Eleven candidates confirmed for Professor of Poetry post

Poetry is firmly in the spotlight at Oxford University this week as the nominations for the prestigious Professor of Poetry post closed at 4pm on Wednesday 5 May. This year's field is the largest in recent years, and features 11 candidates in total seeking to take up the prestigious position and follow in the footsteps of Matthew Arnold, WH Auden and Seamus Heaney. The wide-ranging list of candidates includes well-known names from the worlds of poetry, drama and the visual arts. Members of Convocation have until 4 June to register to vote, and all those eligible to vote must register by the deadline in order to cast their ballot. Voting will start on 21 May and close on 16 June (at midday BST). In the past, voting has only been possible in person in Oxford on a single day but for the forthcoming election, the voting system has been updated. As well as the new online voting system, voting by ballot box will be available over a period of time, rather than on one day, for all those who have registered.