Foyle Young Poets of the Year Award 2024
Now open! Judged by Vanessa Kisuule and Jack Underwood 
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            [post_date] => 2024-05-29 12:07:25
            [post_date_gmt] => 2024-05-29 11:07:25
            [post_content] => <em><img class=" wp-image-241600 alignleft" src="https://poetrysociety.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/GJHtOJaX0AA7kGc.jpg" alt="" width="340" height="453" />This event is for the <strong>live online workshop</strong>. There are a limited number of recording tickets available <a href="https://poetrysociety.org.uk/event/workshop-recording-writing-poetry-for-children-with-kate-wakeling/">here</a>. </em>

'Water is patient. Dripping water wears away a stone.
Remember that, my child. Remember you are half water.
If you can’t go through an obstacle, go around it. Water does.'

- Margaret Atwood

From rivers and rain to fountains, falls and the whole of the ocean: water is one of the richest poetic topics there is. Join us for this generative workshop with The Poetry Society's very own Canal Laureate, Roy McFarlane. Roy will bring his many years of experience writing from the water to help you consider aqueous forms, explore the history that surrounds Britain's waterways and create poems that swim, dive and make a splash. 

<b>Roy McFarlane </b>has been The Poetry Society's <a href="https://poetrysociety.org.uk/projects/canal-laureate/">Canal Laureate</a> since 2021. He has held the roles of Birmingham’s Poet Laureate,  Starbucks’ Poet in Residence, and the Birmingham & Midland Institute’s Poet in Residence. Roy is the editor of <em>Celebrate Wha? Ten Black British Poets from the Midlands</em> (Smokestack, 2011). His first full collection of poems,<em> Beginning With Your Last Breath</em>, was published in 2016, followed by <em>The Healing Next Time</em> in 2018, both published by Nine Arches Press. His latest book is <em>Living by Troubled Waters</em> (Nine Arches Press) out now.

<em>This workshop takes place online on Zoom. The Zoom link will be sent to you 24 hours in advance of the workshop. Suitable for all levels of writer. 18+ only.</em>
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            [post_date_gmt] => 2024-05-29 11:07:21
            [post_content] => <em><img class=" wp-image-241600 alignleft" src="https://poetrysociety.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/GJHtOJaX0AA7kGc.jpg" alt="" width="377" height="503" />This event is for the <strong>recording </strong>of this workshop. The link to the recording will be distributed after the workshop and will be available to watch until 23:59 on 10/7/2024.  You can find tickets for the live online workshop <a href="https://poetrysociety.org.uk/event/online-workshop-water-poems/">here</a>. Please note: this is not an automated system. Our office hours are 10-6 Monday-Friday and our staff will send you the recording as soon as possible within these hours. If you have any queries, please email [email protected]. </em>

'Water is patient. Dripping water wears away a stone.
Remember that, my child. Remember you are half water.
If you can’t go through an obstacle, go around it. Water does.'  

- Margaret Atwood

From rivers and rain to fountains, falls and the whole of the ocean: water is one of the richest poetic topics there is. Join us for this generative workshop with The Poetry Society's very own Canal Laureate, Roy McFarlane. Roy will bring his many years of experience writing from the water to help you consider aqueous forms, explore the history that surrounds Britain's waterways and create poems that swim, dive and make a splash. 

<b>Roy McFarlane </b>has been The Poetry Society's <a href="https://poetrysociety.org.uk/projects/canal-laureate/">Canal Laureate</a> since 2021. He has held the roles of Birmingham’s Poet Laureate,  Starbucks’ Poet in Residence, and the Birmingham & Midland Institute’s Poet in Residence. Roy is the editor of <em>Celebrate Wha? Ten Black British Poets from the Midlands</em> (Smokestack, 2011). His first full collection of poems,<em> Beginning With Your Last Breath</em>, was published in 2016, followed by <em>The Healing Next Time</em> in 2018, both published by Nine Arches Press. His latest book is <em>Living by Troubled Waters</em> (Nine Arches Press) out now.

<em>Suitable for all levels of writer. 18+ only.</em>
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            [post_content] => This is a free, one hour poetry writing workshop for 14-25 year olds, followed by a Young Poets Takeover open mic over Zoom.

In the workshop, participants will be guided through prompts about using <strong>rhyme</strong>, <strong>metre</strong>, and <strong>stanzas</strong> in their writing, as part of the <a href="https://ypn.poetrysociety.org.uk/tag/poetry-toolbox/">Poetry Toolbox series on Young Poets Network</a>. 

After a short break, the online Young Poets Takeover will begin, featuring headline sets from Foyle Young Poets and Young Poets Network Challenge winners, plus shorter open mic slots.

Open mic participants will be invited to share their work for up to two minutes. Slots are allocated on a first-come, first-serve basis: <strong>if you can no longer attend this online event, please email [email protected] as soon as possible. </strong>

We are pushing young voices to the fore – so if you want to hear from the up-and-coming stars of the poetry world, come along!

Anyone aged 14-25 is welcome to join, regardless of how much experience they might have with poetry. 

Email queries to <a href="mailto:[email protected]">[email protected]</a>. 
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Online workshop: Poetry and Water with Roy McFarlane

This event is for the live online workshop. There are…

Workshop Recording: Poetry and Water with Roy McFarlane

This event is for the recording of this workshop. The…

Online Workshop and Open Mic for Young Poets

This is a free, one hour poetry writing workshop for…

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Featured Poem

'Sertraline fever' was commended in the 2023 National Poetry Competition, judged by Will Harris, Clare Pollard and Jane Draycott. From the judges: 'This brilliantly intense poem is a fever-dream, the speaker trying to find meaning by obsessively noticing orange - kimchi, chimney pots, tomcats, cantaloupe. The sense of building mania is visceral and truly disorientating; the ending devastating. I was all in.'

More poetry »

Sertraline fever

by Katie O’Pray

                       I dreamt thick
marmalade – elastic bagels – dad’s
chevy – everything good bleeds
orange – I’ve been noticing –
the pause before the traffic slows
or starts – the cars do move but
gingerly – I’ve woken to the steamed
peaches of my windows – jangled
bags of groceries and the change
tray on the bus – copper-full – both
my childish earrings tugging
at my lobes – I like to eat orange
zest and hot sauce and butter
-nut squash – everything good blushing
warm and dusky – kimchi – inari –
the streetlights twitching on
in my feeble little body – I am finding
the orange in every scene – panning
to a chimney pot – a salt lamp – to ripped
and rolled train tickets – herb glow –
my neighbour’s brickwork but not mine –
a skulking tomcat – I tip my hat
to him – I am a starlet playing
my role so perfectly – I feel like
a breaking fever – a clockwork
cantaloupe – putting the plastic
in the recycling bin and moving
my beech lipstick around my lines
with poise – drawing attention –
my own mouth giving it all
meaning – I am humming along to channel
orange in the kitchen – sweet life – being
happy enough to bear it – smiling wide
as a tiger – I’m collecting orange hearts
on instagram – can’t hear anyone
else talking much – just the hiss
of my candles getting smaller – them –
becoming more orange flame than wax

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.

With innovative education and commissioning programmes and a packed calendar of performances, readings and competitions, The Poetry Society champions poetry for all ages.

More about the Poetry Society…