ‘The Song’:
About the poet
Molly Evans is a poet from South Wales and a student of English Language and Literature at Balliol College, Oxford. She is a keen photographer, writer and musician, and is working towards a career in politics or journalism. She can be found on Instagram @tyger_tyger_burningbright_ and can be contacted through her email address at MJ_evans02@yahoo.com.
About ‘The Song’ by Molly Evans
I wrote this poem during the first lockdown, back in March 2020. I had never realised, until then, just how much we all rely upon human connection. I was struggling with a tunnel vision; that life would never be the same again. But then, I remembered our shared human history – our triumphs, our defeats, our persistence. Essentially, I had faith in our future because I remembered our past.
Nobody knows what ‘the song’ is; it can’t be described, only experienced. Maybe it’s the rhythm of our heartbeats. Maybe it’s laughter. Maybe it’s myths and legends; music and stories. Maybe it is God. Maybe it is other people. Maybe it’s our life force.
I wanted to convey the message that even though life can be daunting, and at times terrifying – humanity is the reason we have evolved so far, and it is also the reason why we even bother emotionally and socially evolving at all.
In essence then, this is a piece about the resiliency of the human spirit, our strength in togetherness, and our undeniable tendency to search for ‘more’ in this brief, mysterious experience we call life.
What does poetry mean to me? By Molly Evans
I think poetry is the perfect balance between music and prose. It can be delicate, gut-wrenching, or both at once. It’s fascinating to me how the rhythm of a line can influence the emotion it evokes in a reader. Good poetry should paint a picture in a reader’s head, without telling the reader what the picture is, or what to think about the picture. Because, what makes poetry so magical is how unique every reader’s takeaway from it is.
About The Philosophy Poetry Prize
As a Philosophy School we have supported and actively promoted the Arts over many decades, with notable examples being the inception and long-term hosting of Art in Action between 1977-2016 and the commission of extensive frescoes at Waterperry House. We continue to support the Arts through various new initiatives, of which the Philosophy Poetry Prize is one. This new platform is created to support and celebrate poetry that captures various truths of life with authenticity, beauty, and creativity.
Each year a theme will be advertised in spring for young poets up to the age of 25 to respond to.
The judges review all the submissions blindly for fairness. The brief and rules advertised can be found here.
If you appreciate the poem and wish to support the poet, please remember to quote them when their poem is reproduced.
Copyright 2021 Molly Evans. Unless otherwise noted, the poems on this site are licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. The poem can be freely used for non-commercial uses with full credit to the poet.
For enquiries about The Philosophy Poetry Prize or the poets please contact: poetry@fses.org.