Will Harris (born 1989) is a London-based poet of Chinese Indonesian and British heritage. His debut poetry book ''RENDANG'' won the Forward Prize for Best First Collection 2020, and was shortlisted for the

T. S. Eliot Prize The T. S. Eliot Prize for Poetry is a prize that was, for many years, awarded by the Poetry Book Society (UK) to "the best collection of new verse in English first published in the UK or the Republic of Ireland" in any particular year. The Priz ...

2021. His poem ''SAY'' was shortlisted for the Forward Prize for Best Single Poem in 2018. In 2019, Harris received a Poetry Fellowship from the Arts Foundation. ''RENDANG'' was described by the ''

London Review of Books The ''London Review of Books'' (''LRB'') is a British literary magazine published twice monthly that features articles and essays on fiction and non-fiction subjects, which are usually structured as book reviews. History The ''London Review of ...

'' as "one of the most hotly-anticipated debut poetry collections of 2020", by ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'' as "a sharp and assured debut collection that meditates on the multiplicity of identity", and by the ''

Financial Times The ''Financial Times'' (''FT'') is a British daily newspaper printed in broadsheet and published digitally that focuses on business and economic current affairs. Based in London, England, the paper is owned by a Japanese holding company, Nik ...

'' as "poems that brim with soul and playfulness." ''RENDANG'' was longlisted for the 2021

Dylan Thomas Prize The Dylan Thomas Prize is a leading prize for young writers presented annually. The prize, named in honour of the Welsh writer and poet Dylan Thomas, brings international prestige and a remuneration of £30,000 (~$46,000). It is open to published w ...

and shortlisted for the John Pollard Foundation International Poetry Prize, 2021. Harris's essay ''Mixed-Race Superman'' was published in the UK by Peninsula Press and by

Melville House Melville House is a 1697 house that lies to the south side of the Palace of Monimail near Collessie in Fife, Scotland. It has been a school and a training base for Polish soldiers who had arrived in Scotland after the 51st Highland Division h ...

in the US. It was described by ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' as "a zany, exuberant and highly original meditation on what it means to come of age as a mixed-race person in a predominantly white world" and by ''

The Times Literary Supplement ''The Times Literary Supplement'' (''TLS'') is a weekly literary review published in London by News UK, a subsidiary of News Corp. History The ''TLS'' first appeared in 1902 as a supplement to ''The Times'' but became a separate publication i ...

'' as "meditat ngwisely on this potentially awkward yet not exactly uncommon state of in-betweenness". Harris was mentored on

The Complete Works The complete works of an artist, writer, musician, group, etc., is a collection of all of their cultural works. For example, '' Complete Works of Shakespeare'' is an edition containing all the plays and poems of William Shakespeare. A ''Complete ...

poets of colour mentoring scheme initiated by Bernardine Evaristo to redress representational invisibility.

Work

* 2018: ''Mixed-Race Superman'' (Peninsula Press) * 2020: ''RENDANG'' (

Granta Books ''Granta'' is a literary magazine and publisher in the United Kingdom whose mission centres on its "belief in the power and urgency of the story, both in fiction and non-fiction, and the story’s supreme ability to describe, illuminate and m ...

), * 2023: ''Brother Poem'' (Granta Books),

Awards

* 2017: London Review Bookshop Pamphlet of the Year, ''All this is implied'' * 2020:

Forward Poetry Prize The Forward Prizes for Poetry are major British awards for poetry, presented annually at a public ceremony in London. They were founded in 1992 by William Sieghart with the aim of celebrating excellence in poetry and increasing its audience. The ...

for Best First Collection, ''RENDANG''

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Harris, Will 21st-century English poets 1989 births Living people