About us
Led by poets, critics
and a shared conviction
Led by Professor Andrew McMillan and Dr Nikolai Duffy, we are experts in the practice of poetry writing and critical theory in poetry, with a focus on modern and contemporary poetry.
Our poets and critics
We are home to six world-leading professors of poetry, together with a number of award-winning poets and critics: a community whose work has shaped modern and contemporary poetry both nationally and internationally.
- Brian Sneeden
- Dame Carol Ann Duffy, the former UK Poet Laureate from 2009 to 2019
- Andrew McMillan
- Helen Mort
- Antony Rowland
- Jean Sprackland
- Michael Symmons Roberts
- Kim Moore
- Malika Booker
- Nikolai Duffy
- Anjum Malik
See full profiles on Who We Are →
Awards and recognition
Costa Prize
Forward Prize
T. S. Eliot Prize
Fellow, Royal Society of Literature
Fellow, English Association
Damehood
Prize judging panels
“The University is home to both established and emerging writers working together, producing new poetry that interrogates the world we live in. This creative excellence filters directly into the teaching and positions Manchester Metropolitan as a leading creative writing centre on the international stage.”
Helen Mort
Our connections
Our connections with broadcasters, theatres, opera companies, galleries, universities and other cultural organisations make us one of the leading centres for poetry both nationally and internationally.
Broadcast
Our poets are heard as often as they’re read, writing, presenting and reading across national radio and television.
Music and opera
With the Royal Northern College of Music and BBC Philharmonic, poets and composers work side by side to make new work.
Galleries and theatres
Poetry finds its way onto stages and gallery walls through collaborations across Manchester’s cultural venues.
Universities
Shared research and teaching carry poetry’s questions into other disciplines and other institutions.
UNESCO City of Literature
We are a founder partner of Manchester’s successful UNESCO bid, one of the important connections that makes us a global leader in poetry.