Here, in alphabetical order, are just some of the many writers who’ve

read at Polari in 2010 - Tariq Ali, Jake Arnott, Dean Atta, Sophia Blackwell, Catherine Brogan, DJ Connell, Stella Duffy, Timothy Graves, Francis King, VG Lee, Jonathan Kemp, James Maker, Tiffany Murray, Molly Parkin, Gerry Potter, Helen Sandler and Max Schaefer.

Of these, Francis King proved the most prescient. In February he read from his 50th book, ‘Cold Snap’. Who could have guessed that by the end of December the country would have ground to a halt?

As we’re currently experiencing a very cold snap/the worst winter ever/the end of civilization as we know it, I thought it was worth reminding everyone that we still have something left to live for - The Polari First Book Prize!

The Prize is for a first book which explores the queer experience and is open to any work by a writer resident in the UK and published in the UK in English within the twelve months leading up to the submission date (poetry or prose, fiction or non-fiction).

This includes self-published work, in both print and digital formats. 

The deadline for submissions is Feb 1, 2011 (which means books must have been published between Feb 1, 2010 and Feb 1, 2011).

The long list (up to 12 titles) will be announced at The London Literature Festival at the Southbank Centre in July.

The short list (up to 5 titles) will be announced at the end of September.

The winner will be announced next November at Polari's 4th birthday.

The judges are;

Paul Burston (chair), author, Gay & Lesbian Editor at Time Out, and host of Polari; 

Rachel Holmes, head of Literature and Spoken Word at the Southbank Centre;

Suzi Feay, literary critic, broadcaster and associate editor at The Financial Times;

Joe Storey-Scott, books buyer at Prowler and 

Fiona McMorrough, of leading PR firm Fiona McMorrough Associates.

Media partners for the prize are GT and Diva magazines.

Publishers should submit books direct to the judges at their business addresses (self-published works should include a one page statement explaining why the book is self-published).

And since the postal service probably won’t return to normal until mid January, I’d like to suggest that everyone gets their skates on.