Members' AreaThe Poetry Society and University of Liverpool have teamed up to present a series of three online lectures in 2021, and are delighted to announce that Valzyhna Mort will give the first lecture of the series. Valzhyna Mort will talk on obsession, repetition, trauma and Belarusian traditional embroidery. The lecture will feature a live Q […]
highlights
We Sew Our Stories: Versopolis Young Poets Takeover
The Poetry Society is delighted to present the latest Young Poets Takeover at the second edition of the Festival of Hope, a Versopolis Global Poetry Festival. This event will be headlined by four outstanding young writers who have won Young Poets Network challenges: Fathima Zahra, Jack Cooper, Matt Sowerby and Oluwaseun Matiluko. Each poet will […]
The Poetry Review Winter 2020 launch (Zoom)
Please join us via Zoom for the online celebration of the Winter issue of The Poetry Review. Our exciting readers will be Graham Mort, Meredi Ortega, Rushika Wick and Jason Allen-Paisant. The event will be introduced by Review Editor Emily Berry. Space may be limited, so book your place. The Winter 2021 issue of The […]
The Eve of St Agnes Read-Along
The Eve of St Agnes is traditionally the night on which a maiden in want of a husband performs a certain set of bed-time rituals to conjure one up. This folk tale inspired John Keats to write his Romantic Medieval narrative poem of the same name – and we’re going to magically recreate the whole […]
A baker’s dozen of poetry hits: Elaine Feeney’s poetry mixtape
The Poetry Mixtape compiled by the poet and novelist Elaine Feeney, who interviews Margaret Atwood in the newly published winter issue of The Poetry Review, presents a blazing mix of voices and concerns. Alongside much-loved classics by Frank O’Hara, Don Paterson and Derek Mahon, Feeney has selected fierce and unforgettable testimonies from Rita Ann Higgins, […]
‘Glowing to receive a thousand guests’: launch of The Poetry Society’s Keats200 programme
On 20 January, The Poetry Society hosts a Zoom read-along of John Keats’ poem ‘The Eve of St Agnes’. Madeline and Porphyro, the star-crossed lovers of the poem’s tale, meet their fate during a wild party at a remote castle. As the story begins, the castle chambers are lit up – ‘glowing to receive a […]
Who’s that bird?
“I knew he was – would become – a poem as soon as I set eyes on him. That unmistakeable aura, the bristling forcefield of the imaginary, the dazzle of semiotic refractions that imbue the verifiable with the mythological.” In his new ‘Behind the Poem’ online article, Graham Mort offers views inside and out of […]
New winter issues of The Poetry Review and Poetry News
“Right, first take some weight off yourself. There’s too much pressure from the outside world… During writing your responsibility is to what you’re writing, outside world be gone,” advises Margaret Atwood, interviewed by Elaine Feeney in the Winter 2020 issue of The Poetry Review. In fact, the world is very much in evidence in the […]
David Constantine awarded Queen’s Gold Medal
David Constantine, poet, translator and novelist, has been awarded the Queen’s Gold Medal for Poetry 2020. Since 1933, the Medal has been awarded annually for excellence in poetry, to a poet from the UK or a Commonwealth Realm. Constantine was chosen by a committee chaired by Poet Laureate Simon Armitage, who said: “Above all, David […]
Obsidian Foundation Poetry Showcase
Obsidian Foundation is a new foundation for Black poets of African descent, launched by award-winning poet Nick Makoha. As part of Obsidian Foundation’s first week-long writing and networking retreat this Autumn, The Poetry Society is delighted to present a showcase of tutors’ and participants’ latest work. Tutor poets Nick Mahoka, Theresa Lola and Malika Booker will […]
People Need Nature: young people’s winning poems published
Our lives, whether in the city or the country, are inextricably linked to nature. This is the nature poetry that I am interested in. One that does not disregard the human element or involvement. I want poems that are able to appreciate nature in different, interesting ways. Tell me about the park that sits alongside […]
Julia Donaldson’s ‘The Christmas Pine’ – an animated introduction
Every year The Poetry Society commissions a poem, welcoming Norway’s gift of a Christmas tree to London’s Trafalgar Square as part of its Look North More Often project. This year’s poem, ‘The Christmas Pine’, is by Julia Donaldson, author of The Gruffalo and a former children’s laureate. The poem is always unveiled as part of […]
Look North More Often 2020: the Trafalgar Square Christmas poem
The famous Norwegian Christmas Tree has now arrived in Trafalgar Square! Every year The Poetry Society commissions a new poem to welcome the famous Norwegian Christmas tree to Trafalgar Square. We’re very excited to announce that this year’s new poem is ‘The Christmas Pine’, written by Julia Donaldson. Her poem will be displayed around the […]
Look North More Often 2020 – the new Trafalgar Square Christmas Tree poem
