White Face, Foreign Hands

The Transforming Words Foundation runs the Black in White Poetry Competition to provide a platform for sharing poetry and raising awareness of racism in workplace and childhood settings. The competition was established in 2021 by Charlotte Shyllon - who was inspired to write her poetry collection, Black in White, following the killing of George Floyd - and invites submissions from people of colour and allies to share their own experiences and observations. Winning and highly commended entries are published annually in anthologies during Black History Month. The sixth book in the series, White face, foreign hands, features poems from the 2025 competition and is named after the workplace category's winning entry, written by Dennis Johnstone.

What makes this competition particularly outstanding is the way it weaves together individual narratives with technical mastery. The poems are crafted with care, exhibiting polish, skill, and artistry that elevate their message without detracting from their emotional immediacy. This elegant blend of beauty and power reflects the dedication of the poets, who use language as a vessel for education and transformation. They demonstrate that poetry is not just an expressive art form but a form of resistance and a catalyst for change-an emotional toolkit for understanding and confronting societal injustices.

Dame Neslyn Watson-Druée, DBE, Integrity-Centred Leadership | Executive Coach to Senior Leaders | Business Psychologist | Author & Speaker