Many congratulations to Paul Stephenson, who has been shortlisted for the Polari Book Prize 2024 with his collection Hard Drive!

The Polari Book Prizes, the UK’s book prizes for emerging and established LGBTQ+ writers, are run by Polari literary salon which was founded by author and activist, Paul Burston.

The Polari Prize winners' ceremony will return to the British Library for a third year on Friday 29 November.

The news and full shortlist was announced in BookBrunch. Well done to Paul and all the other shortlisted writers and publishers!

When his partner suddenly died, life changed utterly for Paul Stephenson. Previously shortlisted for the Gay Poetry Lammy Award 2024, Hard Drive is the outcome of his revisiting a world he thought he knew, but which had been upended. In poems that are affectionate, self-examining, sometimes funny and often surprised by grief in the oddest corners, the poet takes us through rooms, routines, and rituals of bereavement, the memory of love, a shared life and separation. A noted formalist, with a flair for experiment, pattern and the use of constraints, Stephenson has written a remarkable first book, moving and, despite everything, a hopeful record of a gay relationship. It is also a landmark elegy collection.