The Poetry Society has commissioned a wonderful new poem,‘The Christmas Pine’, by the former children’s laureate and author of The Gruffalo Julia Donaldson, as part of the long-running Look North More Often programme. The poem will be unveiled as part of the lighting-up ceremony of the Trafalgar Square Christmas tree. The poem is also printed […]
Young poets invited to take part in Wellcome Trust funded project
The Poetry Society’s Young Poets Network has teamed up with Newcastle Centre for the Literary Arts to challenge young writers everywhere to respond to the language of the Human Cell Atlas through poetry. Inspired by a poem by Vona Groarke, writers aged 25 and younger worldwide are asked to pen new poems whose sounds evolve […]
The Poetry Society AGM 2020
The 2020 Annual General Meeting of The Poetry Society will this year be held online, to enable as many members as possible to attend safely, for the following purposes: 1. To consider and adopt the General Council’s Report and Accounts for the year ended 31 March 2020. 2. To elect the General Council. 3. To […]
Islamophobia Awareness Month 2020
November is Islamophobia Awareness Month, and – through poetry – we are pleased to support MEND (Muslim Engagement and Development) in their movement for change towards a less divisive and more inclusive society. A look through our publication and project archives reveals a wealth of great work by and inspired by Muslim writers to inspire […]
Nature and Nurture: The Poetry Society at Poetry in Aldeburgh
The Poetry Society presents a quartet of fabulous poets – Elaine Beckett, Joe Dunthorne, Ian Humphreys and Charlotte Knight – that have been commended or longlisted in the National Poetry Competition, at this year’s digital Poetry in Aldeburgh festival. Elaine Beckett‘s debut pamphlet ‘Faber New Poets 13’ is published by Faber & Faber. Her work […]
European Poets Night
Uma data para seus diários / data dla twoich pamiętników / a date for your diaries: on 9 November, The Poetry Society hosts a Europe-wide Zoom reading by five great European poets. We’ll connect Charlotte Van den Broeck (Belgium), Ana Luísa Amaral (Portugal), Julia Fiedorczuk (Poland), Mária Ferenčuhová (Slovakia) and Antonis Skiathas (Greece), in an event […]
Poetry-on-sea: Poetry in Aldeburgh 2020
The Poetry Society is pleased to once again be supporting the recently announced Poetry in Aldeburgh Festival programme. As part of a rich and varied line-up, The Poetry Society will host a digital reading event ‘Nature and Nurture’ on Sunday 15 November at 5pm GMT featuring poets Joe Dunthorne, Charlotte Knight, Elaine Beckett and Ian […]
A new foundation for black poets
The Poetry Society is delighted to support a new foundation for black poets, the Obsidian Foundation, launched by award-winning poet Nick Makoha. The Obsidian Foundation will provide a one-week retreat for black poets of African descent, who often face multiple barriers of access to literary resources and professional development. The retreat will be led by […]
National Poetry Competition 2020: Then & Now
To mark the final week of the National Poetry Competition 2020 being open for entries, The Poetry Society is releasing a series of five video readings each weekday at 1pm GMT as part of a series called ‘Then & Now’. In each short video, a poet who has previously been placed in the competition reads […]
Black History Month 2020
October is Black History Month, and to mark the occasion The Poetry Society has identified a selection of its latest content that celebrates Black culture, from its programme of educational activities, commissions and its journal The Poetry Review. For young readers, The Poetry Society has gathered together a series of favourite poetry books for young […]
The Poetry Review Autumn 2020 launch (Zoom)
Please join us via Zoom for the online celebration of the Autumn issue of The Poetry Review. Our exciting readers will be Fiona Benson, Luke Kennard, Valzhyna Mort and Kimberly Reyes. The event will be introduced by Review Editor Emily Berry. Space may be limited, so book your place. The Autumn 2020 issue of The […]
Foyle Young Poets of the Year Award Results
The Poetry Society has announced today the top 15 winners and 85 commended poets of the Foyle Young Poets of the Year Award 2020 at a virtual prize-giving ceremony. Find the winning poems here. Run by The Poetry Society and generously supported by the Foyle Foundation, this has been an extraordinary 22nd year for The […]
Poems grow on trees: Foyle Young Poets 2020
To celebrate the Foyle Young Poets of the Year Award 2020 in readiness for this year’s awards cermony, The Poetry Society has commissioned artist Imogen Foxell to create an illustration that brings together motifs for all one hundred winning poems from this year’s competition, from banana to boot, peacock to pack of cards. […]
Louise Glück wins Nobel Prize
Congratulations to the celebrated US poet Louise Glück, who has been awarded the 2020 Nobel Prize for Literature, the fourth woman to win the prize for literature since 2010. The Swedish Academy, which oversees the award, said that Glück had been recognised for “her unmistakable poetic voice, that with austere beauty makes individual existence universal”. Born in […]
