Poets of Colour 2023-2024 application

GENERAL

• The Poets of Colour Incubator (the “Incubator”) is a collaboration between Manchester Metropolitan University (“Manchester Met”) and Words of Colour (“WoC”).
• In order to be eligible to apply, you must:
  • Be a UK resident, permanently residing in the North of England, defined as the North East, North West and Yorkshire and the Humber;
  • Be at least 18 years of age;
  • Be of Black, Asian, Arab or Mixed Heritage background; and
  • Have not had
    • a full poetry collection published by an independent or mainstream publisher, or
    • Been commissioned to perform a full length show (one hour or more) in a live venue or digitally.
• The deadline for applications is 5pm (BST time) on Tuesday 25th July 2023. Applications received after this deadline will not be considered.
• In order to be considered, applicants must submit:
  • An online application form;
  • Three examples of existing poetic work;
  • A CV outlining artistic practice and/or any relevant experience to date;
  • An online monitoring form which will be anonymised on the point of receival by an administrator who is the only person with access the email inbox. 
• Applications must be completed via the Incubator website page which you can find HERE. If due to a disability or extenuating circumstance you need to submit your application as a hard copy, please email PoCIncubator@mmu.ac.uk as soon as possible ahead of the deadline.
• Manchester Met with its data protection obligations while they remain in force including the Data Protection Act 2018, the Privacy and Electronic Communications (EC Directive) Regulations 2003, the UK General Data Protection Regulation and any other laws and regulations relating to the processing of personal data and privacy in the United Kingdom,
• The application process will be governed by English Law and any dispute will be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales.
• Manchester Met reserves the right to amend these terms and conditions and the associated project where it is deemed necessary to do so or where circumstances are beyond Manchester Met’s control. Any changes to the criteria or application process will be posted on the Manchester Poetry Library website.

SHORTLISTING AND SELECTION

• An independent judging panel of award-winning poets and literary and culture specialists from Words of Colour, Manchester Poetry Library and Manchester Met will longlist and shortlist applications.
• The judging criteria is as follows:
  • How the programme will benefit and amplify your idea, practice, performance and professional development;
  • The quality of your poetry and creative practice;
  • Your commitment to being part of a community of practice; and The strength of the case that you make for your own idea and how you will explore it.
• All shortlisted applicants must be available for interview week commencing 7 August 2023.
• Successful applicants will be notified by Tuesday 15th August 2023.
• All applicants will be informed of the outcome of their application, but we regret we will be unable to offer feedback on unsuccessful applications. All decisions are final and at the sole discretion of the panel.

SUCCESSFUL APPLICANTS

Successful applicants will benefit from a bursary, as well as mentoring. In return, applicants are expected to engage in development of the programme, as set out below.

• Successful applicants will receive:  A £6000 creative action bursary;
• Access to professional mentoring from poet Roger Robinson;
• Access to 6 mentoring masterclasses on:
  • How to develop a Creative Wellbeing Audit
  • Creative Entrepreneurship and Having a Sustainable Career
  • Poetry, Resilience and Change Agency
  • Interrogating your Craft and Performance
  • Digital Inclusion for Live Events
  • Creative entrepreneurship training from Words of Colour
• Successful applicants will also be expected to:
  • Host public drop ins to explore ideas at Contact Theatre and HOMEMCR
  • Test and develop writing ideas in response to the theme of ‘change’ across the year’s residency
  • Plan, coproduce and host and end of programme showcase 

CONTACT

Our Information page provides answers to most questions. If you have further queries, please email the Poets of Colour Incubator team at PoCIncubator@mmu.ac.uk.

PRIVACY NOTICE FOR THE POETS OF COLOUR INCUBATOR 2023

This Privacy Notice explains who we are, how and why we collect and use personal information about you, what personal data is collected and held about you for the Poets of Colour Incubator 2023, our purposes and lawful bases for processing, who we share your personal data with, relevant retention periods, and how you can exercise your privacy rights.

Please do read this notice to understand our practices and if you have any questions please contact us using the contact details provided below.

The University is registered as a Data Controller with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO). We manage personal data in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the University’s Data Protection Policy.

Your application submission data will be shared with our partner organisation Words of Colour (WoC). It will be identifiable, as the Words of Colour team are part of the judging process for shortlisting applicants.

Your Equality and Diversity Data will only be shared anonymously. Your data will not be shared internationally or with any third party processor.

If you choose to submit your work for the Poets of Colour Incubator, we collect and process certain data about you. This includes:

• Your first and last name
• Your age range
• Country and postcode
• Email Address
• Telephone number

Our lawful basis for processing the above details is ‘legitimate interests’.

If you are shortlisted your data will be shared with an internal team of judges and Data Controller:‘Words of Colour’.

