How to take part

Enjoy

Return to your favourites, reach for a book or have a look at our collection.

If music is more your thing, try to notice the words in a song you love.

Poetic language is all around us. What captures your imagination when you’re listening to someone speak?

Get together

Celebrating with friends, family, or fellow writers? Maybe you’re a book group or an open mic lover? 

Check out our events map to see see what’s going on or register your own event.

February

5-11 years old

Teacher training from one day courses through to proven programme, The Power of Reading, that supports your school to develop a high quality literacy curriculum which fosters a whole school love of reading and writing and raises achievement in literacy.

For more information, visit the CLPE website.

June – August

16+ years old

Free, web based library containing over 20 000 audio recordings of poems. Poetry Archive Now! is the open call for all poets who would like to join the Poetry Archive collections.

For more information, visit the Poetry Archive website.

July – September

11+ years old

The Royal Society of Literature’s Get Creative for Climate Justice project seeks to communicate directly with decision-makers in order to make change about climate justice. Poems (and letters and short stories) will be shown to local elected representatives, and some will be taken forward to a special exhibition at Westminster – the seat of power in the UK – at the start of 2025.

For more information, visit the Royal Society of Literature website.

October – November

All ages

The Books Are My Bag Readers Awards are the only book awards curated by bookshops and chosen by readers. There is a category all for poetry books that you can vote on. The shortlists are announced, and voting opens to readers, the Thursday before Bookshop Day. Readers can tune into the live stream of the award ceremony on @booksaremybag

For more information, visit the Books Are My Bag website.

All year

7+ years old

Access a range of free online creative writing workshops from Arvon. For ages 7+ to adult.

For more information, visit the Arvon website.

All year

5-11 years old

80 videos from poet Joseph Coelho (Children’s Laureate 2022-24), exploring a different subjects & poetry techniques to show that poetry can be for everyone. Free Poetry Prompts for primary age children.

For more information, visit the BookTrust website.

All year

11+ years old

Extensive CPD programme for teachers that includes courses dedicated to poetry at KS3, KS4 and A Level, as well as incorporating sessions on poetry in many other courses, plus an annual student conference on ‘Poems of the Decade’.

For more information, visit the EMC website.

All year

11+ years old

Young Writers Programme places an inspiring professional writer in residence in a partner school for an academic year, for students age 7-14.

For more information, visit the First Story’s website.

All year

All ages

Annual poetry competition for children ages 7- 11, with exciting prizes and poems published on LoveReading4Kids – where you can find poetry book collections for all ages.

For more information, visit the LoveReading4Kids’ website.

All year

7-14 years old

Young Writers poetry projects for schools. Developed over the past 9 years, programmes are about exploring how poems work and playing with language, rhythm, volume and movement to discover each pupil’s individual poetic style.

For more information, visit the National Literacy Trust’s website.

All year

All ages

Poetry posters, how-to guides and lesson plans available all year round for free. Many of our resources are in English, Scots or Scottish Gaelic.

For more information, visit the Scottish Poetry Library’s website.

All year

5+ years old

Poetry lovers of all ages can take part in writing workshops, reading groups, and competitions, including the Foyle Young Poets Award and Young Poets Network, and access free learning resources.

For more information, visit The Poetry Society’s website.

All year

All ages

Manchester Poetry Library (MPL) is the North West’s first public poetry library  – open to all. Based at Manchester Metropolitan University, we host a collection of over 14,000 books and recordings profiling 20th and 21st century poets, a growing children’s collection, and a languages collection co-curated with bilingual and multilingual poets. MPL has a year-round learning programme for readers and writers, as well as a free events, workshops and an exhibition programme. The Poetry Library is changing and developing all the time in terms of the collection and its programme – tell us what change you want to see.  

For more information, visit the Manchester Poetry Library’s website.