Meet Peterborough's new Poet Laureate - Alex Tyler

Alex, who is from the city and runs popular spoken word nights which have featured Attila the Stockbroker and Mark Grist, said he “felt inspired and motivated” and he cannot wait to take on the laureateship and everything the role has to offer.

Alex won the laureateship with his clever and inspiring poem, called ‘Transformers’.

The role is unlike any other, it is considered a Civic role, and the laureate acts as an ambassador for the city’s poetry community and the work created in their year can document various events and moments in the life of our city.

Previous laureates include Mark Grist, Keely Mills, Malika Speaks, Charley Genever, Clare Currie, Mixxy, Kat Beeton and Pete Cox, who have all gone on to become professional working poets.

The role is 27 years old and is managed by Syntax Poetry, who are a collective of poets and creatives based in and around Peterborough.

The final had 13 competitors, at the Poet Laureate Award ceremony, which was held for the first time at the University Centre Peterborough, on February 5. It was a night full of creativity and it showcased that there is a lot of talent in the city. They were made up of many types of people from the very young to the retired, to seasoned performers to those who had never performed before .

The final was hosted by Peterborough’s first ever laureate, Toby Wood. The judges were Nick Reinis Keigthley from UCP, Ruth Campbell-Ekins, Director at Metal Peterborough, Poet Mark Grist and Lauren Kendrick, Peterborough’s 2024 Poet Laureate.

Nick Reinis- Keightley, HE Manger for Arts, Social Sciences and Student Support at University Centre Peterborough (UCP), said: “When we heard we could partner with Syntax Poetry Collective, as the custodians of the Peterborough Poet Laureate Competition, to host the final, we jumped at the opportunity.

“Our institution already has a close connection with the competition, as former student Kat Beeton held the Peterborough Poet Laureate title in 2022-23, during their final year of the BA (HONS) English Literature with Creative Writing programme at UCP, so cementing that bond was too good to refuse.

“Part of our vision is to work with our local communities, particularly those in the arts and culture scene, so to bring this event to our campus and to work with Syntax was a fantastic experience.

“We’re delighted with how the evening went - a sell-out crowd, more than a dozen finalists and a well-deserved winner in Alex Tyler, who we have no doubt will be a real asset to Peterborough in the forthcoming year.

“It was also brilliant to see one of our current students, Helen Cross, perform as one of the finalists, showing such confidence and skill in front of such a talented and respected group of people and poets.”

Throughout the year Alex will work to make poetry part of the life of the city, chronicling special events, and celebrating the poetry community. In addition, Alex may be commissioned to write poems by any number of partners and across the city.