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Poets Ok...there is lots of poets, many with an online presence. My intention is to add them slowly over time as they crop up on the news page. Please contact me, though if there is someone you are just itching to see in this list sooner... Scroll down to see a list of Poet Lists! A-Z of poet webpages Dilruba Ahmed ​ Connor Allen ​ Moniza Alvi ​ Abeer Ameer (@hijjabi) / Twitter Rowyda Amin ​ Anthony Anaxagorou Romalyn Ante ​ Raymond Antrobus Simon Armitage ​ Mona Arshi ​ Polly Atkin - Shadow Dispatches ​ Cameron Awkward-Rich ​ Chrissy Banks ​ Khairani Barokka ​ Simon Barraclough ​ Nnimmo Bassey ​ Jeffery Beam ​ Darren J Beaney ​ Louise Bennett Coverley ​ Emily Berry ​ i hope crispin best is still alive ​ The William Blake Archive ​ John Bolland - A View From the Long Grass Malika Booker ​ Janine Booth ​ Pat Boran ​ Rachel Bower ​ Jo Brandon ​ Sue Burge ​ Lewis Buxton ​ Hugh Bryden ​ Chaucer Cameron ​ Jen Campbell Susie Campbell ​ Charles Causley ​ Eleni Cay Ellen Chang-Richardson ​ Regi Claire ​ Gillian Clarke ​ Thomas A Clark ​ Stephen Claughton ​ Ken Cockburn ​ Claire Collison ​ Sarah Connor Suzanne Conway ​ Josephine Corcoran – never knowingly without a pen ​ Brittney Corrigan Sally Crabtree Virginia Crawford – questions for water ​ Tom Crompton ​ Martyn Crucefix ​ Barbara Cumbers ​ Jonathan Davidson ​ Todd Davis ​ Hélène Demetriades ​ Melissa Diem ​ Chase Dimock Isobel Dixon ​ Sarah Dixon: The Quiet Compere ​ Damien B. Donnelly ​ Jane Dougherty: The Four Swans ​ Cath Drake ​ Linda Drattell ​ Nikki Dudley ​ Matt Duggan (Facebook) ​ Aidan Andrew Dun ​ Helen Dunmore ​ Antony Dunn ​ Mari Ellis Dunning ​ Adref - Menna Elfyn ​ Mohammed El-Kurd ​ Helen Evans ​ Suzannah Evans ​ Bernardine Evaristo ​ Fiona Farrell ​ Joseph Fasano ​ Martin Figura ​ Sue Finch ​ Jonny Fluffypunk ​ SJ Fowler ​ Linda France ​ Lucy Furlong ​ Dai George ​ Harry Josephine Giles ​ Dana Gioia ​ Dawn Gorman ​ Rebecca Goss ​ Kathryn Gray ​ Thomas Gray Archive ​ Mish Green ​ Paula Green: See Poetry Box and NZ Poetry Shelf ​ Bill Greenwell Philip Gross ​ Joanna Guthrie ​ Mandy Haggith ​ Janice N. Harrington Paula Harris ​ David Harsent Milla van der Have Diana Hendry Paul Henry ​ Hannah Hodgson ​ Danielle Hope ​ Zoë Sîobhan Howarth-Lowe ​ Sue Hubbard ​ Kit Ingram Shagufta K Iqbal ​ Major Jackson ​ Rosie Jackson ​ Sarah James ​ Emilie Lauren Jones - Coventry Poet Laureate ​ Pierre Joris ​ Meena Kandasamy ​ Rupi Kaur ​ Patrick Kavanagh Centre ​ Keats-Shelley Memorial Association Shamshad Khan John Kinsella - Mutually Said: Poets Vegan Anarchist Pacifist ​ Karl Knights (@Inadarkwood) / Twitter ​ Michael Laskey ​ Len Lawson Shanhu Lee ​ Jenny Lewis ​ Simon Lewis ​ Tim Liardet Stephen Lightbown ​ Timothy Liu ​ Adam Lowe ​ Hannah Lowe ​ Hugh Macdiarmid ​ Somhairle MacGill-Eain ​ Lila Matsumoto Glyn Maxwell ​ Fokkina McDonnell (Acacia Publications) ​ Karen J McDonnell ​ Michael Mckimm ​ Mouse & Muse by Trevor Millum ​ Otis Mensah ​ Christopher Meredith ​ U-Meleni Mhlaba-Adebo ​ Edwin Morgan Trust ​ Helen Mort ​ Valzhyna Mort ​ JLM Morton ​ Chris Murray ​ Steve Nash Writes ​ Andrew Neilson ​ Camilla Nelson Lorine Niedecker ​ Jessamine O Connor ​ Ruth Padel ​ Caleb Parkin | Bristol City Poet ​ Stuart Paterson Pascale Petite ​ m. norbeSe philip ​ Vic Pickup ​ Clare Pollard ​ Wendy Pratt Writing ​ Joy Priest - Home ​ The Bibliography of J.H. Prynne ​ Chelsea Rathburn ​ Juanita Rea ​ Marcella Remund ​ Fay Roberts ​ Sarah Roby ​ Stevie Ronnie ​ Michael Rosen ​ Carol Rumens ​ Sarah Salway ​ Leslie Scalapino ​ Michael Schmidt ​ Seni Seneviratne ​ Elisabeth Sennitt Clough Penny Sharman ​ Robert Sheppard ​ Lemn Sissay ​ Merrild Smith ​ Lizzie Smith ​ Yomi Sode ​ Saradha Soobrayen ​ David Spittle ​ Joyce Sutphen ​ Kenneth Steven ​ Anne Stevenson ​ Degna Stone ​ Anne Tannam ​ Joelle Taylor ​ Dylan Thomas ​ The Official Dylan Thomas website ​ Harry Ransom Centre: Dylan Thomas Digital Collection ​ The Dylan Thomas Centre ​ BBC: Dylan Thomas ​ The Edward Thomas Fellowship - Edward Thomas (1878-1917) ​ Luke Thompson ​ Steven Toussaint ​ Claire Trevien ​ Derek Walcott ​ June Wentland ​ Jo Weston ​ Jay Whittaker ​ Hamish Whyte ​ Joe Williams ​ Alice Willitts ​ Emily Wills ​ Anthony Wilson ​ Shelley Wong ​ Wordsworth Grasmere ​ W.B.Yeats Society Sligo | The Official Yeats Website Don Yorty ​ Nidhi Zak/Aria Eipe ​ Benjamin Zephaniah ​ Lists of Poets ​ All Poetry along with being a self-publishing site has nearly 200 famous poets listed Best Poems (best-poems.net) 7136 poets listed by nationality Electronic Poetry Center a highly alternative list (Be careful of old links on old sites that can be hijacked - this happened to me on one site linked from one poet, but I cannot trace which poet, the links to the poets themselves are safe.) ​ Famous Poets and Poems 631 of them ​ From The Fishouse 32 pages of emerging poets Lannan Foundation 291 Lannan Prize and Award winners, though admittedly not all poets Lyricline 1588 poets Directory - Moving Poems 2187 videopoems here listed by poet Hello Poetry 284 (I counted them) Classic poets Poem Analysis 1105 poets ​ Poem Hunter The Explore Poets page has 3004 poets and there are 400,000 site member poets, too ​ Poet Seers Over 150 'Great Poets' Poetry Archive 565 poets Poetry Foundation 5,381 poets ​ Poetry International p! Over 1,709 poets on 72 pages Poetry Out Loud 65 pages of poets ​ Poetry Soup - Top 100 Famous Poets - All Time Well, 100. Plus 30,000 member poets ​ Poetry Super Highway 1488 individual poets websites Poets .org | Academy of American Poets 3000+ poets I read somewhere ​ RPO (Representative Poets Online) - Poets 723 poets to search for. ​ Tears in the Fence 65 bloggers, poets and writers ​ Wikipedia - List of poets 'This is an alphabetical list of internationally notable poets' ​ Wikipedia - List of years in poetry Fascinating year by year history which shows poets in historical context Also see ​ Portal:Poetry - Wikipedia This is the link to all Wikipedia's poetry pages, and is the index for many of the links I have still listed individually here. ​ List of poetry groups and movements - Wikipedia ​ ​ National poetry - Wikipedia which links to poets of different named nations A to Z (Sometimes it's hard to pinpoint Wiki pages so the shortcuts here are ones I personally wanted quick links to) ​ (From the) Apocalypse to the Movement (warwick.ac.uk) 15 Arab Poets of the 21st Century - Arab America ​ ​ Arabic poetry: 10 writers, classic and modern, you need to read | Middle East Eye Black Mountain poets - Wikipedia Concrete Poetry ​ Concrete Poetry Movement Overview | TheArtStory ​ Concrete Poetry | Getty Research Institute | The Getty Research Institute ​ Concrete poetry - Wikipedia Female poets ​ Female poets - Wikipedia ​ Po ethead - Index of Women Poets 2008-2021 (Now a closed archive) Feminist poets - Wikipedia ​ Georgian Poets - Wikipedia ​ Imagist Poets - Wikipedia Lake Poets - Wikipedia ​ Liverpool poets - Wikipedia ​ Metaphysical poets - Wikipedia ​ New York School (art) - Wikipedia ​ Oulipo Poets - Wikipedia ​ Scottish Poets - Scottish Poetry Library 40 pages of Scottish poets Thirty-Six Immortals of Poetry - Wikipedia ​ U.S. states' poets laureate - Wikipedia Visual Poetry - UbuWeb ​ Waka Poets Waka (poetry) - Wikipedia ​ Waka Poets on www.wakapoetry.net ​ ​ ​ Disclaimer: I have absolutely no connection with any of the sites reported above and only pass them on because they sounded interesting to me. I do not gain financially or in any other way from any of the sites I have offered links to. If the sites fail to deliver in some way, this will need to be taken up with that site. I cannot guarantee the safety of the sites I link to, though I do test every site out prior to listing it here; if you do follow the link you do so entirely at your own risk. So what I am saying is please don't sue me, or shoot me as the messenger, though I absolutely would love to hear any positive or negative feedback about any of the sites I link to. ​ If you are the owner of a site that I have linked to and object to me including a link here please do let me know and I will remove it as soon as possible. Equally if you want to be linked then just ask and I will be very happy to do so. ​ Last complete page update: 8 November 2023 , most recent minor updates 7 December 2023 and 21 February 2024 ​ ​

Poetry Websites A to Z Click the underlined titles to go to the homepages. Apples and Snakes 'As England’s leading spoken word poetry organisation, we exist to support poets at all stages of their careers. Working with inspiring people and organisations, we run regular live events and artist development programmes across the country. Through our Book a Poet scheme, we can help you find the best visiting artists for your workshops and events.' artBLAB: online art lectures ​ 'artBLAB believes in art equality, it doesn't discriminate against any type of art - we love experimental poetry as much as we adore interaction design!' ​ ​ Arvon - residential creative writing courses and retreats UK ​ 'For over fifty years Arvon has been the UK’s home of creative writing. We have three centres, in Devon, Shropshire and Yorkshire. Our residential courses and retreats , led by highly acclaimed writers, span poetry to playwriting, song to screenplay, fact to fiction, starting to finishing – and we offer grants to help with course fees for those who need it.' ​ Awards & Prizes ​ There are many poetry awards and prizes, so these can be found on their own page . Barbican Young Poets 'Barbican Young Poets is an artist development initiative and community for those who wish to explore what’s possible for their poetry and creative expression. Through a six-month programme, you’ll generate new writing, experiment with different ways of working, and refine a selection of your new work towards a publication, performance or presentation.' ​ The Bardic Basement ​ The Bardic Basement was set up by Ben Hornett in July 2018, in order to fill a gap in Northamptonshire’s spoken word scene as well as giving local artists a platform to promote and discuss their work and upcoming events. A monthly podcast was set up in January 2021, with plans to continue it alongside future events organised by the Bardic Basement. ​ Best-Poems. Net | The Famous Poems Encyclopedia ​ A resource of poems and poets, and an opportunity to submit your own poetry if you regiuster for an account. Between The Covers ​ Between the Covers, a literary radio show and podcast hosted by David Naimon, is brought to you by Tin House and KBOO 90.7FM community radio in Portland, Oregon. This link highlights the poetry episodes. Between the Trees Festival, Held at Merthyr Mawr Nature Reserve, South Wales - Between the Trees Festival will be held between 26th - 28th August 2022 this year. 'With its unique theme of nature & science, the festival aims to reconnect people to the natural world. It features a blend of original indie folk music, art and spoken word within a community that embraces all and encourages thinking and creativity.' ​ Bioluminescent Baby ​ 14 original poems written and read by Fiona Benson, beautifully interwoven with snippets of interviews with entomologists, scientists and researchers from across the globe by sound artists Mair Bosworth and Eliza Lomas. Created as part of a collection of poetry sound pieces called 'In the Company of Insects'. Bitesize - Poetry The BBC revision page for GCSE is worth a visit whether or not you are a student studying the course. ​ Bodmin Moor Poetry Festival 'A decade back, Carol Ann Duffy gave a reading with Ann Gray, her friend and fellow poet, at Sterts Theatre and Arts Centre. After the packed reading, Carol Ann announced that she loved the venue and that it would make a great place for a Poetry Festival. It wasn’t long before Ann persuaded David Woolley to help set up what became the Bodmin Moor Poetry Festival.' ​ Books for Breakfast ​ 'A fortnightly (Podcast) look at fiction and poetry hosted by poets and writers Peter Sirr and Enda Wyley. Also features the Toaster Challenge where guest writers are given the time it takes to make toast to talk about a book that has resonated with them.' ​ Bradford Literature Festival '24th June – 3rd July 2022. Come and meet authors, poets, speakers, musicians and artists from Bradford, the UK and around the world. BLF is a key event in the UK cultural calendar and the most dynamic festival in the country that you will not want to miss. We have now revealed some highlights, see our news pages to find out more. ' Bradford Literature Festival 2022 Programme ​ Brink Literacy Project ​ 'Brink Literacy Project is devoted to utilizing the power of storytelling to positively affect the lives of people on the brink. Through our education, community, and publishing divisions, our non-profit works worldwide to foster a love of literature, increase literacy rates, and use storytelling to empower underserved communities.' Burford Literary Festival ​ Kim Harvey Creative Director, Burford Lit Fest & owner of Madhatter Bookshop founded the festival in Oxford, England in 2020. It is holding the next festival 23 to 26 September 2022 ​ Cafe Writers Promoting established and new writers throughout Norfolk and beyond. We usually meet on the second Monday of each month from 7.30pm upstairs at Take 5, Tombland, Norwich. Cannon Poets ​ Cannon Poets have met monthly since 1983. We meet at The Moseley Exchange, The Post Office Building, 149-153, Alcester Road, Moseley, Birmingham B13 8JP usually on the first Sunday of each month [except August] at 2pm. (Not currently naturally.) Center for the Art of Translation ​ 'We are dedicated to finding dazzling new, overlooked, and underrepresented voices, brought into English by the best translators, and to celebrating the art of translation. Our publications, events, and educational programming enrich the library of vital literary works, nurture and promote the work of translators, and build audiences for literature in translation' Cheltenham Poetry Festival Launched by poet Anna Saunders in 2011. 