'Dream job' inspires librarian on poetry awards shortlist

Lorraine Mariner was today named as a contender for the £5,000 Felix Dennis Prize for best first collection at this year's Forward poetry awards.

Coming a day after her 35th birthday, Ms Mariner, of Blackheath, said she was thrilled that her book, Furniture, had made the six-strong shortlist. Two years ago she was shortlisted for the best single poem at the awards. "Things like this spur you on and make it worthwhile," she said. She paid tribute to the inspiration of her work and her colleagues at the Southbank, which is home to the most comprehensive collection of 20th-century poetry in Britain.

"It is quite inspiring being surrounded by all that poetry and some of the people I work with are poets," she said. "I had written since I was a teenager and trained as a librarian so joining the Poetry Library just over two years ago was my dream job. But it can be overwhelming as well." Critics have described Furniture as a witty look at the loneliness of urban life.

The main £10,000 Forward Prize for best collection of poetry will be contested by Glyn Maxwell, Don Paterson, Peter Porter and Hugo Williams. Paul Farley, Michael Longley and George Szirtes are on the shortlist for the £1,000 prize for best single poem. The winners, chosen by a jury headed by writer Josephine Hart, will be announced on 7October. There were a record number of submissions this year.