The Poetry Archive is a treasure-trove of English-language poets reading their own work. Some are historic recordings, some have been made specially for the Archive - which means its range is the widest possible: from Tennyson at the end of the c19, through poets such as Allen Ginsberg and Langston Hughes in the middle of the c20, to contemporary poets including Seamus Heaney, Ruth Padel and Kathleen Jamie. On this page, you'll find information about who to look for in the Archive, and how to find them, as well as information about how to discover - by theme or region or guided tour - poets whose work you may not yet know.
The Poetry Archive is a treasure-trove of English-language poets reading their own work. Some are historic recordings, some have been made specially for the Archive - which means its range is the widest possible: from Tennyson at the end of the c19, through poets such as Allen Ginsberg and Langston Hughes in the middle of the c20, to contemporary poets including Seamus Heaney, Ruth Padel and Kathleen Jamie. On this page, you'll find information about who to look for in the Archive, and how to find them, as well as information about how to discover - by theme or region or guided tour - poets whose work you may not yet know.
Each term, a different poet is in residence here, talking about poetry with anyone who wants to join the conversation.
This part of the Archive is full of poems chosen specially for children. Meet old favourites and make new discoveries.
U.K. Region
- East
- East Midlands
- London
- North East
- Northern Ireland
- North West
- Scotland
- South East
- South West
- Wales
- West Midlands
- Yorkshire
U.S.A.
Rest of the World
Join Jackie Kay as she reveals the musical influences on her award-winning poetry, and passes on some of her tips for helping you put pen to paper.
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18 March 2010 8:00 PM
SHAD THAMES, BROKEN WHARF by Chris McCabe + Iain Sinclair
Shad Thames, Broken Wharf is a newly commissioned play of voices by acclaimed poet Chris McCabe that spans centuries of changes across the Docklands, allowing past ghosts to be heard above the white noise of the polemical present. With accompanying tipsy folk melodies from Bleeding Heart Narrative's Bartokian piano, strings, synths and sample set, and film from Jack Wake-Walker, Shad Thames, Broken Wharf resonates with what the Docklands might mean. Cult London author, poet and filmmaker Iain Sinclair introduces the performance with a special reading.
A London Word Festival Commission
Jamboree, Cable Street Studios, London E1W 3HB
SHAD THAMES, BROKEN WHARF by Chris McCabe + Iain Sinclair
Shad Thames, Broken Wharf is a newly commissioned play of voices by acclaimed poet Chris McCabe that spans centuries of changes across the Docklands, allowing past ghosts to be heard above the white noise of the polemical present. With accompanying tipsy folk melodies from Bleeding Heart Narrative's Bartokian piano, strings, synths and sample set, and film from Jack Wake-Walker, Shad Thames, Broken Wharf resonates with what the Docklands might mean. Cult London author, poet and filmmaker Iain Sinclair introduces the performance with a special reading.
A London Word Festival Commission
Jamboree, Cable Street Studios, London E1W 3HB
21 March 2010 3:00 PM
The Sampler, with readings from Clare Pollard, Jack Underwood and Liz Berry.
Museum of London, Docklands, London
Organise a poetry reading
The Sampler, with readings from Clare Pollard, Jack Underwood and Liz Berry.
Museum of London, Docklands, London
By 
Tour by:Helen Gray
As a secondary schoolteacher in London for the past thirty years, it has been my privilege to have had a job which at its core, involves getting teenagers to fall in love with poetry. I have made my selection for this tour from my working perspective. As a consequence one frustration of writing the guide is not being able to call up the voices of earlier poets. I want us to stop and listen to the inspired love in Keats' voice as he reads Bright Star and then to move on to hear Shakespeare's tone as he warns us in Sonnet 129 of the perils of lust. A profound consolation that the existence of this site offers me is that no such limit will be placed upon access to poets' voices in the future.
Helen Gray's tour
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