'As well as the Spring programme, the Festival celebrates the power of words throughout the year at readings, performances and workshops.' ​ Cork International Poetry Festival ​ In 1993 The Munster Literature Centre started presenting spring literary festivals. This year's festival ook place place from 18 May 2022 to 21 May 2022. Cúirt International Festival of Literature ​ Cúirt International Festival of Literature is one of Europe’s oldest book festivals, and a leading voice for literature both internationally and across Ireland. Cúirt brings readers and writers together to tell stories, share new perspectives, and to celebrate writing, books and reading in all forms. ​ Cummings Study Guides - Free Study Guides for Shakespeare and Other Authors ​ This site is maintained as a free public service by Michael J. Cummings , of Williamsport, Pennsylvania, USA. Over the years, he has written more than 2,500 published articles on a variety of topics. Ditet e Naimit (Days of Naim) This is an annual North Macedonian and Albanian International Poetry Festival, held in Tetovo, North Macedonia, which had its 25th meeting in 2021. It awards the Naim Frashëri Laureateship. ​ Don Yorty Explorations ​ Don Yorty is a poet, educator, and garden activist living in New York City. On this site he explores some interesting poetry news and other things to do with poetry. ​ A Drop of Hope at The Crick ​ Poems inspired by the words of those who have been vaccinated within the Crick. ​ Eat The Storms – Stay Bloody Poetic ​ Podcast available on Spotify, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Anchor, Breaker, Player FM, Radio Public, OverCast, PocketCast, Podbean and many more platforms. Created by Damien B. Donnelly. Edinburgh International Book Festival ​ 'It is a distinctive international showcase celebrating the written word, literature and ideas. It brings leading and emerging international, British and Scottish authors and thinkers together to inspire each other and audiences in an extensive programme of public events.' 'This year’s Book Festival will take place from Saturday 14 to Monday 30 August at our new Festival home: the University of Edinburgh’s Edinburgh College of Art.' Edinburgh Poetry Tours | Walks with poems in Edinburgh’s Old Town, led by Ken Cockburn ​ 'These walking tours weave in and out of streets, closes, gardens and graveyards. You’ll hear works by Robert Burns, Dorothy Wordsworth, Victor Hugo, Robert Louis Stevenson, the great Anon and many others. Walks are led by Ken Cockburn, a poet and translator who has lived in Edinburgh for thirty years.' The site has some intersting articles, too. Electronic Poetry Center (upenn.edu) ​ 'Our goal was to make available a wide range of resources centered on digital and contemporary formally innovative poetries, new media writing, and literary programming.' English PEN See also Irish PEN/PEN na hÉireann and PEN International 'English PEN is one of the world's oldest human rights organisations. With the support of our members – a community of writers, readers and activists – we protect freedom of expression whenever it is under attack and celebrate contemporary international writing with prizes, grants and events.' ​ European Poetry Festival ​ 'The European Poetry Festival celebrates, in the UK and beyond, the grand resurgence in avant-garde and literary poetry that has marked the 21st century in Europe. The fourth festival takes places across 2021, with summer and winter programs, working around the limitations of travel.' Evesham Festival of Words ​ 'The object of the Evesham Festival of Words shall be to promote appreciation of words in all their forms, and of writing and literature within Evesham and surrounding area through a professionally organised and widely accessible Festival event.' ​ Exiled Writers Ink ​ 'Develops and promotes the creative literary expression of refugees, migrants and exiles, encourages cross-cultural dialogue and advocates human rights through literature and literary activism.' ​ Festival Internacional de Poesía de Granada, Nicaragua ​ Annual International Poetry Festival in Nicaragua. Every year has a theme, and attended by international poets and a very large audience. The site is in Spanish. Up to date information appears to be more easily found on the Facebook page . ​ Fired! Irish Women Poets and the Canon - RASCAL ​ Fired! Irish Women Poets and the Canon, was formed in the summer of 2017. Fired! is a collaborative project bringing together active poets from both the north and south of Ireland. Flight of the dragonfly ​ 'Flight of the Dragonfly has its roots in the Masters in Creative Writing where the team met. It started in 2019 ... we enjoyed ourselves so much sharing and hearing poetry and prose that night that we wanted more.' ​ From the Fishouse ​ 'Founded in 2004 by Matt O’Donnell and Camille Dungy, From the Fishouse is non-profit site that promotes the oral tradition of poetry. Our free online audio archive showcases emerging poets (defined for this purpose as poets with fewer than two published books of poetry at the time of submission) reading their own poems, as well as answering questions about poetry.' ​ Genius.com| Poetry ​ Not, in general, a poetry website, but it does have an interesting poetry tag, which this link will take you to. Though it may be full of contemporary music stars in the top ten, there is a good amount of poets' poetry on there too. (For instance, search for Simon Armitage, Carol Ann Duffy, Wilfred Owen, William Shakespeare.) The Gloucestershire Poetry Society 'The Gloucestershire Poetry Society (GPS) was founded in 2016 by Z.D. Dicks (Ziggy Dicks) as a way of uniting poets and spoken word performers in the Gloucestershire area. Every member of The GPS shares the attitude that everyone is welcome, wherever you are from, whether you have been writing for 10 months, 10 years or 10 days, there is a place for you.' ​ The Guardian ​ The Guardian is arguably the publication in the UK most committed to poetry and poetry news that is not a poetry specialist publication in the UK and it does still offer its pages free on the internet. The Guardian's Poem of the Week - with Carol Rumens ​ Guernsey Literary Festival ​ The Guernsey Literary Festival is one of the highlights of the island’s arts calendar bringing some of the world’s greatest writers, speakers and thinkers to Guernsey. With events for all interests and ages, the Festival is a unique opportunity to come together to celebrate the written word. In 2022 the Festival itself is from 22nd to 26th June . Hastings Literary Festival ​ This year's Hastings Book Festival is being held between16-25 September 2022. 'The Hastings Literary Festival is a community festival, celebrating writing and the written word. We are committed to ensuring our events are safe, engaging and accessible, with a specific focus on supporting local writing talent.' ​ Hay Festival ​ Next year's festival is from 26 May to 5 June 2022. Over 12 days, more than 200 acclaimed writers, global policy makers, historians, poets, pioneers and innovators join us All events will be closed-captioned and available to watch for free 24 hours from their live broadcast. ​ Hello Poetry ​ 'The experiment we call Hello Poetry began in May 2009, what now seems a lifetime ago. I wanted an uncluttered, peaceful space to read and share poetry, so I started building one in my time after work. The site now serves over a million readers a month and is a home to hundreds of thousands sharing their poetry.' ​ The High Window ​ 'Alongside a lively and eclectic mix of poetry, each new issue contains a literary essay, a selection of poems in translation, poetry reviews and occasional features.' The Hippocrates Initiative for Poetry and Medicine ​ ' Since its launch in 2009, the annual Hippocrates Prize has attracted thousands of entries from over 70 countries.' ​ The Hive Poetry Collective – There's a Bee in Poetry ​ Airing on KSQD 90.7 FM most Sundays at 8:00, the Hive Poetry Collective is a buzz of poets in Santa Cruz, California— a swarm of radio conversations, public readings, and writing workshops. See the list of podcasts at The Buzz – The Hive Poetry Collective HoCoPoLitSo ​ Howard County Poetry & Literature Society (HoCoPoLitSo) is a non-profit organization designed to enlarge the audience for contemporary poetry and literature and celebrate culturally diverse literary heritages. Founded in 1974. Home Stage - Poetry ​ The Royal British Legion Club expanded an online quiz group! 'Our mission is to use technology and research to connect enquiring and creative grown ups around the globe through shared interests to advance fellowships and relieve isolation.' There are free Poetry Groups , regular interviews with poets at Poetry Events , the Poetry Untangled Podcast and plenty more. Ilkley Literature Festival ​ The Festival is held over 17 days at the start of October in this town at the foot of Ilkley Moor. Each year around 250 events take place in a variety of venues. The Festival events are no longer confined to October, with special events taking place across the year. ​ IBPC (webdelsol.com) (InterBoard Poetry Community) ​ It began in 1999. 'It includes “IBPC Selects” featuring the editor’s choice of favourite poems, direct links to Poets & Writers, Powells and other favourite sites, direct home page access to our participating boards, the most recent winning poems, and “IBPC: Newswire” – news and announcements of the many talented poets who workshop on the net.' ​ International Poets and Writers Conclave ​ Live reading series, a festival and a poetry resource second Tuesday of the month at 11 am EST (USA - 4pm UK time The Interpreter's House Podcast | RSS.com 'Relics of conversations between poets. Geek out with us. Hosted by Assistant Editor, Andrew Wells and occasional cats. The Interpreter's House was founded in 1996.' Only three available at presnt, but one was added recently. ​ Irish Poetry Reading Archive - Poetry Ireland The Irish Poetry Reading Archive is a free, web-based library that holds recordings of Irish poets reading their own work. ​ Jacket2 ​ 'Jacket2 offers commentary on modern and contemporary poetry and poetics. We publish articles, reviews, interviews, discussions and collaborative responses, archival documents, podcasts, and descriptions of poetry symposia and projects.' (See their podcast PoemTalk below.) ​ Kalinga Literary Festival – India's Largest Celebration of Literary Spirit ​ 'Annual Kalinga Literary Festival (KLF) held in every year at smart city Bhubaneswar . KLF founded by Odisha Media Info Service Pvt Ltd & Odisha Diary Foundation on 2013. KLF to celebrate the creative spirit of India and commemorate the literary diversity it offers, bringing it in conversation with the best minds in the world of literature within and outside India.' Keats-Shelley House ​ Interesting information and you can visit the house virtually. Keats-Shelley Memorial Association ​ 'Founded in 1903, we maintain and support the Keats-Shelley House at 26 Piazza di Spagna, Rome, where the English poet John Keats died in 1821. As part of our ongoing commitment to poetry lovers, we publish the scholarly Keats-Shelley Review and run the annual Keats-Shelley and Young Romantic Writing Prizes to find the most promising poets and essayists from around the world.' ​ Kendal Poetry Festival ​ The festival began in 2016 and ran through to 2018 under the leadership of Kim Moore and Pauline Yarwood. It is due to run from the 23rd to 26th June in 2022. ​ Kent and Sussex Poetry Society 'The Kent & Sussex Poetry Society is a lively local group with a national reputation. We’ve been going for over 70 years in Tunbridge Wells but remain as friendly and supportive and open to newcomers as ever. Our monthly readings by well-known poets normally take place at a venue in Tunbridge Wells, but because of COVID-19 they are on-line for the time being.' ​ KR Online ​ Kenyon Review online. It includes a podcast Lambda Literary For over 30 years, Lambda Literary has championed LGBTQ books and authors. We believe that lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer literature is fundamental to the preservation of our culture, and that LGBTQ lives are affirmed when our stories are written, published, and read. The Lambda Literature Awards given annually include individual poetry specific prizes. ​ Lancaster Literature Festival - Litfest Litfest is a volunteer board-run organisation operating in Lancaster and the surrounding areas. We put on a full festival programme every year, and we’re also involved in a whole host of other events and projects. In 2022 it runs from 8 to 20 March. ​ Lannan Foundation ​ 'Lannan Foundation is a family foundation dedicated to cultural freedom, diversity and creativity through projects which support exceptional contemporary artists and writers, as well as inspired Native activists in rural indigenous communities.' The website includes podcasts. Ledbury Poetry Festival ​ The 2022 festival will run from1st to 10th July. 