William Sieghart
Encyclopedia
William Sieghart is a British philanthropist, entrepreneur, publisher and the founder of the Forward Prizes for Poetry
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and St Anne's College, Oxford. In 1986 he founded Forward Publishing with business partner Neil Mendoza
, a leading independent contract publisher, publishing magazines, children’s books and poetry books. He is the author of a best-selling book on golf, The Swing Factory. William presented a weekly TV programme for Bloomberg for three years. His interests include foreign travel and cricket. In addition to his work in poetry and the Middle East, William also founded Big Arts Week and Street Smart, the initiative whereby diners give a percentage of their restaurant bill to the homeless. He was a member of Arts Council England
2000–2006, and was chairman of its Lottery Panel. William is a Trustee of the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, Free Word Centre and Reprieve.
to help raise the profile of contemporary poetry by new and established poets. The winners of the prize have included many prominent voices of the past two decades, and many best first collection winners have gone on to win the best collection prize.
In 1994, he founded National Poetry Day
, a day of celebration of verse on the first Thursday of October which has become an established fixture in the cultural calendar. Events take place in schools, pubs, arts centres, bookshops, libraries, buses, trains and Women’s Institutes, and the day is the focus for media attention for poetry.
The Forward Arts Foundation (a registered charity) was set up in 1995 to administer the Forward Prizes and National Poetry Day.
His latest initiative is Winning Words, a public art project to create new encounters with poetry during the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic games
. It aims to enable everyone to experience poetry in exciting ways and to create a legacy of inspiring words for the nation to enjoy. Winning Words will comprise both permanent and temporary poems throughout the Park, and these will be made up of site-specific poems commissioned from local poets to respond directly to the site, as well as poems suggested by the public and chosen by a panel.
. He is Founder and Chairman of Forward Thinking, founded post 9/11 to help promote durable peace agreements and to engage the more extreme parties in face-to-face dialogue. Forward Thinking works both in the UK and the Middle East, creating opportunities for dialogue.
Forward Poetry Prize
The Forward Poetry Prizes were created in 1991. The aim of the prizes is to extend the audience for contemporary poetry. Until the T.S. Eliot Prize remuneration was increased to £15,000 plus £1000 to each of nine runners-up, the Forward was the United Kingdom's most valuable annual poetry...
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Education and Career
Born in 1960, William Sieghart was educated at EtonEton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
and St Anne's College, Oxford. In 1986 he founded Forward Publishing with business partner Neil Mendoza
Neil Mendoza
-Education:Mendoza was educated at Haberdashers' Aske's and Oriel College, Oxford.-Career:In 1986 he founded Forward Publishing with William Sieghart. Forward pioneered the Custom media business in the UK. It became one of the leading independent contract publishers. Forward published magazines,...
, a leading independent contract publisher, publishing magazines, children’s books and poetry books. He is the author of a best-selling book on golf, The Swing Factory. William presented a weekly TV programme for Bloomberg for three years. His interests include foreign travel and cricket. In addition to his work in poetry and the Middle East, William also founded Big Arts Week and Street Smart, the initiative whereby diners give a percentage of their restaurant bill to the homeless. He was a member of Arts Council England
Arts Council England
Arts Council England was formed in 1994 when the Arts Council of Great Britain was divided into three separate bodies for England, Scotland and Wales. It is a non-departmental public body of the Department of Culture, Media and Sport...
2000–2006, and was chairman of its Lottery Panel. William is a Trustee of the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, Free Word Centre and Reprieve.
Work
In 1992 Sieghart established The Forward Prizes for PoetryForward Poetry Prize
The Forward Poetry Prizes were created in 1991. The aim of the prizes is to extend the audience for contemporary poetry. Until the T.S. Eliot Prize remuneration was increased to £15,000 plus £1000 to each of nine runners-up, the Forward was the United Kingdom's most valuable annual poetry...
to help raise the profile of contemporary poetry by new and established poets. The winners of the prize have included many prominent voices of the past two decades, and many best first collection winners have gone on to win the best collection prize.
In 1994, he founded National Poetry Day
National Poetry Month
National Poetry Month is a celebration of poetry first introduced in 1996 by the Academy of American Poets as a way to increase awareness and appreciation of poetry in the United States. It is celebrated every April in the United States and in Canada as well...
, a day of celebration of verse on the first Thursday of October which has become an established fixture in the cultural calendar. Events take place in schools, pubs, arts centres, bookshops, libraries, buses, trains and Women’s Institutes, and the day is the focus for media attention for poetry.
The Forward Arts Foundation (a registered charity) was set up in 1995 to administer the Forward Prizes and National Poetry Day.
His latest initiative is Winning Words, a public art project to create new encounters with poetry during the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic games
Paralympic Games
The Paralympic Games are a major international multi-sport event where athletes with a physical disability compete; this includes athletes with mobility disabilities, amputations, blindness, and Cerebral Palsy. There are Winter and Summer Paralympic Games, which are held immediately following their...
. It aims to enable everyone to experience poetry in exciting ways and to create a legacy of inspiring words for the nation to enjoy. Winning Words will comprise both permanent and temporary poems throughout the Park, and these will be made up of site-specific poems commissioned from local poets to respond directly to the site, as well as poems suggested by the public and chosen by a panel.
Interests
Sieghart also takes a keen interest in the Middle EastMiddle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
. He is Founder and Chairman of Forward Thinking, founded post 9/11 to help promote durable peace agreements and to engage the more extreme parties in face-to-face dialogue. Forward Thinking works both in the UK and the Middle East, creating opportunities for dialogue.
Further reading
- "We must adjust our distorted image of Hamas" The Times, December 2008
- "Me and my partner: William Sieghart and Neil Mendoza" The Independent, June 1999