Literary Live Aid...

In collaboration with 21 fellow poets, laureate Carol Ann Duffy has launched a literary live aid-style event to raise money for victims of the Haiti earthquake. Duffy thought of the idea after following the news coverage of the story, saying; 'it didn't seem enough to do the usual thing and get my credit card out, and I wondered if we could do something bigger than that, and being a poet, a poetry reading was the only thing I could think of.' She added, 'We turn to poetry at intense moments in our lives...it is the perfect art form for public or private grief.' Joining her on Saturday afternoon at Central Hall, will be recent prize winner Christopher Reid, former Poet Laureate Andrew Motion, children's poet Roger McGough and Gillian Clarke. Poetry Live for Haiti, aims to raise £20,000.

A Beautiful Reid...

In a surprising turn of events, Christopher Reid has tonight been announced as the winner of the 2009 Costa Book of the Year. Going into the London ceremony, no one was able to see beyond Colm Toibin for the award, whose novel 'Brooklyn' had beaten of Man Booker Prize winner Hilary Mantel in the best novel category. Yet in a shock decision, it was Reid's poetry collection, 'The Scattering' that scooped the acolade, only the sixth poet to win following successes by the like of Seamus Heaney and Ted Hughes. The collection, described by the judges as 'austere and beautiful and moving', was written as a tribute to Reid's late wife, Reid himself saying; 'I wanted to tell her somehow through these poems why I would be missing her when she left'. Reid thanked the judges for their 'generosity and kindness', saying he was 'obviously delighted' at picking up the £30,000 award.