When I first saw the news that Caffè Nero is establishing a new set of writing prizes, I was thrilled. Since the Costa book awards came to an untimely end last year, it’s been obvious there is a gap that needs filling, a mechanism to celebrate titles which have the potential to reach a bigger than expected audience. As a judge in the final edition of the Costas, selfishly I was pleased too: the experience of reading across genres I wouldn’t always look at was enormously nourishing for me.
Alas, the thrill quickly wore off when it became apparent that one category had not made the transition from Costa’s prizes to Nero’s. While there will be awards for children’s books, debut fiction, fiction and nonfiction, poetry has not made the cut.
