Commemorative medal presented to poet Professor Dame Carol Ann Duffy
A special commemorative medal was presented to Professor Dame Carol Ann Duffy in recognition of her success and impact on creative writing at the University.
Prof Duffy was awarded the honour during the University’s graduation ceremony at the Bridgewater Hall in recognition of her outstanding achievements in literature and her immense contribution the development of Manchester Met through her role as Creative Director of the University’s Manchester Writing School.
Speaking at the ceremony about receiving the award, Prof Duffy said: “Although I’ve been fortunate enough in my time to receive some medals, I can truly say that none means so much to me as this one from Manchester Metropolitan University in its 200th year.
“From the bottom of my heart and on behalf of everyone at the Writing School, I’d like to thank the University for this wonderful award. I’m so honoured to have received this award and share this special day with our graduates and their families.”
Jean Sprackland, Professor of Creative Writing, presented Prof Duffy with the award and reflecting on her achievements, she said: “For more than 20 years Prof Duffy has been the Creative Director of Manchester Writing School, and during that time we’ve seen the Writing School grow into one of the largest and most successful of its kind, with an international reputation for excellence.
“Under Prof Duffy’s leadership, creative writing has thrived and flourished here at Manchester Met and the impact has been felt far beyond the University. We owe so much to her passionate advocacy for the power of poetry, and her lifelong conviction that it belongs not to a select few, but to everyone.”
Acclaimed playwright, poet and writer, Prof Duffy was Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom from 2009 until 2019. Alongside teaching on the Poetry route of the MFA and MA in Creative Writing at Manchester Met, she is Creative Director of city-wide, national, and international literary projects.
Her poetry has won many awards including notably the Signal Prize for Children’s Verse, the Whitbread, Forward and T.S. Eliot Prizes, and the Lannan and E.M. Forster Prize in America.
Her collections include Mean Time, Love Poems and The Bees, which won the Costa Poetry Award, and her writing for children includes Queen Munch and Queen Nibble, The Skipping Rope Snake and The Tear Thief.
She was awarded an OBE in 1995, a CBE in 2001, and DBE in the 2015 New Year Honours for services to poetry alongside becoming a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in 1999.
Manchester Met is this year celebrating its 200th year anniversary and the Commemorative Medal was established to coincide with this special occasion.
The Commemorative Medal is Manchester Met’s highest award and is presented on an exceptional basis to individuals who are global leaders in their field and who have delivered outstanding and sustained contribution to the University.
