The fifth OxfordPoets anthology continues the aim stated in the first of the series, 'a desire to represent the best' of the new work associated with the OxfordPoets imprint. This latest collection is as varied and thought-provoking as the earlier books. Here are poets from a diversity of backgrounds and traditions, spanning ages, experiences and purposes.

What they share is a commitment to the truth of their experience and an excitement with the possibilities of poetry. They often write at the point where the private and public worlds collide, but such serious concerns never preclude wit, imagination, an inventive flair for language. New writers, and writers who are already becoming recognised, are making compelling new poetry.