A local poet has set up a literary platform to assist other poets in the area.    

Scarlett Ward Bennet, pictured, whose debut collection “Ache” was published by Verve Poetry Press in 2019 and was nominated for the 2020 Forward Poetry Prize, has founded Fawn Press in 2021 to provide a platform for new and underrepresented writers.   “I don’t just want this press to BE good” she said, “producing beautiful books full of exceptional poetry, I also want it to DO good, acting as a socially conscious platform for underrepresented and emerging writers “.  

The first publication is the anthology “Elements , Natural And The Supernatural “ which has a soft back in soft touch lamination with gold foil lettering and a limited run of hardbacks.   The anthology will be showcased at the Wolverhampton Literature Festival next year.  

“I didn’t include any of my own poetry” said Scarlett.“I thought it wouldn’t be right and would come across as a bit selfish, especially as I wanted Fawn Press to function as a platform for other poets”.  

These incredible altruistic words come from a lady who was nominated for the best spoken word performer and came 3rd in the Wolverhampton Literature Festival Prize judged by former Birmingham Poet Laureate Roy McFarlane.

Scarlett is Writing Assistant with Writing West Midlands.  

The first time this reviewer met Scarlett was at Walsall’s Freeverse Festival with at The Lamp in Brownhills in 2019 when she launched her first collection.  The event was organised by Walsall Poetry Society with the Creative Writing Department of Wolverhampton University.  

The last time this reviewer had the pleasure of her company was in October when Scarlett was performing her wonderful poetry outside the New Art Gallery in Walsall.  The event was Poetry in Motion and was to celebrate Stage 2 of the Round Britain Women’s Cycle Race that began and ended in Walsall.    

“I want to publish books of exceptional poetry” Scarlett explained “as I believe that poetry has the power to change lives through that transcendental connection between writer and reader.  Storytelling lies at the very soul of our experience as human beings, connecting us since the dawn of time.    

We hope to a platform that welcomes all writers, rejecting elitist and pompous attitudes to publishing in favour of our inclusive approach, while maintaining a high quality of writing that transports, excites and inspires”.  

For more information: www.fawnpress.co.uk