How to find poetry

Recommendations

Poetry can be a place to turn to when ‘there are no words’ to describe an experience. It’s why we reach for poems for ceremonies like funerals and weddings – poems can offer words that articulate our feelings better than (we think) we can ourselves.

But how to find one?

This week, someone asked me for recommendations of ‘where to start’ with poetry, so I thought I’d share my list of suggestions here too.

These were off-the-top-of-my-head recommendations, so it’s a sure thing that I’ve missed lots out. Do comment and add to the list if you have any that spring to mind.

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I’d start with a cosy library visit to discover what you like. I’m writing this post in my local library actually. Today, every study desk is occupied by students (is there a big exam coming up or is it just a pre-Monday rush? There is a lot of sighing going on). I’ve found a free desk at the back of the fiction room, between the Ws and Zs.¹

There’s also the awesome National Poetry Library at the Southbank Centre in London.

I love reading poetry on the page, so I know less about spoken word, but if you prefer to or need to listen to poetry, then most of the organisations I mention below have good podcasts and many have audio versions of the poems. And lots of towns have great spoken-word nights.

Poetry is not a luxury is a brilliant account on Instagram.

I love Poetry Foundation who have an awesome and extensive online archive with many poems accompanied by ‘what does it mean though’ type explainers plus audio recordings of the poems.

I’m a member of the Poetry Society, which is a brilliant organisation, and they send out a quarterly book/magazine (the content of which I sometimes find a bit intimidating so I confess I don’t always read it cover to cover). They run local/regional poetry circles (if you like to share your work for feedback with others) as well as the excellent Free Verse poetry fair which started up again last year. This year’s date for your diary: Saturday 26 April 2025, 11:00 – 18:30, St Columba’s Church, Pont Street, London, SW1X 0BD.

Another lovely one is Poetry Exchange who run a Poems as Friends initiative where they collect and share poems that people (both ‘ordinary’ and famous) have found to be good friends to them in life. I’ve shared the Spotify link but there’s also an anthology available.

You could also check out individual publishers like Bad Betty Press and Broken Sleep Books and The Emma Press who are all putting out some of the most beautiful and interesting things right now. I also love Milkweed Editions. More also: Faber & Faber and Carcanet.

If you’re interested in taking a course: Poetry School ones always look ace, and I rate the tutors highly as poets, though I’ve not (yet) done any of the courses myself.

… and a couple of recommendations that have sprung to mind since the original request: Modern Poetry in Translation and the Poetry Book Society.

Feel free to comment with any organisers, publishers, poets and platforms you’d add to the list.

1. By the way: In editing and proofreading, it’s more common (some would say correct) to use apostrophe S to pluralise letters – W’s and Z’s – but who likes how that looks? Not me.

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