For the launch of Carol Ann Duffy’s new collection ‘The Bees’ (Picador), Stephen has made a colour print of his artwork which appears in black and white in the book.

These limited edition prints, signed by both Carol Ann and Stephen, can be ordered through the contact page. Some people have bought them to make ‘the perfect Christmas present’ alongside the gift of the book itself.

The prints measure 33 x 48 cms and are despatched in a postal tube. The print, the VAT and Special Delivery in total cost £108. Payment can be made by PayPal or cheque.

From the 'Song of Solomon' © Stephen Raw 2011

Price and order details on Song of Solomon page.

Stephen’s design for a new sixth-form College – Aquinas College in Stockport, Cheshire – has been ‘unveiled’ at the opening of the £40m building. He was commissioned by the Principal, Ambrose Smith, to use the Julian of Norwich quote: “All shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well.” Stephen’s design used his own personal, distinctive lettering in a subtle design that reflected understated Dominican theology.

The 7 x 2.5m wall was manufactured and installed by Trafford Signs, Manchester, who also installed the Leeds West mural (below).

© 2011 Stephen Raw

Leeds West Academy

‘Mrs Schofield’s GCSE’, a poem by Carol Ann Duffy has been unveiled in a wonderful, £30m  new building for Leeds West Academy.

Commissioned by the Principal, Annette Hall, this 5m high one is sited in the library which has been named after the Poet Laureate.

‘Rings’ was a poem written by the Poet Laureate, Carol Ann Duffy, to celebrate the ‘unbreakable relationship between love and poetry’.

She invited 20 colleagues (including Ian Duhig, Jackie Kay, Roger McGough and Gillian Clarke) to write on the theme of ‘Vows’ on the occasion of the wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton. These were published by the Guardian on 23 April 2011 – link below.

A watercolur artwork by Stephen Raw, reproduced below, has been made into a print with the full poem on the right. There have only been 500 copies printed which are signed by the poet and artist. (Number one was given as a wedding gift to the happy couple.)

The prints are 483 x 329mm and are despatched by Royal Mail special delivery.

To order a copy send an email from the ‘Contact’ page on this website with your name and address. Start your email with the words, “Re: RINGS”. There are two ways of paying: PayPal or Cheque. Stephen will reply with a PayPal invoice or the address to send your cheque to when you have indicated in the email which is your preferred way of paying.

The price is £100, plus VAT and £8.50 for the special delivery p & p: total £128.50. (Overseas purchases will be subject to an additional postage fee dependent on where they live.)

There are still prints available; so far many people have found them to make an ideal wedding / civil partnership present.

A detail of the watercolour lettering

http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2011/apr/23/wedding-carol-ann-duffy-poetry?INTCMP=SRCH

Judges Gillian Clarke, Stephen Raw and Jeanette Winterson have awarded the 2010 Ted Hughes Award for New Work in Poetry to Kaite O’Reilly for her extraordinary retelling of Aeschylus’ play, The Persians.

Now in its second year, the Ted Hughes Award for New Work in Poetry is awarded annually to recognise excellence in poetry. It is one of the only awards to acknowledge the wide range of work being produced by poets – not just in books, but beyond.

The Persians is a beautifully poetic version of Aeschylus’ tragic play, retold by Kaite O’Reilly. Her masterly retelling of this 2500 year old story focuses on how war destroys people’s identity. Her use of language is contemporary but never loses any of the historical context.

“Poetry crosses time, the old play becomes the new poetry. Here’s the truth of language colliding with the clichés of politics and the advertisement of war. This verse play is entertainment, challenge and a lie detector.” – Judges of the Ted Hughes Award

Photo by HayleyMadden.com