'Ledbury Poetry Festival is the biggest, brightest, most superlatively international celebration of poetry and spoken word in the UK. Surrounded by woods, orchards and hills, poets from all over the world gather in this independent market town to perform, write, read and listen to poetry.' Leeds Poetry Festival ​ From 1st to 7th August in 2022. Plenty of live events and workshops to attend in person. Library of Congress : Poetry and Literature ​ 'The Library of Congress promotes poetry and literature year-round through our online and in-person programs, our honours and prizes, and our ambassadors.' ​ Lighthouse Writers Workshop ​ Courses available for writers based in Denver, which holds an annual LitFest - in 2022 this is from 10th to 19th June. Events are available online via Zoom. ​ Limerick Writer's Centre 'Founded in in 2008 to support and promote writers from or living in Limerick through readings, workshops and publishing activities. There are regular poetry and prose workshops plus screenwriting, memoir and life writing. Our flagship monthly literary gathering On The Nail takes place in Chez le Fab, Arthur’s Quay Park on the first Tuesday of every month.' Listowel Writers' Week - Literary Festival ​ Founded in 1970, with the first festival taking place in 1971, which aims to transform a beautiful Kerry heritage town into a literary universe. 'At the heart of our annual celebration is a commitment to developing and promoting writing talent where we showcase works through literary panel discussions, moderated talks, poetry readings, interviews, cultural tours, walks and more.' Literary Hub ​ 'Literary Hub is an organizing principle in the service of literary culture, a single, trusted, daily source for all the news of contemporary literary life. Each day—alongside original content and exclusive excerpts—Literary Hub is proud to showcase an editorial feature from one of its many partners from across the literary spectrum: publishers big and small, journals, bookstores, and non-profits.' Little Poetrywala ​ 'littlepoetrywala.com is an online poetry platform to inspire the new generation and budding poets, where they can submit and share their poems online. The website aims to provide a fun and an interactive online space where poets and beginners can share their poetry, connect with others and get inspired by reading poems.' Live Canon ​ For 14 years Live Canon have been publishing, performing, promoting, celebrating and sharing poetry. We publish anthologies, debuts and collections. Our ensemble perform poetry at theatres, festivals and events, and record poetry for radio, digital projects and interdisciplinary collaborations. Lyra Bristol Poetry Festival (lyrafest.com) ​ 'Lyra is the annual Bristol Poetry Festival. Lyra is a festival which brings together local, national and international poets and speakers, representing Bristol as a centre of world class poetry. Our aim is to showcase poetry including poetry readings, slam competitions, poetry film screenings, poetic walking tours, digital media, discussion panels, open mics, lectures and more.' Lyrikline ​ 1491 poets, 13411 poems, 88 languages, 20979 translations. Online since 1999, 'Lyrikline is an international website for experiencing the diversity of contemporary poetry'.1491 poets Lucy Writers Platform ​ Lucy Writers is a website devoted to showcasing the work of women and non-binary writers and creatives. Lucy Cavendish is the Cambridge College for women students aged 21+, and a unique part of the University of Cambridge. Magma 78 Collaborations - Magma Poetry ​ 'For Magma 78, we invited poetic collaborations across disciplines and in response were delighted by multi-media poems of all varieties.' Here is their selection. MASSOLIT ​ 'MASSOLIT was created in order to give more people access to the knowledge and insight of the world's best academics.' When I looked there was 118 very interesting looking poetry courses available, though I did not fully investigate cost. McLellen Poetry Fringe - Arran Theatre and Arts Trust ​ 'New for 2022, we are pleased to announce a spring Poetry Fringe festival. This will run from Thursday 28th April to Sunday 1st May with a packed programme of readings and workshops' Moonstone Arts Center ​ 'Moonstone was founded in 1981, with the motto Education Through the Arts from Cradle to Grave. While literature is at the center of Moonstone’s programing, we believe that ART, in all its forms, is more than enrichment. The Arts Center produces about 100 programs, mostly poetry readings and publishes about 30 books a year.' ​ Moving Poems ​ 'Our main focus here is on videopoetry, “a genre of poetry displayed on a screen, distinguished by its time-based, poetic juxtaposition of text with images and sound,” as videopoetry pioneer Tom Konyves puts it . Other names for this genre include filmpoetry, poetry-film and cinepoetry, and animated poems form an important subset.' ​ Mslexia ​ 'Mslexia is an award-winning magazine supported by Arts Council England. Its mission is to help women express themselves and get their writing noticed: in print, online and in performance. Mslexia was granted charitable status in 2019 in recognition of its work to fulfil this mission.' The website is worth a visit in its own right. Munster Literature Centre ​ 'Founded in 1993, the Munster Literature Centre (Ionad Litríochta an Deiscirt) is a non-profit arts organisation dedicated to the promotion and celebration of literature, especially that of Munster. To this end, we organise festivals, workshops, readings and competitions. Our publishing section, Southword Editions, publishes a biannual journal, poetry collections and short stories.' ​ National Association of Writers in Education (NAWE) 'NAWE's mission is to advocate for Creative Writing: enhancing knowledge and understanding of the subject and supporting writers and good practice in teaching and facilitation in all settings.' The National Poetry Library ​ The National Poetry Library is the largest public collection of modern poetry in the world. Founded by the Arts Council in 1953 and opened by poets T.S. Eliot and Herbert Read, we have been at the heart of the nation’s poetry community ever since. ​ Newcastle Centre For the Literary Arts ​ Hold many interesting poetry courses and events. Newcastle Poetry Festival In 2022 it will be held on 5-7 May in Newcastle upon Tyne including online. 'This year’s theme is EMERGENCY. Join us for exclusive readings by world-class poets, workshops with award-winning writers, performances from spoken word artists, open mic events, and the Emergency Poetry Summit where poets, publishers, producers and readers will come together.' ​ New Writing North 'New Writing North was established in 1996 to support writers in the north of England to fulfil their creative ambitions. We work with new writers and seek out talent across the North of England. We work to nurture the next generation of writers.' Northern Poetry Library ​ 'The Northern Poetry Library is the largest collection of post-World War II poetry in England outside London.' NoSweatShakespeare ​ Our mission is to help everyone understand Shakespeare’s language. I recommend the podcasts Nottingham Poetry Festival ​ I n 2022 this runs from May 6 to 15. 'Nottingham Poetry Festival shines a spotlight on the city’s thriving literary scene. For five years, the Festival has presented eclectic line-ups of nationally and locally acclaimed poets and performers.' Ó Bhéal - Fáilte go dtí Ó Bhéal Cork’s monthly poetry event features poetry films, a poetry writing challenge, featured guest poets and an open-mic. The website acts as the main organisational hub, offers podcasts from most Ó Bhéal nights and over 1,000 videos of individual poems read/performed at Ó Bhéal and at other festivals across Ireland. Over 1,300 podcasts can be heard at Ó Bhéal ​ Obsidian Foundation ​ Obsidian is a one week retreat for black poets of African descent selected by application who want to advance their writing practice led by five black acclaimed tutors. On Being ​ 'The On Being Project is an independent non-profit public life and media initiative with radio, podcasts, digital, poetry, and live event offerings. We pursue deep thinking and social courage, moral imagination and joy, to renew inner life, outer life, and life together.' Have a look at: Experience Poetry | The On Being Project ​ One Plum Poem 'Jenny Swann set up One Plum Poem in 2018 to explore the possibilities of poetry in podcasts, workshops and poetry cards. She is a workshop leader, publishing mentor and poetry consultant, and a trustee of Nottingham UNESCO City of Literature.' ​ Oulipo.net ​ The French website for OuLiPo poetry. (You can use Google translate, though! ) French speaking writers who seek to create works using constrained writing techniques. Overhear (theoverhear.app) ​ 'Creating a global community of poets and writers passionate about local space, location and place.' Clever idea where a poetry event can pin poems to a location which you can then find with the app. ​ Oxford Brookes University - Poetry Centre ​ 'The Centre is dedicated to creating research into poetry, encouraging the reading and writing of poetry within Oxford and beyond.' I recommend their Weekly poem - Oxford Brookes University. ​ Palm Beach Poetry Festival ​ The Palm Beach Poetry Festival is a non-profit organization dedicated to fostering the writing, reading, performance, and appreciation of poetry – by presenting an annual festival and other poetry events in Palm Beach County – featuring America’s finest poets. The next festival January 10th - 15th 2022 will be virtual. Penny's poetry pages Wiki | Fandom ​ 'Welcome to Penny's Poetry Pages, your one-stop resource for poetry and poetry information. "About poetry " gives you information about reading, studying, and writing poetry. "About poets " tells you about poets, poetry groups and schools, and the art's history. "About poems" gives you selected good and great poems to read.' Seems to have not been updated since 2015. Penteract Podcast ​ A new podcast added monthly. There were 29 for me to catch up on when I last looked. They are publisher of Constrained, Formal, and Visual Poetry. ​ PennSound ​ PennSound is an ongoing project, committed to producing new audio recordings and preserving existing audio archives. See here for podcasts. Penzance Literary Festival ​ 6th to 9th July 2022 are the dates for the next Penzance LitFest. Places of Poetry ​ The site was open for writers to pin their poems to places in 2019. Now it remains available for readers, to explore the map and read the poems. The project was led by poet Paul Farley and the academic Andrew McRae , and is fascinating to explore. Poem Brut ​ 'Poem Brut celebrates artistic creative writing and its relationship with neurobiology - embracing text and colour, space and time, handwriting, composition, abstraction, illustration, sound, mess and motion - affirming the possibilities of the page, the pen, the process, the performance and the voice in a computer age.' ​ Poemhunter ​ 'In the Poemhunter archive, esides the works of classical poets, there are also poems of amateur poets from all over the world. Any poet can create an account and share their poems here. Poets can also follow and message each other, and rate and comment on poets and poems. Right now, there are 400 thousand poets and 2 million poems in the Poemhunter archive..' Poems From My Heart ​ 'I am a British Indian girl exploring difficult topics through poetry: miscarriage, body image, motherhood, abuse, feminism, living in the South Asian diaspora and more.' PoemTalk - Jacket2 Podcasts ​ Jacket2 offers commentary on modern and contemporary poetry and poetics. We publish articles, reviews, interviews, discussions and collaborative responses, archival documents, podcasts, and