After twenty years based in Huddersfield, the Poetry Business has now relocated to Sheffield and is set for major rebranding and expansion.

The Poetry Business was established in 1986 by Peter Sansom, and comprises a literary press (Smith/Doorstop) and magazine (the North) and runs a national poetry competition, writing workshops for beginning writers and an advanced course for established writers.

Smith/Doorstop titles have won or been shortlisted for most of the major poetry awards, including the Forward and T S Eliot prizes; and the North poets have been shortlisted three times for the Forward Best Poem Prize (in 1995, 2003 and 07); and, in 2005, Paul Farley won the prize outright.

Over the next eighteen months, the Poetry Business is set to build on its existing successes (increasing its output, introducing hardback titles and running new writing workshops) and to develop new areas with the launch of literary events, study days, residentials and combined media activities.

In addition, there will now be a Sheffield Poetry Prize, open to Sheffield poets only.

The current directors, Peter Sansom and Ann Sansom, are nationally-known poets, published by Carcanet and Bloodaxe respectively, members of the Poetry Society poetryclass, and are widely regarded as among the best writing-tutors in the country.