If you are unsuccessful in being shortlisted, your ‘email address’ will be retained for a mailing list, so you can be sent further opportunities but from which you can unsubscribe at any time.

If you are successful in being shortlisted, your data will be retained for a mailing list and so you can be invited to workshops and opportunities, from which you can unsubscribe at any time.

If you are successful in being chosen as one of the poets, your data will be retained for a mailing list, and shared with the Incubator mentors so that they can tailor their mentoring to you.

Any relevant data you share with us about your progress will be shared with Words Of Colour as part of the evaluation report to Arts Council England.

If you no longer want your email address to be held, please contact the project team at PoCIncubator@mmu.ac.uk or our data protection officer at dataprotection@mmu.ac.uk.

Your personal data will only be retained for as long as it is necessary in accordance with the University’s Retention and Disposal Schedule. Specifically, we will retain your personal data for a period of 5 years, for a mailing list.

For further information about your data rights please visit our website or contact our data protection officer at dataprotection@mmu.ac.uk.

Please note, that these rights apply in certain circumstances, for example according to the lawful basis utilised by the University. The right of access to personal information held about you exists in order to be aware of, and verify, the lawfulness of the processing. Please use the contact information below to exercise these rights.

For questions or concerns about this Privacy Notice, or our use of your personal information, please contact the Poets of Colour Incubator team at PoCIncubator@mmu.ac.uk in the first instance.

Our Data Protection Officer can also be contacted using dataprotection@mmu.ac.uk, by calling 0161 247 3884 or in writing to: Data Protection Officer, Legal Services, All Saints Building, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, M15 6BH.

You have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) as the supervisory authority in respect of the processing of your personal data. We would encourage you to expend our internal complaints procedure through our initial contact and the University Data Protection Officer, prior to contacting the ICO.

Please contact: casework@ico.org.uk or telephone: 0303 123 1113. For any further contact information please see: https://ico.org.uk/global/contact-us/.

The Poets of Colour Incubator - FAQs

Can poets of colour from outside the UK apply?

Unfortunately, for this programme, poets must be resident in the North of England in the UK to be eligible.

Do you have to pay a fee to apply?

No, there is no fee to apply for the Poets of Colour Incubator.

Is the programme for published poets?

The programme is for emerging poets of colour with two years of poetry practice under their belt and who haven’t been formally commissioned and published by an independent or mainstream publisher. We do, though, accept poets who are self-published.

Is the programme only for young poets?

No. The programme has no upper age limit, and the minimum age is 18.

What is the time commitment required for the programme?

The programme is organised to be adaptable, including having virtual/online sessions. There are mutually agreed times to attend five masterclasses and two individual mentoring sessions with the professional mentor. Most of the programme is arranged to enable the successful Incubator poets to have reflection and creative development time alongside personally arranged times with two programme mentors (six times). There are also individual arrangements to rehearse, alongside collaborative scheduling for live performances (two) and public facing drop-ins (three), all over a 12 month period. You will work independently as well as collaborate with the other Incubator poets and connect with poets and poetry practitioners from the North of England and beyond.

Why are part time and full time students not eligible to apply?

Students are not eligible to apply because they are already enrolled in and are receiving education and learning within a supportive environment. They will have academic and/or vocational commitments which may put them at a disadvantage on a 12 month programme which requires a consistent, creative, professional and personal commitment with elements of spontaneity as part of a developmental process.

What are you looking for from an application?

We are looking for poets of colour who want an opportunity to develop, test and explore their ideas, work and working practice to enable them to build the foundations for a sustainable career - and the confidence to work collaboratively and independently. We are also looking for generous poets who are willing to connect and collaborate with the other Incubator poets, contribute to a community of practice and want to explore how their work can inspire their change agency in response to global challenges. It would be good to demonstrate a willingness to experiment and take risks within a supportive environment.

Is there any support available for poets who are not selected?

Yes. In addition to the three Incubator poets selected, five of the shortlisted poets will have access to the masterclasses, receive professional guidance, be signposted to other poetry and literature collectives, organisations and contacts, and funding opportunities. Those not selected will be informed of poetry events and opportunities through a mailing list as well as online resources and activities taking place at Manchester Poetry Library or through our partner agencies.

Why is the Incubator for poets of colour?

There are many reasons, highlighted repeatedly through 20+ years of research showing continued racial disparities and the negative impact of structural and systemic racism and discrimination, which disproportionately impact on poets of colour. This is amplified in terms of access to, and the poor take up of, development and training opportunities and mentoring. Plus, the fact that poets of colour are less likely to be published and reviewed. There is also a systemic lack of understanding of the challenges facing poets of colour who are disabled, have lived experience of mental illness, are LGBTQ+, have experience of forced migration, and may face additional barriers based on social class and geography. For more information, visit the Poets of Colour Incubator Application overview section.