Arts | University

07 May 10

Christopher Ricks was the last to hold the Professor of Poetry post.

Poetry is firmly in the spotlight at Oxford University as the nominations for the prestigious Professor of Poetry post closed at 4pm on Wednesday 5 May.

This year’s field is the largest in recent years, and features 11 candidates in total seeking to take up the prestigious position and follow in the footsteps of Matthew Arnold, WH Auden and Seamus Heaney.

The wide-ranging list of candidates includes well-known names from the worlds of poetry, drama and the visual arts. Members of Convocation have until 4 June to register to vote, and all those eligible to vote must register by the deadline in order to cast their ballot. Voting will start on 21 May and close on 16 June (at midday BST).

In the past, voting has only been possible in person in Oxford on a single day but for the forthcoming election, the voting system has been updated.  As well as the new online voting system, voting by ballot box will be available over a period of time, rather than on one day, for all those who have registered.

Dr Seamus Perry, Deputy Chair of the English Faculty Board, which hosts the chair, said: ‘The new voting procedures were designed to involve more people in the election of the Professor, because we recognise that while poetry matters to academics it matters a lot to many people who aren't academics too. And, happily, we seem to have encouraged many more nominations too, which must be a good thing. It is great to see that so many poets are keen to be associated with the Oxford Chair of Poetry. The field is both large and extremely diverse.’

Those eligible can vote for their preferred candidate to succeed Christopher Ricks, who steps down from his five-year term of office at the end of September. The successful candidate is scheduled to be in post for the new academic year in autumn 2010. An election to the Professorship of Poetry was held in summer 2009 but the winning candidate, Ruth Padel, decided not to take up the post.

The new Professor of Poetry will be announced once voting is completed and the votes are counted, on Friday 18 June 2010.

Candidate statements are now available online, and will be published in the University Gazette on 20 May.

Paula Claire, performance poet, artist and lecturer

Michael George Gibson, performer and 'poetician'

Seán Haldane, poet and neuro-psychologist

Geoffrey Hill, poet, critic, and lecturer: formerly Professor of English at the University of Leeds, Cambridge and Boston University

Michael Horovitz, beat poet, saxophonist and literary impresario

Robert P Lacey

Steve Larkin, performance poet and storyteller

Roger Lewis, biographer of Anthony Burgess

Chris Mann, South African poet and musician

Stephen Moss, journalist and former literary editor of The Guardian

Vaughan Pilikian, film-maker and Sanskrit scholar

Members of Convocation (all matriculated Oxford University students who have had a degree formally conferred, as well as current and retired members of the University’s ‘parliament’, Congregation) have until 4 June to register to vote, and all those eligible to vote must register by the deadline in order to cast their ballot. Voting will start on 21 May and close on 16 June (at midday BST).