Culture Matters is seeking poems for a new anthology to mark the 100th anniversary of the 1926 General Strike. We want to celebrate and memorialise the voices and experiences of working people — past and present — through poetry that remembers, reflects, and supports the labour movement values of solidarity, collective action, and workers’ struggles for a better world.
We are looking for poems that:
- Explore trade union life, strikes, picket lines, and industrial action generally
- Reflect on individual and collective acts of resistance at work, solidarity and working-class resilience
- Explore historical themes from the last 100 years
- Draw inspiration from the history of labour movements or contemporary struggles
- Capture the hopes, anger, humour, and humanity of people organising for justice
Guidelines:
- One or two poems that original and unpublished
- Maximum length: 50 lines each
- Submissions to be sent as a Word document
- Please include your name, address and email address.
Submit to: info@culturematters.org.uk with the subject “100 years entry”. Closing date is 28th February 2026.
Publication & Launch:
We aim to publish the anthology on May 1st, 2026, coinciding with International Workers’ Day.
Join us in making 2026 a centenary of voices and verses in solidarity with the struggles of our class for a better world.