descriptions of poetry symposia and projects. The Poet Laureate Has Gone to His Shed BBC Radio 4 series back for its second series. ​ Poetry Analysis ​ Explore all things Poetry. Any Poem. Any Poet. Any Term. ​ Poetry and Writers ​ 'Founded in 1970, Poets & Writers is the nation’s largest nonprofit organization serving creative writers. Our mission? To foster the professional development of poets and writers, to promote communication throughout the literary community, and to help create an environment in which literature can be appreciated by the widest possible public.' Poetry By Heart ​ ' Choose a poem. Learn it by heart. Perform it out loud.' Simple! Poetry Daily (poems.com) ​ Founded in 1997, Poetry Daily is a non-profit daily anthology of contemporary poetry. Our editors read journals and books of poems first published from the widest range of sources we can find, from across the US and the world. Each day we present one of those poems to you. Poetry Archive ​ '519 Poets to explore 2194 Poems free to enjoy 8076 Poems available to members.' ​ The Poetry Business ​ We publish books, pamphlets, audio and eBooks as smith|doorstop ; edit a literary magazine; and run Writing Days, masterclasses, residential courses, and a Writing School for published poets. We also run the annual Book & Pamphlet Competition. ​ PB Online - The Poetry Business 'A new Digital Poet-in-Residence will occupy the Poets Room each month, posting exciting and inspiring material including blog posts, audio downloads, interviews with poets, suggested reading and downloadable writing prompts. ' ​ Poetry Extra - On BBC Radio 4 Extra and BBC Sounds ​ Hosted by Daljit Nagra, this weekly programme picks poetry highlights from the BBC archive. The most recent 4 or 5 programmes are usually available, too. ​ Poetry Film Live ​ Poetry Film Live: a new way with poetry is a UK based webzine which publishes poetry film, performances, readings, essays and reviews. It is also the platform for Elephant’s Footprint online poetry film training. Poetry For Social Justice – Part of Reading Amnesty International Group ​ 'The Finale to our Poetry for Social Justice competition is a two hour extravaganza of readings and discussions from our winners, numerous performers as well as from our wonderful Judges. The event will take place on 27th May 2021 from 6 – 8pm virtually.' Poetry Foundation ​ 'The Poetry Foundation, publisher of Poetry magazine, is an independent literary organization committed to a vigorous presence for poetry in our culture. It exists to discover and celebrate the best poetry and to place it before the largest possible audience.' Established in 2003, it is one of the very best poetry sites on the internet. See Poetry Foundation Podcasts ​ ​ Poetry in Aldeburgh ​ 'We are 'Poetry In Aldeburgh', a not-for-profit organisation that aims to build on and continue the heritage of poetry and over 40 years of poetry festivals on the Suffolk Coast. Our first festival was in November 2016 and we hold them annually. We also work with local and national organisations in the arts & literary fields to support poetry in our area.' The site has podcasts of previous Festivals. ​ Poetry Ireland also see Opportunities for poets and writers 'Poetry Ireland connects poetry and people. We are committed to achieving excellence in the reading, writing and performance of poetry throughout the island of Ireland.' Poetry International - p! ​ 'Poetry International was born out of the Poetry International Festival, which has been bringing the absolute best international poets to appreciative Rotterdam crowds since 1970. ' It has been online since 2002 and features over a thousand poets. ​ The Poetry Kit ​ Excellent resource for competitions, regular poetry groups, poetry magazines and more. Poetry Live ​ Many major poets offer events to support with poetry for GCSEs Poetry Non-Stop ​ Poetry Non-Stop is a podcast featuring leading contemporary poets in conversation. In each episode a guest poet discusses their work with presenter Patrick Widdess and reads some of their poems. Anyone interested in writing poetry is sure to be inspired by these conversations and each poet offers a prompt or writing exercise to help listeners generate new ideas for poems. ​ Poetry Nook ​ 'Plum White Press is a literary publisher focused on poetry. Works published include The Poetry Nook Anthology, The Poetry Nook Journal, The dVerse Anthology, and poetry collections by Martin Elster, M V Fabiyas, Emanuel Kane, and Frank Watson. Plum White Press also operates PoetryNook.Com and free weekly poetry contests that attract participants from around the world.' Poetry Out Loud (U.S.) ​ 'Poetry Out Loud is a national arts education program that encourages the study of great poetry by offering free educational materials and a dynamic recitation competition for high school students across the country. Poetry Out Loud is a partnership of the National Endowment for the Arts, Poetry Foundation, and the state and jurisdictional arts agencies.' Poetry People 'Poetry People is a Community Interest Company established in 2017 by co-directors Dean Parkin and Naomi Jaffa, with support from Michael Laskey and Jeni Smith. Poetry People brings poetry to people and people to poetry, often for the first time. Projects reach out to the wider community through competitions, poem posters, workshops and live events.' (Based in Suffolk, UK.) The Poetry Place – West Wilts Radio ​ 'The Poetry Place is a monthly poetry magazine programme bringing you news, views, readings and interviews from today’s poetry community, both locally and further afield. Presented by Dawn Gorman and Peter O’Grady. There's a new episdode on the last Sunday of every month, with repeats from the archive on the other Sundays of the month.' Poetry Please - On BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds ​ Hosted by Roger McGough or guest poets. This long running series has poems chosen by people who write in and the guest poet. Currently between seasons, though the site has a few highlights. The Poetry Project 'Since 1966, The Poetry Project has expanded access to literature, education, and opportunities for sharing one's creative work . We do this work through a combination of live readings, performances, lectures, events, and workshops, in addition to literary and critical publications and an emerging writers program. The Poetry Project is based at St. Mark's Church-in-the-Bowery.' ​ Poetry School ​ 'Join us in reading, writing, editing and translating poetry, in year-long courses, short courses, workshops, one-day sessions, seminars, tutorials and every variety of learning in between – in our classrooms, off site and online.' Poetry Screen Group ​ Facebook group, which aims to inspire and showcase innovative video poetry from young artists. The Poetry Society also see The PoetrySociety Instagram Channel 'The Poetry Society was founded in 1909 to promote “a more general recognition and appreciation of poetry”. Since then, it has grown into one of Britain’s most dynamic arts organisations, representing British poetry both nationally and internationally. Today it has more than 5,000 members worldwide and publishes The Poetry Review , which has been published since 1912.' Another of the internet's great poetry websites. ​ Poetry Society Stanzas – The Poetry Society ​ Stanzas are groups run voluntarily by Poetry Society members, and take a variety of forms. Some Stanzas meet to give feedback on each other’s poems in progress, some are poetry reading groups, some run impromptu open mic sessions. A lot meet locally – some online. Joining an existing Stanza or setting up a new one are great ways to meet like-minded poetry lovers and to develop your own poetry communities. ​ PoetrySoup.com - Online Poetry Community and Resource ​ 'PoetrySoup is a worldwide poetry community and poem resource. Join our online community of poets, submit poems , and use our free educational poetry resources and tools. Read and share all types of poems organized by theme.' ​ Poetry Super Highway ​ 'The mission of the Poetry Super Highway is to expose as many people to as many other people’s poetry as possible. Read poems, submit your poetry for publication, enter our annual poetry contest and peruse our directory of thousands of poetry and writing websites.' Poetry Teighmouth ​ 'To bring live poetry to Teignmouth and entice poets and potential poets to participate and to develop their skills.' ​ Poet's Corner - InDaily ​ For 15 years John Miles has chosen a poem for the In-Daily in Adelaide, Australia Poets Directory ​ Does much of what this site does only much better. For poetry videos see: Video Poet Seers ​ 'Poet Seers is a collection of spiritual and illumining poetry by poets from around the world. On this site we hope to share a diverse range of uplifting and inspirational poetry. We currently have over 150 poets including Shakespeare, Rumi, Hafiz, Sri Aurobindo, Sri Chinmoy, Emily Dickinson, Walt Whitman, John Keats. The site is developed by members of the Sri Chinmoy Centre.' ​ Poets in a Lens, by David M James ​ 'In July my father, David M James died, at the age of 85. He left behind a huge collection of photographs and papers, and it was out of dealing with this large collection that I came to see my upbringing in a new light...' Jeremy James, November 2008. Poets.org ​ 'Poets.org is produced by the Academy of American Poets. The site was launched in 1996, becoming the original online resource for poems, poets' biographies, essays about poetry, and resources for K-12 teachers.' It is a huge resource of poems, poets and poetry. ​ Poezi Shqip ​ 'With over 150 authors and more than 2000 poetries, Poezishqip.com is the largest Albanian and most vibrant poetry community. Our community is built on the belief that poetry is a powerful form of creative self expression and that each person deserves to share their own personal message with the world. At PoeziShqip.com everyone can share their best poems.' (Albanian language site.) Professor of Poetry - Faculty of English (ox.ac.uk) ​ The current Professor of Poetry at the University of Oxford is Professor Alice Oswald. She will be giving one lecture each term for the four years of her tenure. They can be seen / heard here, as can the previous lectures by Prof. Simon Armitage and Sir Geoffrey Hill. ​ Puzzle Poets ​ 'Puzzle Hall Poets is one of West Yorkshire’s longest running monthly spoken word events. We meet every first Monday each month (Bank Holidays - the second of each month). Entry is completely free and we have a featured guest as well as a welcoming and varied open mic. We meet at the Navigation Inn, Sowerby Bridge, West Yorkshire.' Quotidian - see website at Word on the Street Limited ​ 'We want to create the opportunity to encounter poetry in surprising ways and unexpected places.' The Reader ​ 'Today, many of us don’t have the time, concentration or inclination to read. Yet at the same time, we’re experiencing an epidemic of mental ill health, stress and depression, and despite technological advances, many of us feel disconnected from each other. We believe that literature’s unique power has the potential to connect individuals, help us feel better and to rebuild lost social bonds.' ​ Rebecca Swift Foundation ​ Home of the Women's Poet's Prize and Women Poets' Network Red River: Listening To A Polluted River ​ An 18 month research project funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council led by Dr John Wedgwood Clarke of the University of Exeter. It will explore how creative writing can transform our relationship to a polluted, post-industrial river. ​ Representative Poetry Online - RPO ​ 'Representative Poetry Online, version 3.0, includes 4,700 English poems by 723 poets from Caedmon, in the Old English period, to the work of living poets today. It is based on Representative Poetry, established by Professor W. J. Alexander of University College, University of Toronto, in 1912 (one of the first books published by the University of Toronto Press).' ​ The Royal Literary Fund (rlf.org.uk) ​ 'A benevolent fund for professional published authors; it is funded exclusively by bequests and donations from writers and others who wish to help writers. We give help to writers in many different situations where personal or professional setbacks have resulted in loss of income. We also provide pensions for older writers who have seen their earnings decrease.' RTÉ Radio One Poetry Programme ​ A half hour programme on at 7.30 pm on a Sunday (Republic of Ireland time) and available at the website for a month after broadcast. The presenter is Olivia O’Leary. ​ RTÉ Podcasts - Poetry File ​ 'Leading Irish poets read their own work. In association with Poetry Ireland, broadcast on Evelyn Grant's Weekend Drive, Saturday (4-7pm) and Sunday (4-6pm) on RTÉ Lyric FM.' 90 poems read by their authors were available when I last looked. Ruth Awad Poetry Picks 'It is not my aim to name the spark that makes