Taz Rahman Writer

This must be one of the most generous recommendations of my debut poetry collection 'East of the Sun, West of the Moon', published last year by leading Welsh poetry publisher Seren Books. I am grateful to the book blogger Paul Short. The review can be read here:  https://paulwritespoems.com/2025/05/25/the-book-bag-east-of-the-sun-west-of-the-moon-by-taz-rahman/ The book can be bought here:  https://www.serenbooks.com/book/east-of-the-sun-west-of-the-moon/

I am honoured that editors Mona Arshi and Karen McCarthy Woolf selected my poem 'Anda' for the 2025 Faber and Faber published anthology ' Nature Matters ' alongside the biggest names in 21st century poetry. The full glittering list of poets: Victoria Adukwei Bulley, John Agard, Jason Allen-Paisant, Moniza Alvi, Anthony Anaxagorou, Raymond Antrobus, Mona Arshi, Andre Bagoo, Khairani Barokka, Dzifa Benson, Jay Bernard, Sujata Bhatt, Malika Booker, Kamau Brathwaite, Elizabeth-Jane Burnett, Anthony Vahni Capildeo, Mary Jean Chan, Kayo Chingonyi, David Dabydeen, Fred D’Aguiar, Kwame Dawes, Imtiaz Dharker, Tishani Doshi, Nidhi Zak/Aria Eipe, Inua Ellams, Richard Georges, Lorna Goodison, Mina Gorji, Will Harris, Ranjit Hoskote, Sarah Howe, Ian Humphreys, Sharan Hunjan, Ishion Hutchinson, Linton Kwesi Johnson, Anthony Joseph, Bhanu Kapil, Jackie Kay, Mimi Khalvati, Safiya Kamaria Kinshasa, Zaffar Kunial, Hannah Lowe, Karen McCarthy Woolf, Roy McFarlane, Nick Makoha, E...

I am deligted to see my poem '2012' published about the river Elwy in north Wales in the Arachne Press rivers anthology Afonydd. Copies of Afonydd can be ordered directly from Arachne Press A wonderful review of the Afonydd has now appeared in The Guardian newspaper. A report on Afonydd is now on BBC Wales .  

I am delighted to be reading with Maggie Harris, the 2020 Poetry Wales Prize winner on the 22nd May in Cardiff at the launch of her latest poetry collection 'I Sing to the Greenhearts' by Seren Books. Tickets available from Book Space Cardiff's website https://www.bookspacecardiff.co.uk/products/i-sing-to-the-greenhearts-tickets The event would be introduced by Seren poetry editor Rhian Edwards and other readers are Mark Blyney and Taylor Edmonds.      

I am delighted to be reading at this year's Lyra Poetry Festival in Bristol on Sunday, 27th April 2025 with Jonathan Edwards, Abeer Ameer and Bethany Handley. The event is a celebration of Poetry Wales magazine's 60th anniversary. Tickets can be sourced free at https://www.lyrafest.com/#e126214  

Abergavenny Writing Festival, Saturday 5th April. Writer Joshua Jones and I are in conversation with Sairah Ahsan discussing poetry, community, and navigating boundaries, ending with a Q + A. Tickets are free from https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/abergavenny-writing-festival/t-vvgrxdz  

 I am reading at Chapter Arts on Saturday 8th March 2 pm alongside the wonderful Jennifer Wong and Patrick Jones following the screening of HK Film Festival screening of 'Elegies'.

I am hosting fellow Seren poet Dai George at Cardiff's newest independent bookshop on Crwys Road, Book Space Cardiff on the 19th February. Dai will be talking about his latest book 'How to Think Like a Poet', published by Bloomsbury. Tickets are available from  https://www.bookspacecardiff.co.uk/products/think-like-a-poet-event-ticket    

The legendary Planet magazine is hosting the following event in Aberystwyth on 18th January 2025, which I am delighted to have been asked to speak in.  

A wonderful Christmas present arrived through the letterbox, a copy of issue 14 of The Lonely Crowd , edited by John Lavin. This issue features three of my poems alongside some of Wales' stellar writers over the past and present generations.  Issue 14 and previous versions can be ordered from The Lonely Crowd website .

I am delighted to have been shortlisted for the Royal Society of Literature administered Jerwood Poetry Prize 2024 . It has been of huge honour to be a shortlisted poet with the eventual winner Clare Potter, my friend.

I am absolutely delighted that Black Bough Poetry has selected my poetry collection E ast of the Sun, West of the Moon , published by Seren Books, as the November 2024 Book of the Month. The review by Matthew Smith can be read here:  https://www.blackboughpoetry.com/book-reviews-august-24-dec-24

The  Poetry Book Society (PBS) has recommended the 2024 Laurel Prize longlisted books and again, it is such a pleasure to see 'East of the Sun, West of the Moon' published by Seren Books in among the best poetry books in 2024.  

