2026 CHARLES CAUSLEY INTERNATIONAL POETRY COMPETITION – 1ST PLACE WINNER
1ST PLACE - Jen Feroze with 'You are strapping your toddler into the car seat'
We are beyond excited to share with you the selected poems from our international competition this year.
This year’s theme was Family and our podium and highly commended perfectly reflect the multitude and range of memories, emotions and situations associated with relatives and/or those we consider kin.
Starting today, we’ll be featuring one poem each day, along with a spotlight on its author. Follow along.
Poet Bio
Jen Feroze lives by the sea in Essex. Her work has appeared in publications including Magma, Under the Radar, Acumen, Butcher’s Dog, And Other Poems, The Interpreter’s House and Alchemy Spoon.
She has two pamphlets – Tiny Bright Thorns (Nine Pens 2024) and A Dress With Deep Pockets (Smith|Doorstop 2025), the latter won the 2024 Poetry Business International Book & Pamphlet Competition. Jen won the 2025 Black Cat Poetry Press ‘Turning Points’ competition, placed second in the 2023 Magma Editors’ Prize and was commended in the Ware Poets Prize and the Winchester Poetry Prize in 2025. She is the resident poet at London’s Poetry Pharmacy.
