Laureates making news in the UK

The BBC reports that British Poet Laureate Andrew Motion has written a free guide to creating funeral speeches, to ensure that every person receives a fitting eulogy. (Unlike the U.S. Poet Laureate, Motion’s position requires that he compose occasional poems for events like a death in the royal family.)

Another BBC story reports that U.S. Poet Laureate Billy Collins is at the top of the shortlist for the annual Forward Prize for his book Nine Horses. The Forward Arts Foundation sponsors annual awards for best single poem and best 1st collection in addition to this £10,000 prize for the best published poetry collection.