Derek Mahon, 1941–2020
We are sorry to report that Derek Mahon, among the most celebrated of modern Northern Irish poets, died in Cork on 1 October 2020, following a short illness. He was 78. Mahon’s poem, ‘A Disused Shed in Co. Wexford’, is often chosen as a ‘desert island poem’, and his poem ‘Everything is Going to be […]
Places of Poetry book launch
f The Poetry Society, in association with the University of Exeter and Oneworld Publications, presents the digital book launch of the Places of Poetry anthology, a volume of selected verse from around England and Wales from last year’s hugely popular Places of Poetry project, an interactive map that poets could pin their poetry to attracting […]
A bard’s eye view: National Poetry Day 2020
Happy National Poetry Day! This year’s National Poetry Day is on the theme of ‘Vision’ and to celebrate The Poetry Society has assembled a glittering array of activities through the day including video readings of Stanza and Member competition winners, a retrospective of poetry films, a quiz, a writing resource and a special free online […]
The Poetry Review: autumn harvest
In the post: the new Poetry Review, a really vital journal of record for these stormy times when worked-on language can be our lighthouse and our lifeboat.” – Ian McMillan on Twitter, September 2020 The latest, magnificent issue of The Poetry Review, edited by Emily Berry, is just published. It includes fiery, speculative and moving […]
Artlyst Art to Poetry Awards Night
Join us for a celebration of ekphrastic poetry as we announce the winners of the inaugural Artlyst Art to Poetry Award, run in association with The Poetry Society. The event will feature readings from winners of both the adult and youth prizes, performances of ekphrastic poetry from judges Sue Hubbard and Kelly Grovier and a […]
The Poetry Review Summer 2020 launch (Zoom)
Please join us via Zoom for the online celebration of the Summer issue of The Poetry Review. Our exciting readers will be Moniza Alvi, Rachel Long, from the US, D. Nurkse, and our Geoffrey Dearmer Prize winner, Phoebe Stuckes. The event will be introduced by Review Editor Emily Berry. Space may be limited, so book […]
“the task of being real”: Foyle Young Poets of the Year Award and National Poetry Competition Ledbury Poetry Festival showcase (Zoom)
Each year at Ledbury Poetry Festival, The Poetry Society traditionally showcases a selection of the finest new voices to have emerged from its flagship poetry competitions, the Foyle Young Poets of the Year Award and the National Poetry Competition. This year, The Poetry Society is pleased to bring these celebratory readings to the comfort of […]
Matt Abbott and Theresa Lola announced as Foyle Young Poets of the Year Award Patrons
We are delighted to announce that this year’s Patrons of the Foyle Young Poets of the Year Award are Matt Abbott and Theresa Lola! Matt is a poet, educator, and activist from Wakefield. His debut collection for children, A Hurricane in my Head, was published by Bloomsbury in summer 2019. In April 2020, he released […]
Into the Water: canal poetry readings and screenings (Zoom)
As Canal Laureate, Nancy Campbell studied fish migration, learnt about locks, and paddled her kayak 100 miles during a drought. Poems bubbling out of these Laureate experiences have just been published in a handsome Happenstance pamphlet, Navigations, which Nancy will read from and discuss. Joining Nancy will be Jo Bell, Canal Laureate 2013-15, reading new […]
Peggy Poole Award / National Poetry Competition launch readings
Left to right: Rosie Shepperd, Louisa Adjoa Parker (photo: Robert Golden), Michael Symmons Roberts (photo: Andrew Crowley), Mark Pajak (photo: Robert Peet) The Poetry Society presents a special event celebrating the Peggy Poole Award featuring readings from the 2018 Peggy Poole Award winner Mark Pajak, alongside his mentor through the Award, acclaimed poet, novelist and librettist […]
Peggy Poole Award readings at Ev
The Poetry Society presents a special event featuring readings from poet Mark Pajak, the winner of the 2018 Peggy Poole Award – a new talent development award recognising emerging writers in the North West of England – alongside the judge of this year’s competition, celebrated poet, novelist and librettist Michael Symmons Roberts. Mark Pajak has […]
[UPDATED] The Poetry Review Spring issue launch
Programme change: Owing to the current situation related to coronavirus, all our in-person live events are on hold. We are currently looking at ways we can turn as many of these events as we can into accessible, online, digital versions. If you were planning on attending this event, please keep the date in your diary, […]
[UPDATED] Stanza Bonanza: featuring poets from Oxford and Reading
Programme change: Owing to the current situation related to coronavirus, all our in-person live events are on hold. We are currently looking at ways we can turn as many of these events as we can into accessible, online, digital versions. If you were planning on attending this event, please keep the date in your diary, […]