a poem a poem, but I can show you what is wild and wandering and wondering. I hope when you read these poems, your curiosity ignites. I hope they make you look up at the world around you and seek out its tenderness.' This appears on the website for the Southern Indiana Review. ​ Sabotage Reviews ​ 'Sabotage Reviews was founded in 2010 by Claire Trévien to provide dynamic commentary and reviews of small-scale and ephemeral literature that might not otherwise receive such critical and public attention. The focus is on independent, small-budget literature; poetry pamphlets, short stories and live performance (particularly open mic events and spoken word shows).' ​ ​ Scottish Book Trust ​ 'We are a national charity that believes books, reading and writing have the power to change lives.' ​ Scottish Poetry Library ​ 'Search from over 3,000 selected poems on this site or explore our full collection in our online catalogue.' Scottish Writers Centre ​ I recommend their podcasts. ​ Seamus Heaney Centre - Queen's University Belfast 'The Seamus Heaney Centre is a focal point for creativity in Ireland and is recognised as an international centre of creative and research excellence in the field of literature. Attached to the School of Arts, English and Languages at Queen’s, it is based on University Street, by Queen’s iconic Lanyon Building.' The website includes a magazine and podcasts. ​ Second Light Live ​ 'Second Light is a network of women poets, aged 40 and upwards (but see Associate Membership), who are published or beginning to get published and who are serious about developing their work. The network was founded by Dilys Wood in 1994. We aim to promote the work of all women poets, and to develop and promote the work of members, through publications, readings, one-day courses, residential workshops and festivals.' ​ Sentinel Poetry Movement ​ 'The popular home of World poetry, fiction, drama, interviews, reviews, essays and writing competitions.' ​ The Shakespeare Study Guide ​ 'Summaries and Analyses of Every Shakespeare Work | Essays, Glossaries, Quotations, Annotated Texts. A Free Resource for Students and Teachers Posted by Michael J. Cummings Recommended as a Shakespeare Resource by The New York Times and the British Library.' She Grrrowls ​ Feminist arts night based in London @poetrycafelondon hosted by @carminamasoliver . ​ SkyLines festival of poetry and spoken word, Coventry ​ 'A new festival for Coventry: 15-17 July 2022. Join us for three glorious days in July as the city of Coventry plays host to a celebration of poetry and spoken word. With household names, established writers, new poets, workshops and poetry walks, words and performance will fill the streets of the current UK City of Culture. The programme is now live.' The Slowdown Show 'Host Ada Limón delivers a different way to see the world – through poetry. In just one turn of phrase, poetry can anchor us, or shift a moment, a day, or even a whole life. Join us for a poem and a moment of reflection in one short episode, every weekday. Produced by American Public Media in partnership with The Poetry Foundation.' Small Press Distribution (spdbooks.org) ​ 'In an increasingly corporatized book industry, Small Press Distribution (SPD) brings readers independently published literature, emphasizing small press values. We connect underrepresented literary communities to the marketplace and to each other via book distribution, events, and public advocacy. SPD’s nearly 400 presses publish a full diversity of writers.' ​ Southwark Park Galleries - A Fine Day for Seeing ​ ‘A Fine Day for Seeing’ takes its title from the New York School poet and curator Frank O’Hara, who bridged literary and artistic worlds in the late 1950s. In this spirit of collaboration between word and image, the exhibition presents ten pairs of internationally acclaimed contemporary poets and artists who have been invited to work together in dialogue. ( 28 July to 29 August 2021) Speak the Word Events - Eventbrite or Speak the Word poetry workshop | Linktree 'Free weekly online poetry group that PJ Samuels and nudi co-run. We have free-access writing and peer review workshops, and open mics. We're welcoming, queer-led, and queer and trans-affirming. The sessions are popular but low-key, relaxed, run as a safer space, and close-captioned and working towards better accessibility.' ​ Split This Rock ​ 'It calls poets to a greater role in public life and fosters a national network of socially engaged poets. Building the audience for poetry of provocation and witness from our home in the nation’s capital, we celebrate poetic diversity and the transformative power of the imagination.' Also see Poetry Database - Split This Rock Spoken, Not Stirred — Studio 3 Arts ​ Studio 3 Arts’ monthly open mic based in Barking, hosted by our poet-in-residence Dauda Ladejobi. Past nights available as podcasts. Presently still available to attend by Zoom, also. Spoke (spoke poetry hub) ​ 'We host poetry and spoken word events throughout the year, some in keeping with national and local literary festivals.' StAnza - Scotland's International Poetry Festival ​ 'StAnza is Scotland’s annual international poetry festival, bringing poetry to Scottish audiences and worldwide. Since the festival was founded1998, StAnza has gained a truly international reputation. In 2021 our achievements were recognised when we won the Saboteur Award for Best Literary Festival in the UK. Next year’s festival will be our 25th anniversary!' Stay-At-Home! Literary Festival ​ The Stay-at-Home! Festival is a celebration of books and writing, preventing loneliness and championing connectivity and community. It initially ran from 26th April -9 May 2021. St Mungo's Mirror Ball ​ 'Our aims are to support the development of poetry and poets in Glasgow and to raise the profile of poetry in Glasgow and Glasgow poetry.' Strokestown International Poetry Festival (strokestownpoetry.org) ​ The Strokestown International Poetry Festival was founded in 1999. It takes place annually on the first weekend of May, in Strokestown, Co. Roscommon. ​ TOAST poetry ​ TOAST makes live poetry events and workshops with the best poets in the UK. Founded in 2016, we find the strongest voices in poetry and support their careers. Based in Norwich, our goal is to make entertaining, engaging events that bring new audiences and new poets together. ​ Towards A World Unknown ​ Towards a World Unknown is OCR’s poetry anthology. There are three themed poetry clusters to choose from in the anthology, each comprising 15 literary heritage and modern poems as well as poems from around the world. The poems have been carefully selected to provide a balanced and diverse collection for study. ​ Tumblewords Project ​ A grassroots, not-for-profit weekly series of free writing workshops founded in 1995 with seed money from the New Mexico Arts Division. We currently meet Saturdays from 1:00 to 3:00 pm Mountain Standard Time via ZOOM (meeting room url TBA week of workshop) —Donna J. Snyder, Founder ​ Tunbridge Wells Poetry Festival ​ '...burst forth like water from a chalybeate spring in June 2018. Combining a wide variety of reading events and workshops from local and not-so-local writers, the event proved popular with poets and public alike. Originally conceived and ministered by Sarah Miles of Paperswans Press the baton was passed to the current committee in 2020, only for their plans to be scuppered by Covid-19 and lockdown.' There is a plan for a 20022 festival. UbuWeb - Visual Poetry ​ Began as an online repository for visual poetry scanned from aging anthologies and re-imagined as back-lit transmissions from a potential future. As it has progressed, visual poetry has waned in favour of an reconnoitring of diverse avant-gardes. ​ University of Leeds Poetry Centre ​ The Poetry Centre brings together our strength and heritage in creative writing, fostering a unique environment for research, teaching and public engagement. Our varied activities share a common goal of celebrating and facilitating excellence in poetry, both within and outside of the University. The Verb - on BBC Radio 3 and BBC Sounds ​ So many great programmes always available, and a new one every week. Hosted by Ian McMillan. ​ Ver Poets ​ 'Ver Poets was founded in 1966 by May Badman. ‘Ver’ refers to the river flowing through St Albans, where the group meets. The group has a local, national and international membership. Current President, John Mole, is a well-known poet. John is currently Poet in Residence for the City of London, critic and jazz clarinettist.' ​ VerseFirst ​ VerseFirst productions is a media project, dedicated to creating media enhancing and celebrating the written word. Verse Ottawa ​ One of VERSe Ottawa’s main activities is to stage VERSeFest, Ottawa’s annual International Festival of Poetry. VERSe Ottawa’s other major activity is to administer the City of Ottawa’s new Poet Laureate Program. See Videos of Past Events for 2021 VERSeFest events. Verve Poetry Festival | 15-19 Feb 2023 'From an idea floated on Twitter to a whirlwind force in the poetry world, Verve Poetry Festival (and our sister press) are proud to be a home for brilliant poets and lovers. The four day festival in Birmingham city centre, now getting ready for year four, welcomes award-winning poets from the Midlands, the UK and the world.' For open mic events see Verve Poetry Festival Events | Eventbrite ​ WakaPoetry.net 'A site devoted to the many types of classical Japanese poetry. This site started life as the Japan 2001 Waka, as part of the Japan 2001 Festival marking the 100th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Japan and Great Britain. I continued translating and adding poems, including some complete collections, with the result that there are now 6000 translated poems here' Wells Festival of Literature ​ 'Set up in 1992 to promote the love of books and of reading throughout the community. In 2002 we expanded to a week; we now operate over nine days every October and will celebrate our 30th anniversary in 2022. Our Festival takes place in Cedars Hall, a state-of-the-art performance venue situated in the grounds of Wells Cathedral School.' Winchester Poetry Festival ​ The next festival takes place in October. Words Lightly Spoken ​ A new podcast of poetry from Ireland - Poetry Ireland. Over 120 available. Word of Mouth - BBC Radio 4 ​ Series exploring the world of words and the ways in which we use them with presenter Michael Rosen ​ Wordsworth Grasmere 'The Wordsworth Trust has been keeping Wordsworth’s memory alive at Dove Cottage since it was created for this purpose in 1890. We are still an independent charity, and our activities today include putting on exhibitions, talks and other events, introducing children to poetry, and leading activities in local communities.' Worth a visit in Grasmere, and worth a visit online. ​ Write Better Poetry ​ 'Are you passionate about writing poetry? This is where you’ll find poetry prompts, solid tips on writing poetry, interviews with poets, and blog posts highlighting various poetic forms. Sit back, relax, and learn more about the craft of poetry!' (Their words not mine btw, I have only visited the site.) Writers' Kingston ​ 'Writers’ Kingston is Kingston University's literary cultural institute dedicated to creative writing in all its forms, with an annual programme of events from talks to workshops and festivals.' Write Out Loud ​ 'Write Out Loud is a national (indeed, international) hub for participation in poetry, encouraging everyone who writes poetry – from still-too-nervous-to-do-open-mic to Nobel Prize winner – to share their words with others. The Write Out Loud website has been around since 2005. It's unique in what it brings together, and what it offers to our members. ​ Writing.ie The site for the Irish 'Writing' magazine, has poetry resourses. The Writing Squad ​ 'The Writing Squad provides workshops, 1-1 support and investment for young writers. Our free 2 year programme is for w'riters aged 16-21 who live, work or study in the North of England.' York Literature Festival ​ The Festival began in 2007. 'The Festival prides itself on having a diverse range of events including talks, lectures, panels, debates, performances, storytelling pieces and workshops. It features both fiction (literary, contemporary and genre-based), non-fiction and poetry.' The 2022 Festival will run from 18 to 27 March. Young Poets Network ​ Young Poets Network is The Poetry Society’ s online platform for young poets up to the age of 25. Here you’ll find features about poets and poetry, challenges and competitions to inspire your own writing, new writing from young poets, and advice and guidance from the rising and established stars of the poetry scene. ​ ​ Disclaimer: I have absolutely no connection with any of the sites reported above and only pass them on because they sounded interesting to me. I do not gain financially or in any other way from any of the sites I have offered links to. If the sites fail to deliver in some way, this will need to be taken up with that site. I cannot guarantee the safety of the sites I link to, though I do test every site out prior to listing it here; if you do follow the link you do so entirely at your own risk. So what I am saying is please don't sue me, or shoot me as the messenger, though I absolutely would love to hear any positive or negative feedback about any of the sites I link to. ​ If you are the owner of a site that I have linked to and object to me including a link here please do let me know and I will remove it as soon as possible. Equally if you want to be linked then just ask and I will be very happy to do so. ​

