She Performed Beside the Poet Laureate – And She’s Still in School

Young Talent Shines from Launceston in Prestigious Poetry Competition Win

Launceston College student Rosie Kersley-Williamson has been named the winner of the Young Poets category at the 2025 Liskeard Library Simon Armitage Poetry Competition, impressing judges and audiences alike with her moving poem Tidal Muse.

Poetry with Purpose

The competition, which centred on the theme “We Are of This Place,” invited entries from young writers aged 11 to 17. Rosie’s poem struck a powerful chord with its exploration of nature, identity, and belonging, earning her top honours in a field of emerging literary talent.

As part of her win, Rosie performed Tidal Muse at a prize giving event held at Liskeard Library, sharing the stage with Pascale Petit and Simon Armitage, the current Poet Laureate. The event was a chance for winners to present their work to a live audience and connect with respected names in the poetry world.

“I was delighted to find out that my poem Tidal Muse was the Young Writer’s winner of the 2025 Liskeard Library Simon Armitage poetry competition,” said Rosie. “I had the opportunity to perform my piece at the library alongside the other winners, local poet Pascale Petit and the amazing Poet Laureate Simon Armitage himself. I was thrilled to share my poem and thoroughly enjoyed being able to hear the other pieces of work and the stories behind them.”

Recognition at Home

Back at Launceston College, part of Athena Learning Trust, Rosie’s achievement was marked during the school’s recent Awards’ Evening. In addition to celebrating her poetry win, she was presented with one of the school’s English Awards. Her poem and accompanying prose have also secured her a place in an upcoming anthology.

Matthew Thompson, Principal at Launceston College, praised Rosie’s talent: “We are incredibly proud of Rosie’s achievement. Her passion for writing and her ability to express her thoughts so eloquently through poetry is inspiring. Winning such a prestigious award at such a young age is a fantastic accomplishment, and we look forward to seeing her continue to develop as a writer.”

A Celebration of Local Voices

Supported by Real Ideas, the annual Liskeard Library Poetry Competition is designed to encourage writers from all backgrounds. It remains a key platform for emerging voices in Cornwall and beyond.

Rosie’s win not only highlights the growing talent being nurtured in Cornwall but also places her among a new wave of young writers set to shape the region’s cultural future.

Launceston College, which is rated Good across all categories by Ofsted, continues to support students like Rosie through its broad and ambitious curriculum. Inspectors noted that students, including those with SEND, follow a logical progression in their learning, with sixth formers pursuing qualifications that align with their future goals.

Tidal Muse by Rosie Kersley Williamson

I am born from the bony grain of the dune’s rising chest,
Peeling lips soothed by the lick of the brazen beach breeze
After each breath tumbles from salt-crusted lungs,
Strange creatures curl like waves onto chilled bellies, scrubbed by sand.

Marram grass coils from my skull and trails down my spine,
The same back beaten by the booming storm drums,
Shoulders worn smooth and sculpted by the sweeping storm gales.

I fall onto bony knees, rocking to the restless rhythm of the tides
and crying for peace with gull gusto.

Strained tendons leaping out of beach-brushed skin,
My wounds bleed blue like summer seas, pouring onto shifting sands,
Each word I spit crashing down into the roiling surf,
Pounding the cliff with grazed fists and relentless waters,
My pain forgotten like avian tracks in the sand as
the sea surges to engulf my beach-born form,
And with one salt tear,
I am welcomed home.