In Memory of Meg Cox (1943-2026)
We were extremely saddened last week to learn that Meg Cox, one of our Smith|Doorstop poets, had died. Meg came to poetry in ...
PB Online
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. Brand new material will be uploaded regularly to help you to keep active and engaged with your writing.
Writing Poems with Ann and Peter Sansom: an extra special fundraiser for The Poetry Business
Saturday 1 AUGUST, 10.30am – 12.30pmZoom Workshop Back by popular demand! After the success of our special fundraiser workshop in June, ...
Laskey at 80
Michael is rounding the corner into Seaward Avenue, driving me home. I am seventeen, asking about performance jitters. Any reading ...
Laskey at 80
I love Michael’s understated brilliance: his gentle, luminous poems, the eclectic and intuitive workshops (imagine the lives of all those ...
Featured
Poet in Residence
2Lies2Furious
Gregory: Slightly weird that we both gravitated toward the dream sequence in the film. I guess we’ll get back to ...
The Lyric Lie
In fact, we happened to have seen the same obscure student film. Admittedly we both had fairly sketchy memories of ...
Gregory Kearns and Jade Prince
Find out a little more about our next pair Digital Poets in Residence, and keep your eye on the blog ...
In Defence of Abandoned Work
I am a notorious under-editor. I’d love to cry perfectionism but I’m sure it’s largely laziness. Under that, though, I ...
scraps, prompts, poems, spells
Content Warning: this essay makes references to sexual violence and abuse. At my first Barbican Young Poets session fifteen years ...
Digital Residencies with The Writing Squad
We’re delighted to be partnering with The Writing Squad once again for our upcoming digital residency programme. A group of ...
The Girl Next Door
The Girl Next DoorBy Helen Mort First, she came to borrow sugar. Sunday afternoonsshe’d cadge a pint of milk, sometimes ...
The alternative life of Byron Wordsworth
I’d spent a morning trying to pull my second-year notes on the Romantic poets into order: a largely pointless pursuit. ...
Poet in Residence
Kit Byford
scraps, prompts, poems, spells
Content Warning: this essay makes references to sexual violence and abuse. At my first Barbican Young Poets session fifteen years ...
Digital Residencies with The Writing Squad
We’re delighted to be partnering with The Writing Squad once again for our upcoming digital residency programme. A group of ...
Further Articles
Writing and Reading, with Jonathan Davidson (5-week course)
Online Poetry Short Course – led by Jonathan Davidson This short course will offer a group of around a dozen ...
ARVON: Developing Your Writing Practice with Ann and Peter Sansom
The Poetry Business at Arvon, The Hurst, Shropshire Afternoon of Monday 29th June to Midday Friday 3rd July 2026 Drawing on inspirational contemporary poems, chosen to move your ...
Michael Laskey awarded King’s Gold Medal for Poetry
Congratulations to Michael Laskey, who has been awarded the King’s Gold Medal for Poetry for the year 2025! The announcement ...
Michael Laskey at 80
In The North 71, we invited poets to share their reflections on the wonderful Michael Laskey!...
Book & Pamphlet Competition 2025 Online Winners’ Launch
Join us on YouTube to celebrate the winners of the 2025 International Book & Pamphlet Competition, chosen by Kim Moore. ...
Our 2026 competitions are now open!
We are now accepting entries for our two poetry competitions: the International Book and Pamphlet Competition, open to all poets ...
Alan Payne and Shash Trevett shortlisted for The Derek Walcott Prize 2025
We’re delighted that two of our wonderful poets have been shortlisted for this year’s Derek Walcott Prize. Huge congratulations to ...