February Quote of the Month "Dick's duck dived as deep as Dick's dog dug " ​ From Read Me and Laugh Poems chosen by Gaby Morgan, Macmillan Children's Books , London, 2005 20 + Poetry Things You Could Do Today ​ ​ 1) Firstly check out poets reading their poems at: Bob and Poetry.com: Short poetry clips - YouTube ​ For longer readings and films see: Bob and Poetry.com : Readings On YouTube - YouTube ​ I add to these playlists all the time so do keep checking. ​ ​ 2) (From Plume | Online Poetry Magazine ) ​ December Edition Issue no. 148 Available "In brief, Plume is a magazine dedicated to publishing the very best of contemporary poetry. To that end, we will be highly selective, offering twelve poems per monthly issue." ​ There is an extensive archive to enjoy, too ​ For this edition see: Issue #148 December 2023 Archives - Plume (plumepoetry.com) ​ ​ ​ ​ 3) (From Bad Lilies ) ​ October 2023 Issue 16 ​ "Bad Lilies is published six times a year and is edited by Kathryn Gray and Andrew Neilson . We aim to showcase the finest poetry, ranging in technique and subject matter." ​ See the new issue here: Issue sixteen — Bad Lilies ​ 4) (From Of Poetry Podcast – Kitchen table conversations with poets ) Episode 39: Steven Leyva (Of Anti-Confession, Zydeco, and Clarity) – Of Poetry Podcast "Steven Leyva was born in New Orleans, Louisiana and raised in Houston, Texas. His poems have appeared in Smartish Pace, Scalawag, Nashville Review, jubilat, The Hopkins Review, Prairie Schooner, and Best American Poetry 2020. He is a Cave Canem fellow and author of the chapbook Low Parish and author of The Understudy’s Handbook which won the Jean Feldman Poetry Prize from Washington Writers Publishing House. Steven holds an MFA from the University of Baltimore, where he is an associate professor in the Klein Family School of Communications Design." ​ ​ See Episode 39: Steven Leyva (Of Anti-Confession, Zydeco, and Clarity) – Of Poetry Podcast ​​ ​ ​ ​ 5) (From Carol Rumens's poem of the week | Books | The Guardian website page ) ​ Carol Rumens' Poem of the Week ​ A faultlessly consistent article in a national newspaper, and always available online, too. See Poem of the week: Poem of the week: The Weight of the World by Seni Seneviratne | Poetry | The Guardian ​ ​ ​ ​ 6) (From Our Content — Home Stage website) ​ Meet the Poet: Lewis Buxton - YouTube "Meet Lewis Buxton: Norfolk-based poet, performer and co-director of Norwich’s largest regular poetry night, TOAST. In this episode of Meet the Poet Lewis discusses his debut poetry collection Boy in Various Poses. This collection explores the complexity of gender and boyhood with tenderness, humour and punch - and, in following the ever curious and changing figure of ‘Boy’, Lewis questions what it means to become a man." ​ First available to watch on Facebook and YouTube on Wednesday, 26 July 2023. ​ Go to Meet the Poet: Lewis Buxton - YouTube ​ Once you have watched this episode there is 38 more to watch at Meet the Poet - YouTube ​ For further Home Stage videos see: Home Stage - YouTube ​ ​ ​ ​ 7) (From Poetry Non-Stop (poetrynonstop.com ) website) Poetry Month at Poetry Non-Stop "Jimmy Hall has lived in Norfolk for 13 years. He was born across the border in Southwold. He is a professional musician with a lifelong love of poetry. He shares a couple of poems inspired by people. One he met in passing, one he knows very well." Go to News – Poetry Non-Stop (poetrynonstop.com) ​ Here all the episodes at NaPoWriMo Poetry Non-Stop (soundcloud.com) ​ ​ ​ ​ 8) (From Tin House website) ​ Between The Covers Between the covers is a literary radio show and podcast hosted by David Naimon, is brought to you by Tin House. These long-form in-depth conversations have been singled out by the Guardian, Book Riot, the Financial Times, and BuzzFeed as one of the most notable book podcasts for writers and readers around. ​ For Between the Covers Podcasts visit Between the Covers Podcast - Tin House For the most recent poetry book based podcast see: Bhanu Kapil : Incubation : A Space for Monsters - Tin House ​ ​ ​ ​ 9) (From AngelHousePres s website) ​ ​ Small Machine Talks: Episode 111: Mudlarking with Ariel Gordon ​ "Ariel is on the podcast as part of the thread we’ve been having this year: off-page, extra literary, which has included discussions of artists’ books with Barrie Tullett and Sarah Bodman, recording studios with Gareth Auden-Hole, Pakistani folklore with Nimra and Manahil Bandukwala, the alphabet with Johanna Drucker, and book conservation with Christine McNair. This is the last episode on this thread." ​ Hear the episode recorded on 28 November 2023 at Episode 111 – Mudlarking with Ariel Gordon – The Small Machine Talks ​ "Stay tuned for our final episode of 2023, the Poetic Elements of Fiction with Frances Boyle." Visit the website at : The Small Machine Talks ​ ​ ​ ​ 10) (From Poetry Extra webpage ) ​ Poetry Please - Midwinter ​ Daljit Nagra revisits the BBC's poetry archive. "Roger McGough explores the archives to find the most evocative winter poems by Thomas Hardy, Miroslav Holub, Robert Frost and Shakespeare. Read by some of our best actors including: Juliet Stevenson, Dame Harriet Walter Hugh Laurie. With Steeleye Span and Bert Jansch. Producer: Sally Heaven. First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2016." ​ See: Poetry Extra - Poetry Please - Midwinter - BBC Sounds ​ ​ ​ ​ 11) (From The Buzz – The Hive Poetry Collective Website) ​ The Hive Poetry Collective: S5: E37 Jeannine Hall Gailey talks with Dion O'Reilly "The Hive radio show is broadcast on KSQD, 90.7 FM Community Radio in Santa Cruz on Sunday nights from 8pm-9pm. The Hive Poetry Collective is a buzz of poets in Santa Cruz, California— a swarm of radio conversations, public readings, and writing workshops. " ​ Hear the most recent podcast posted 30 November, 2023. ​ See S5:E37 Jeannine Hall Gailey talks with Dion O'Reilly by S5: E37 Jeannine Hall Gailey talks with Dion O'Reilly ​ ​ ​ ​ 12) (From West Wilts Radio ) ​ The Poetry Place (Click for archive) "The Poetry Place is a monthly poetry magazine programme bringing you news, views, readings and interviews from today’s poetry community, both locally and further afield. Presented by Dawn Gorman and Peter O’Grady, it brings inspiration and food for thought for everyone, from those who enjoy listening to the occasional poem, to people writing and publishing their own work. ​ There's a new episode on the last Sunday of every month, with repeats from the archive on the other Sundays of the month. Repeated every Sunday, @ 3:00 pm – 4:00 pm" ​ Hear the most recent new edition first broadcast on 26 November, 2023 at : The Poetry Place with Rachael Clyne & Vic Pickup #47-26/11/23 – West Wilts Radio ​ ​ ​ ​ 13) (From Rattle: Poetr y ) Critique of the Week: A Live Video Workshop ​ "It’s hard to find honest feedback about your work, but knowing how your poems are actually landing is more useful than any other advice a poet can get ... so we’d like to extend that experience to anyone who is interested. With Critique of the Week, we’ll workshop several poems publicly each week, via Facebook and YouTube. Participants will get a chance to hear how the Rattle editors would encounter a poem if it were a submission and offer suggestions for improvement. Everyone is then welcome to join in the discussion in the video’s comments section, providing their own thoughts and feedback. Even if you don’t want to share your own poems, it should be an excellent learning opportunity for everyone who watches. ​ To participate, just use the Critique of the Week category on Submittable. Every active submission there will automatically be entered into a live drawing at the end of each month for the next round of participants. In the meantime, be sure to follow us on Facebook and/or subscribe to our YouTube Channel so that you don’t miss any of the critiques." For more information see: Critique of the Week | Rattle: Poetry ​ Or see the latest live streamed event at : Rattlecast Or read the latest daily poem at: Rattle: Poetry ​ (I sign up to the email daily post and strongly recommend it.) ​ ​ ​ ​ 14) (From E at The Storms website) Eat the Storms – The Podcast Podcast – Episode 14 – Season 7 ​ Podcast available on Spotify, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, OverCast, Player FM, Radio Public, PocketCast, CastBox, iTunes, Podbean, Podcast Addicts and many more platforms. This episode of Season 7 aired first on Saturday 16th September 2023, produced and hosted by Damien B. Donnelly. Below are details and links to the guest stars… Linda Drattell ​ Visit: Eat the Storms – The Podcast Podcast – Episode 14 – Season 7 – Storm Shelter ​ ​ ​ 15) (From Seren Books newsletter) ​ Seren Poetry Podcast: Judy Brown: 'Lairs' ​ "In this edition we talk to Judy Brown about her third collection ‘Lairs’. Describing it as the ‘angriest’ of her three books so far, Judy discusses the lair as a place of restriction or a confined space, her residency at Exeter University’s Institute of Data Science and Artificial Intelligence, and other underlying themes from the book such as ‘pivotal change’.." ​ See Judy Brown: 'Lairs' (buzzsprout.com) First published on 3 December 2023. ​ For the library of Seren Poetry Podcasts see: The Seren Poetry Podcast See all the podcasts at Alternative Stories and Fake Realities (buzzsprout.com) ​ ​ ​ ​ 16 ) (From Verse Ottawa ) ​ VerseFest 2023 'MISS ANY OF VERSEFEST 2023 in March? Catch the things you missed in our videos' See Videos of Past Events (verseottawa.ca) ​ ​ ​ ​ 17) (From BBC Radio 3 - The Verb Website ) ​ Joyce Carol Oates Ian McMillan presents a special extended interview with Joyce Carol Oates, one of the most prolific and pre-eminent American writers of the 20th century. Now 85, Oates is the author of 62 novels, 47 short story collections, poetry volumes, plays, essays, and criticism. Her latest book is the unsettling short-story collection 'Zero-Sum'. Presenter: Ian McMillan ​ Broadcast on 1 December, 2023. ​ See : The Verb - Joyce Carol Oates - BBC Sounds ​ Though this has slipped quite far down my list for no particular reason , The Verb is one of my favourite shows on radio and is available in podcast form. There is an archive of 215 episodes available: BBC Radio 3 - The Verb - Available now ​ ​ ​ ​ 18) (From New York Times website) ​ Reading poetry with the poem column ​ In this edition of our series on learning with New York Times columns, we’re inviting you to read and emulate The New York Times Magazine’s Poem column. Every week, the magazine publishes a new poem, which is chosen and introduced by a poet-editor, like Victoria Chang, Reginald Dwayne Betts or Naomi Shihab Nye. ​ In this lesson, you’ll read a poem from the column and see how the editors make their choices, as well as how they analyse and make connections to each poem. Then, you’ll choose your own poem to read and write a paragraph explaining what it means to you. ​ https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/28/learning/lesson-plans/reading-poetry-with-the-poem-column.html ​ The New York Times also does a poem a week - which can be seen without subscribing at: Poem - The New York Times (nytimes.com) ​ ​ ​ ​ 19) (From Ó Bhéal website) ​ Enter the 2023/2024 (11th) competition, which will run for 42 weeks. ​ The 2023/2024 (11th) competition will run for 42 weeks. ​ Every Tuesday at 12pm (Irish time) from 11th April 2023 – 30th January 2024, five words will be posted on this competition page. Entrants will have one week to compose and submit one or more poems which include all five words given for that week. ​ A prize of 750 euros will be awarded to the winner, plus 500 euros for second place and 250 euros for third place. These three, if available will be invited to read at Ó Bhéal’s seventeenth anniversary (hybrid) event, on Monday the 8th of April 2024. Should winners be able to attend in person, then an additional travel fee of 100 euro plus B&B accommodation will be provided for this. The overall winner also receives a physical award, hand-crafted by acclaimed glass artist (and poet) Michael Ray. ​ The shortlisted poems and winning entry will also be published in Five Words Vol XVII – the anthology of five word poems to be launched at the same event. A shortlist of