Poems from the Black in White Poetry Competition 2026.
Hide the Seams features poems from the 2026 Black in White Poetry Competition and is named after the workplace category winning entry, written by Aeman Abbasi. Contains new poems by Charlotte Shyllon and 36 contributing poets.
The Transforming Words Foundation (TTWF) runs the Black in White Poetry Competition to provide a platform for sharing poetry about racism in the workplace and in childhood. Now in its sixth year, the competition invites submissions from all people of colour and allies to share their experiences and observations. Winning and highly commended entries are published annually in anthologies during Black History Month UK.
In times when the discourse around race, racism, identity and belonging has been reduced to sound bites, media articles, statistics, political scorecards, we must defend with vigour spaces where people can say the truth about what they see, experience, survive and feel.
— Cherron Inko-Tariah MBE, Founder, the Power of Staff Networks consultancy | Editor-in-Chief, Black History Month UK Magazine
What strikes me about the poems in this collection is their refusal to perform. They do not code-switch. They do not shrink. They do not take on the exhausting task of making racism comfortable. They move through childhood, workplaces, public spaces, love, grief and fury with the crystalline precision of language weaponised for truth.
— Rianna Scipio, Founder, QUOTABLE™ | Former BBC broadcast journalist | Judge, Black in White Poetry Competition 2026