I was delighted to have reading with Raymond Antrobus and Martha Kapos as part of a Poetry London presentation on the 30th October at Goldsmiths, London. The evening featured poems read by each poet and a question and answer session with Poetry London magazine's Reviews Editor Isabelle Baafi at Goldsmiths' Writing Centre on October 30th, 5 pm. The theme of the reading is music and sound in poetry.  Event details: https://www.gold.ac.uk/calendar/?id=15168  

Laurel Longlist reading with Caroline Bird: So I'm reading at The Poetry School's Summit Festival this Saturday (19th October) at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park as part of the Laurel Prize 2024 longlist (3.30 pm at The Chapel), which is terribly exciting! Introduced by a performance from Laurel Judge Caroline Bird, the iconic YSP Chapel plays host to the 2024 Laurel Prize longlist. During the hour, we will hear excerpts from the year’s most innovative and thought-provoking ecopoetic collections: books that explore the extent of the living world and its complex interconnected relationships, as well as the integral interplay between literature and activism. The structure of the event is as follows: · Caroline Bird – poem and brief commentary on first set of 4 poets · Janette Ayachi – · Will Burns – · Hannah Copley – · David Nash – · Caroline Bird – poem and brief commentary on next set of 3 poets · Taz Rahman – · Charlotte Shevchenko Knight – · Becky Varley-Win...

Llenyddiaeth Cymru / Literature Wales & the Wales Literature Exchange | Cyfnewidfa Len Cymru team has selected my debut collection ' East of the Sun, West of the Moon ', as one of their 34 titles for the Frankfurt book fair this year, "selected annually by the Exchange as a window to recent Welsh literary works which we recommend for translation." I am hugely honoured.  

I was delighted to have invited to read at the children of Gaza fundraiser event yesterday, 13th October. Organised by Words4gaza the lineup of writers included Nikesh Shukla, Selena Godden, Abeer Ameer and more. The full lineup: Sabrin Hasbun Michael Malay William Gee Vanessa Kisuule Ralf Webb Nikesh Shukla Caleb Parkin Noreen Masud Mahmoud Muna & Matthew Teller Ramzy Baroud (via Sabrin) Sukina Noor Kathryn O'Driscoll Marvin Thompson Taz Rahman Abeer Ameer Salena Godden Lawrence Hoo The event was organised by: https://www.instagram.com/words4gaza?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw==

I am delighted that judges Mona Arshi, Caroline Bird and Kwame Dawes have deemed ' East of the Sun, West of the Moon ' published by Seren Books in February this year to be in the longlist for the Laurel Prize 2024 . I am truly grateful to be among such a cherished group of poets and wishing the eventual winners all the best. I thank my writing mentor Zoe Bigley, everyone at my publisher Seren Books ( https://www.serenbooks.com/2024/09/taz-rahman-longlisted-for-the-laurel-prize-2024/ ) and organisations such as Literature Wales and the Books Council of Wales to have supported me in various guises to make this book possible.

I am delighted that Anthony Anaxagorou had selected my poem ' Teach Jackdaws Avionics ', published originally in Issue 2 of Propel Magazine edited by Jeremy Noel-Tod, for the first even print anthology of the poems that appeared in Propel from 2022 to 2024. This is such an honour as Propel published the best English language poets pre-first collection publication and without its support in 2022, it may have taken me much longer to get where I am today, a published poet with a first collection from Seren Books . Copies of the Propel Anthology can be pre-ordered from this link: https://www.propelmagazine.co.uk/shop

2015 Forward Prize winner Mona Arshi has praised 'East of the Sun, West of the Moon' in an Instagram post.  When praise pours in from major poets I have looked up to from the earliest juncture of my poetry career, suddenly 'East of the Sun, West of the Moon' feels a little unreal. I came to know of Mona Arshi when I first stared writing poetry in 2019. I made a list of all the contemporary poets of note from an Indian subcontinent heritage whom I needed to study. Our first encounter was online as part of Gillian Clarke's week-long poetry masterclass in the early summer of 2020, for which I had been selected as one of the seven poets. The masterclass was to celebrate Gillian's founding of Ty Newydd, the national writing centre now part of Literature Wales. In 2020 I was still searching for the words and often scared of using them in the order that would be the hallmark of the innovative poetry 'East of the Sun, West of the Moon' wou...

Truly honoured and grateful for the nomination of my poem 'Anda' for a 'Best of the Net' 2025 award by the wonderful Acropolis Journal. Anda can be read here: https://acropolisjournaluk.wixsite.com/archive23/taz-rahman-two-poems  

I was delighted to be read alongside Natalie Ann Holborows as part of the Neath Arts Festival on the 18th October.  LOCATION: Neath Town Hall, 2, Church Place, Neath, SA11 3LL    

I am delighted to been appointed a member of the Seren Books board. Details of the new board of directors: https://www.serenbooks.com/2024/07/introducing-our-new-directors/