twelve poems including the overall winner will be announced by the first week of March 2024. ​ Entry is open to all countries. Poems cannot exceed 50 lines in length (including line breaks), and must include all five words listed for the week. ​ A modicum of poetic license is acceptable. As long as the original spelling is intact, you’re welcome to extend, pluralise or even split any word to appear across two adjacent words, even if its original meaning becomes altered. ​ Poems should be newly written, during this 7-day period. There is no limit to volume of entries, although each payment and submission should be made separately. ​ NB** Entrants should be at least 18 years of age at the date of submission. Entries to be sent no later than 12pm on the relevant Tuesday. Submissions carry a 5 euro entrance fee. ​ For more information see: Welcome to Ó Bhéal - Fáilte go dtí Ó Bhéal (obheal.ie) ​ ​ ​ ​ 20) (From Moving Poems website) ​ Watch the Best Poetry Videos on the Web ​ The latest when I looked: Orion by Maria Vella | Moving Poems ​ "Atmospheric and experimental, Orion is by Maria Vella in Victoria, Australia. The soundtrack is abstract, incorporating just a few distorted lines of ‘found audio’ from NASA. The strobing stream of personal images creates the sense of poetry without words." Regularly updated there's 2191 videos (and counting) to see at Videopoems | Moving Poems ​ ​ ​ ​ 21) (From T.S. Eliot website) ​ T.S. Eliot Prize ​ The T.S. Eliot Prize shortlist for 2023 has now been announced, and videos of all the nominees will follow. Every year of the prize I have enjoyed watching the poets read from their book, and say a little about themselves. ​ See: Videos – The T. S. Eliot Prize 2023 (tseliot.com) ​ See the whole amazing archive at T. S. Eliot Prize - YouTube ​ ​ ​ ​ 22) (From London Review Bookshop website) ​ New Faber Poetry ​ "Poetry from four of the most exciting poets at work today. Declan Ryan reads from ​Crisis Actor , his long-awaited debut of failures and farewells, alternating (in the words of Kate Kellaway) ‘between the pugilistic and the becalmed’. Maggie Millner’s novel in verse, ​Couplets , is a unique story of queer desire, the couplet form beautifully embodying the narrative. Hannah Sullivan reads from her second collection, ​Was It for This , poems exploring different visions of home, motherhood and London. And Nick Laird reads from ​Up Late , the title poem of which won last year’s Forward Prize for Best Single Poem." ​ Hear this podcast at: New Faber Poetry | London Review Bookshop ​ For lots of past videos and podcasts (not exclusively poetry) see: Podcasts & video | London Review Bookshop ​ ​ ​ ​ ​23) (From The Poetry Programme - RTÉ Radio 1 (rte.ie) website) ​ The Poetry Programme ​ "Olivia O'Leary explores the diverse and vibrant world of poets and poetry. For everyone who loves poetry. And those who just don't know it yet. ​ The Poetry Programme Sunday 25 December 2022 ​ Olivia O'Leary hosts the hour-long Christmas 2022 Poetry Programme. ​ This year's Christmas programme, presented in collaboration with Poetry Ireland, features readings and conversation with Caitríona Ní Chléirchín, Barry Devlin, Eiléan Ní Chuilleanáin and Andrew Bennett, and music from DCU Lumen Chorale. The programme was recorded before a live audience in Belvedere House, St Patrick's, Drumcondra, part of the campus of DCU. Poetry Ireland is temporarily based at St Patrick's while works are ongoing at their city centre headquarters." ​ Broadcast on 25 December 2022. Hear it at: The Poetry Programme Sunday 25 December 2022 - The Poetry Programme, Christmas Day 2022 ​ Though the show is sadly off-air now, the immense archive is still available to listen to and is recommended.​ ​ See The Poetry Programme - RTÉ Radio 1 (rte.ie) ​ Also see Poetry File - RTÉ Podcasts (rte.ie) ​ ​ ​ ​ 23) Look around this site and follow some of the links you have not heard of before... ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ 'Super. Keep looking down that long road.' ​ 'Better Now Or Better Now Or Better Never?' by Julian Stannard. ​ The Poetry Review Vol 111:2 Summer 2021 ​ All year in 2024 The following sites are worth checking regularly to look out for online and in-person poetry events . ​ Cheltenham Poetry Festival Eventbrite Online Poetry Events | Eventbrite Eventbrite Online Poetry Readings Events | Eventbrite Evesham Festival of Words - Programme ​ Griffin Poetry Prize - Upcoming Events ​ Poetry Day Ireland 2023 | Message in a Bottle | Poetry Ireland ​ What's On - Ledbury Poetry ​ London Review Bookshop ​ Milkweed Editions (U.S. Central time) ​ National Poetry Library (For all currently open poetry competitions) ​ Newcastle Centre for the Literary Arts - Newcastle University (ncl.ac.uk) Nottingham Writer's Block: What's on Nottingham's writing world (mynottz.com) The Poetry Business - Digital Workshops ​ Poetry Events in UK & Ireland | Facebook The Poetry Society - Events Top writing contests. (writingcompetitions.net) The following Groups offer regular online Open-Mics: ​ Cheltenham Poetry Festival - Online Events and Poetry Lounges Fire&Dust Poetry | Twitter, Facebook | Linktree Flight of the dragonfly - Spoken Word On Zoom ​ JournalExpressWrit - Open Mic (journalofexpressivewriting.com) (U.S.) Ó Bhéal - Fáilte go dtí Ó Bhéal (obheal.ie) (Republic of Ireland) ​ Poetry Lit! - Online Reading Series Tickets, Multiple Dates | Eventbrite ​ Rattlecast | Rattle: Poetry ​ Speak the Word: online open mic night Tickets, Multiple Dates | Eventbrite ​ Speak Your Truth ~ Spoke open mic Tickets, Multiple Dates | Eventbrite ​ ​ Disclaimer: I have absolutely no connection with any of the sites reported above and only pass them on because they sounded interesting to me. I do not gain financially or in any other way from any of the sites I have offered links to. If the sites fail to deliver in some way, this will need to be taken up with that site. I cannot guarantee the safety of the sites I link to, though I do test every site out prior to listing it here; if you do follow the link you do so entirely at your own risk. So what I am saying is please don't sue me, or shoot me as the messenger, though I absolutely would love to hear any positive or negative feedback about any of the sites I link to. ​ If you are the owner of a site that I have linked to and object to me including a link here please do let me know and I will remove it as soon as possible. Equally if you want to be linked then just ask and I will be very happy to do so. ​ Last full update 13 December 2023 / Partial update 21 February 2024 ​ ​Top Ten Poetry Headlines from the Web (Click to go to the online article) ​ ​ 1. Benjamin Zephaniah, British poet and campaigner, dies aged 65 | Books | The Guardian 2. The Voice Notes Poet Refaat Alareer Sent Before His Death | TIME ​ ​ 3. Quiz: How much do you know about WB Yeats? · TheJournal.ie (I got 8!) ​ ​ 4. Richard Hugo on Starting a Poem ‹ Literary Hub (lithub.com) ​ ​ ​5 . A collection of Lana Del Rey's favourite poetry (faroutmagazine.co.uk) ​ 6. Machine Gun Kelly Is Reportedly Unhappy With Some of Megan Fox’s Poems in New Book (elle.com) ​ ​7. Ishion Hutchinson: ‘I can hear a poem before it arrives’ | Poetry | The Guardian ​ 8. 10 Excellent Poetry Books About Mental Health | Book Riot ​ ​ 9. Llandudno business’ poetry shelf ‘ransacked’ for second time | North Wales Pioneer ​ 10. “Here Are Ambiguities,” by John Kinsella | The New Yorker ​ ​ ​ ​ ​

Today's reading: The Rialto no.95, pp46-064. (The Rialto 95 Completed.) The title comes from Michael Mackmin's introduction and using it feels a little like being in a room with facing mirrors, as he says the expression was said by an elderly Tai Chi master, explaining a pile of defeated opponents. Mackmin uses the expression to describe his approach to Lockdown, and here am I using it to explain my approach to reading more poetry. The image reflects towards infinity in ever reducing amounts. Or should I be using a Russian doll analogy? Is someone going to take my use of the phrase to surround a nub of an idea they have, just as my idea was within Michael Mackmin's use and his within the elderly Tai Chi master's? Well given my readership reach, this is possibly the small one in the middle anyway, so let's leave that there. The Rialto is my favourite poetry magazine (I stress that I say this about all the magazines I subscribe to) because it its format is solely to hand over to the poetry. It has no reviews or interviews, no articles or distractions, just 64 pages (excluding the cover, which football programmes do not exclude) of poem after poem. What I love even more is the amount of space given to each poem. Large A4 pages of beautiful, high quality white paper with a single poem on it. Well there is a little doubling up if the poems are very short, but always there is plenty of SPACE for the poem to express itself. Jim McElroy's poem, 'Coal Hole' for instance has all 36 lines in one place, no turning of pages, so that the ending, 'The night's clock ticks time on the mantle', is able to not only allude to the passing of time, both before and after the poem, but can do this with the emphasis that there is no more to come from the poet, it must all happen in your own mind. I chose to read this magazine next because I am struggling to find time for poetry reading right now as I aim to give the website a more meaningful appearance. It is only 6 weeks old from conception till this moment now after all. I fear I have created my own in-built non-poetry reading distraction, without realising that was what my mind was subconsciously after all along! Double that for poetry writing. Nothing has been written since the day the site and the blog began. Hopefully 'it will all come out in the wash', as my patients used to say to me. (I wonder if I ever said anything helpful to them?) So, The Rialto is the perfect magazine for getting you right back in there. No toes dangling over the edge, one tiny run up and in you plunge. It's my preferred approach to swimming pools; it is my preferred approach to poetry reading. There is only the barest description of the poets' biographies, all of whom have much more in print than me, and are immensely better qualified to be in print with poetry on several levels, yet I read this magazine feeling this is a level I could aspire to, so in that sense it is very encouraging. Me on a very good day, only that day may still be in the future yet! My favourite poem today was 'a ruru named Murray, who I've been trying to write about since January', by Paula Harris, which after all I have said is on two pages, but as the pages are facing, nothing is lost. The tale concerns a ruru, which we are told in the poem is a morepork, though I still had to Google this word to find out a morepork is a Tasmanian spotted owl, and in the pictures looks essentially like what you would call 'an owl'. The poem is written over 12 verses, is playful, has a comedic use of idea repetition, and follows the ruru from its discovery abandoned as a baby in a bush to its letting loose by Kirsty's brother and, like the poem 'Cole Hole' I mention above, ends with an ending that alludes to future time, of wondering where the ruru is now. Along the way the poem plays with ideas, that orbit around finding the baby bird, naming it, feeding it, looking after it, discovering more about it, and finally deciding that Murray (the ruru) is an Egyptian god, that needs setting free. "4. it fascinates me that ruru were named after the sound of their call but in English we called them morepork and claimed this was the sound of their call the sounds ruru and morepork don't sound anything alike is the bird talking to us in two different languages?" Just like poetry, I thought. We humans bring ourselves to a poem and interpret it in our own sound. I read this poem at pretty much face value, of a significant moment in time. It's a story, with a beginning middle and end, and the memory of Murray, who made its own impact in the life of the poem's protagonist (and obviously we always think this is the poet themselves). Now that the bird is gone, the poem tries to hold on to the special place Murray had. Murray lives on for ever within the poem, or at least the memory of Murray does, even if we do not in fact know what ever happened to the bird itself. Listen I have run out of time. I spent so much time scouring the biographies looking for leads to links I could use on the webpage, that this abrupt end can be a tribute to that time lost to poetry writing itself. Let it be a reminder to me that the poetry must always come first and the blog and website second. This is early days, future strategies must be put in place to protect the original hope, to get better at writing poetry. If you have any thoughts on this do please write them to me, I am always open to listening to others ideas, and it's no fun writing in isolation. Soundtrack : 'No Dope Fiend' cassette. See Thee Objects on Bandcamp.

The commission is an unusual beast, someone asks for a poem on a subject, the poet goes away and thinks about it and comes up with the goods. Today I heard Ian McMillan's poem for 'The Front Page' BBC Radio 4 programme. Asked to write about a poem for the Euro 2020 final the week before England played Italy, and lost on penalties, then delivering it week after. The poem is never going to T.S. Eliot's The Wasteland, but it did its job. I also understood it, and got it in one, unlike T.S. Eliot's The Wasteland, which I have heard many times, but in truth need academics to point out to me why it is good. In the poem, McMillan refers to Eliot, and as a reader it would enhance the experience if I knew the reference. (I didn't.). McMillan is a decent chap, he is not going to condemn me for not picking it up, but I should I condemn myself? There is so much poetry about, how can I know it all? As it so goes I have read a good deal of it, but when I am sat in a reading, am I supposed to bring my poetry history with me or simply enjoy the moment, are there two opposites, or have I constructed this myself? If I don't know my poetry history then I am freed from the challenge of acknowledging it? I know my music better, so in my world I would say - should a young rapper know the songs of Elvis and the Beatles, should they even know the history of the song the rapper may have sampled, or is it enough to know your own genre well, or even, then just live in the moment and enjoy the song? I find, a little like Classical music, there is an inbuilt elitism in poetry that is hard to shake off, even if the poet themselves tells you to shake it off. (And by Classical music I mean Mozart, Beethoven and that crowd, not Led Zep and Black Sabbath, which is how I hear the word being used now! Though, actually that has its elitism, too!) In spite of all this I can tell that McMillan's poem is no The Wasteland, so there is a difference, and getting back to the beginning commissions make for a very different, more accessible poetry. I guess this is because in this circumstance the poet is writing for the audience and not themselves. When I read Simon Armitage's Sandettie Light Vessel Automatic, a book filled with commissioned poetry I enjoyed it greatly, but ultimately it did leave me a little bit hollow by the end. What Armitage is so good at is writing in a poetic voice that is both authentic, and poetic, it feels like if you had sat down long enough thinking about it with a pen in your hand, you could have written it, too. This is a wonderful deception. As Poet Laurette, suddenly everything he writes feels like it is a commission, almost by the nature of the job. I have read his Lockdown Poem and watched the Lockdown film on television, both wonderful pieces of works, that describe explain Lockdown better than any documentary ever could. Poetry gets behind the mere facts and emphases the emotional, and though we believe we are a religion-less society, it speak in the language of our spiritual being, too. I notice, though that when presented to the World on the internet, the Lockdown poem is presented with a backbeat, and acted out images, and I wonder at the reason for this. Am I being elitist for noticing it, am I rejecting it? Or am I pleased that Armitage is doing his bit to bring poetry to the World in a populist way, surely another of the possible unwritten role of the Laureate's job. The film which intermingles poetry with talking heads, is perfect time capsule for the future. The individual stories of people affected by Covid-19, are emotional in themselves, woven into the overall arc of a poem provided by Armitage, they become a part of the poetic piece, and the emotion is turned up to 11 (a cultural reference I expect you to get, but if you don't it feels like I though of the joke!). To help the watcher along two ethereal dancers interpret the parts where Armitage is talking as if to emphasise we are talkking in poetry language now. I good trick, but once I spotted it I started to laugh at the thought that every time Armitage gives a reading in the real world two dancers would suddenly appear in the wings. Today I watched I don't even know how, it came to me via Facebook I believe, and I notice that the poet has put a backdrop of old film footage to enhance the film. I always wonder at this, it is almost as if the poet is concerned that the poem will not be entertaining enough in its own right, that there is an alternative show going on in case you don't want to listen to what's being said enough. It's a tremendous piece, as authentic as you get written by person from Glasgow, about what that experience is like. Such a great feat. Sadly no BBC4 commissions await for the poet, so we create our own film to be in. The commission as income, that what it is there fore and quite right. There is so much poetry about yet so few jprofessional poets, it seems all wrong to the likes of me that loves poetry, but look at me I prefer the free readings to the paid for ones, and I am a generous person.

18 December 2021 Here is 14 poetry things to do today! See these events and more featured on the Poetry News page. ​ 1) (From Eventbrite email) ​ Online Open Mic! by Sidewalk Beirut ​ Every Sunday we gather on Zoom to share all forms of self-expression. You sign up when you log in by mentioning it to the host. Each performer has 5-7 minutes. We welcome all forms of art and all languages. The Zoom room opens at 8:15 PM (currently GMT+2 = Lebanon time) for sign-ups, and we kickoff the night around 8:30 PM. Sunday 19 December 6:30 PM GMT ​ Sidewalk Beirut went online early 2020 due to the pandemic and since then has had attendees from all over the world. The Sidewalk online community has members from from the Netherlands, Denmark, Morocco, Switzerland, the UK, the US, Canada, Cyprus, Scotland, Pakistan and of course members from all over Lebanon. With every new event, we are meeting new poets and expanding. You are also more than welcomed to just attend and listen, there is never a pressure on anyone to perform and we value our listeners just as much as our performers. ​ Online Open Mic! Registration, Multiple Dates | Eventbrite ​ ​ 2) (From Nine Pens website) ​ Virtual launch of Yasmin Djoudi's pamphlet 'Vocation' ​ Sun, December 19, 2021 7:00 PM – 8:30 PM GMT Online Cost: Free Join us for the launch of Yasmin Djoudi pamphlet 'Vocation' with special guest readings.from Stuart McPherson, Hannah Copley and Jem Henderson. ​ Are you travelling alone? Vocation explores a world pushing itself to the limit in the single-minded pursuit of a calling. Aeroplanes and taxis shuttle us between unexpected destinations: by the side of an airborne conspiracy theorist; a city centre with a knack for psychosexual confrontation; or bearing witness to a tropical plant’s delusions of grandeur. The external drifting of the pamphlet’s speakers is set at odds with their unrelenting internal drive for something more. Against the backdrop of a planet shrinking through over-connection, Vocation follows our attempts to outrun the emptying sands of the hourglass in a race towards some ever-shifting personal goal. About The Poets: Yasmin Djoudi works across poetry and performance. She lives in London. She is new to all of this. Hannah Copley is a writer, editor and academic. She is the author of Speculum (Broken Sleep Books, October 21) and an editor at Stand magazine. Recent work has appeared in POETRY, The London Magazine, Bath Magg, Poetry Birmingham, Into the Void, Under the Radar and others. She won the 2019 Newcastle Poetry Prize and the 2018 York Literature Prize. Hannah is a lecturer in creative writing at the University of Westminster. ​ Stuart McPherson is a poet from Leicester in the United Kingdom. His debut pamphlet ‘Pale Mnemonic’ was published in April 2021 by Legitimate Snack. The pamphlet ‘Water Bearer’ will be published in December 2021 by Broken Sleep Books. His work explores the relationship between the family, trauma, and fragile masculinity. ​ Jem Henderson is a queer poet from Leeds, UK with an MA in Creative Writing from York St. John University. They have been published in Civic Leicester's Black Lives Matter, Streetcake and recently won a Creative Future award for underrepresented writers. A book, Genderfux, including their work is due out in 2022 from Nine Pens. Their ramblings can be found on twitter @jem_face. ​ To book go to: Launch of 'Vocation' by Yasmin Djoudi - Nine Pens Press Tickets, Sun 19 Dec 2021 at 19:00 | Eventbrite ​ ​ ​ ​ 3) (From The Poetry Society newsletter) COP26 and Poetry Ten young poets spoke out against climate injustice and called for natural and humane solutions to the climate crisis in a live event on 6 November at the recent climate change conference COP26, which you can watch here. ​ “Where were you / when the seas / were warming?” A Young Poets Network showcase | #COP26 - YouTube ​ ​ ​ ​ 4) (From Seren Books newsletter) ​ Alternative Stories and Fake Realities Seren Books 40th Anniversary ​ In this edition we celebrate the 40th anniversary of Seren Books, the publisher from south Wales responsible for launching the careers of many poets and for putting out a series of memorable poetry collections including a few featured previously on Alt Stories. ​ In this podcast you can hear an interview with Seren’s outgoing poetry editor Amy Wack who leaves the press at the end of October 2021. She looks back at her time with Seren and the changes to the style and readership of poetry since she joined. ​ The presenter of this podcast is Nadia Wyn Abouayen and the readers from Alt Stories are Tiffany Clare and Chris Gregory. ​ See Seren Books 40th Anniversary (buzzsprout.com) ​ ​ 5) (From Modern Poetry in Translation email) Roman Women Poets We are delighted to present this new digital pamphlet, Romanian Women Poets, curated by Cătălina Stanislav with Sam Riviere, our two Writers in Residence for 2021. ​ This residency is generously supported by the European Cultural Foundation. ​ See ROMANIAN WOMEN POETS - Modern Poetry in Translation ​ ​​ ​ 6) (From The Guardian website) ​​ A Pandemic Poem: Where Did the World Go? ​ ​“There was a world once, but where did it go?” With the richer countries perhaps approaching at least the beginning of the end of the pandemic, it’s time to take stock. This affecting film combines the words of the poet laureate, Simon Armitage, with personal stories ranging from the uplifting to the tragic, to explore the deeply disturbing and utterly strange experience we have all recently undergone. An emotional roadmap of Covid-19 rather than a linear narrative, and all the better for it. Phil Harrison. ​ ​Now available at: BBC Two - A Pandemic Poem: Where Did the World Go? ​​ ​​ 7) (From Poem Analysis email) Latest Poem Analysis website: After Making Love We Hear Footsteps - Poem Analysis ​ The site is advert heavy, but it is free and offers interesting analysis of poems worth reading. ​ ​ ​ 8) (From Faber Website) ​ Faber Members Four Worlds poetry film featuring readings from Natalie Diaz, Barbara Kingsolver, Rowan Ricardo Phillips and Nidhi Zak/Aria Eipe. Lavinia Singer (Faber Editor, Poetry) introduces four vibrant and vital voices 2020 and 2021. Listen as the poets read from and contextualise their collections in this forty-minute film, created exclusively for Faber Members. ​ See Faber Members: Four Worlds Poetry Film | Faber ​ 9) (From PEN Transmissions website) ​ Noʻu Revilla, Kanaka Maoli (Native Hawaiian), on the power of ecopoetry ​ "Dunya Mikhail argues: ‘Poetry is not medicine; it’s an X-ray’. During the spring semester, I tested Mikhail’s argument with 25 undergraduate students, who, faced with Covid-19 and the shift to online learning with its despairing isolation, decided to enroll in a creative writing course. During our unit on ecopoetry, we explored how poems can help us as individuals and writing communities to speak back to global crises like climate change.' " ​ See the resulting work at: EROSION, A6: Notes on the Waikīkī Blackout Poetry Project – PEN Transmissions ​ ​ ​ 10) (From The Guardian website) ​ Carol Rumens' Poem of the Week ​ A faultlessly consistent article in a national newspaper, and always available online, too. See Poem of the week: Pool by Rowan Williams | Poetry | The Guardian ​ ​ ​ ​ 11) (From Literary Hub email) ​ Abdulrazak Gurnah delivered his Nobel Prize lec ture in literature on 7 December 2021. See Abdulrazak Gurnah - Nobel Prize lecture 12) (From Poetry Birmingham tweet) ​ PBLJ 7 Has Set Sail 'The issue is now live on our website with more free content than ever for you to read. Do check out our website to find out more & order a copy for Christmas.' ​ Go to Poetry Birmingham ​ ​ 13) (From Ian McMillan Tweet) ​ The Christmas Dinner Verb ​ Ian McMillan's guests, John Hegley, Carol Ann Duffy, Kathryn Williams, and Jay Rayner join our virtual audience in a literary Christmas dinner - revelling in the poetry, prose and linguistic satisfaction of Christmas food, in lyrics, recipes and in poetry. ​ John Hegley gives us the taste of a French Christmas and of thick skinned roast potatoes, Kathryn Williams and Carol Ann Duffy present brand new Christmas songs from their new album 'Midnight Chorus', Jay Rayner gives us Yule commandments (including the advice that gravy solves everything, and more controversially 'don't serve Christmas pudding'). Ian McMillan channels the New York poet Frank O'Hara t o write a special Christmas poem (featuring tangerines and the mystic Julian of Norwich). As usual, Radio 3’s cabaret of the word is stuffed full of language play. Come and warm your hands at The Verb’s fire – the words are sparkling! ​ See : BBC Radio 3 - The Verb, The Christmas Dinner Verb ​ ​ 14) (From onehandclapping Tweet) ​ ONE HAND CLAPPING CHRISTMAS ISSUE Available Online ​ Features with David Harsent, Fran Lock, Toni Visconti, Billy Bragg and lots more poetry, make this worth a minute or two of anybody's time. ​ See CHRISTMAS ISSUE | onehandclapping (1handclapping.online)