The Poetry Society

Each year for our Look North More Often project, The Poetry Society commissions a new children’s poem celebrating the Christmas tree in Trafalgar Square, which is a gift from the city of Oslo to London, as a thank you for helping the King of Norway in World War 2. This year, Coral Rumble wrote a wonderful new poem is called ‘Glow’, which is on display around the base of the tree in Trafalgar Square over the 2025 festive period. The poem was premiered at the lighting up ceremony of the tree in front of the mayors of Oslo, London and Westminster, plus thousands of spectators, by three children from a local primary school, Burdett Coutts & Townshend Primary School. Their names are Nuraa, Nirvaan and Andrew and in this podcast, you’ll get to hear them read the poem, as well as talk about their experience discovering, writing and performing poetry. You can also find a plethora of free festive KS2 teaching resources and poems on The Poetry Society website at bit.ly/lnmo. Happy holidays from everyone at The Poetry Society!

Katie Griffiths: Then & Now by The Poetry Society

Mary Jean Chan on 'Play' by The Poetry Society

Fawzia Muradali Kane: Then & Now by The Poetry Society

Mark Fiddes: Then & Now by The Poetry Society

Marvin Thompson: Then and Now by The Poetry Society

Freya Bantiff: Then and Now by The Poetry Society

Vicki Feaver: Then and Now by The Poetry Society

John Wedgwood Clarke: Then & Now by The Poetry Society

Mark Pajak reads 'Trick' and 'Plait' | Then & Now by The Poetry Society

Martha Sprackland reads 'The Small Picture' at The Poetry Review Summer 2025 launch by The Poetry Society

Kaveh Akbar reads 'Love Poem with Lines from Jesus and Muhammad' at The Poetry Review Summer 2025 launch by The Poetry Society

Bonnie Hancell reads 'Generations of Destroyers' at The Poetry Review Summer 2025 launch by The Poetry Society

Jacob Polley reads 'Dust' at The Poetry Review Summer 2025 launch by The Poetry Society

Polylingual Poetry: a panel on how poetry containing more than one language, and poetry in translation, is speaking to new audiences and welcoming new poets, with National Poetry Competition winner Fiona Larkin (Pindrop Press), Ghazal Mosadeq (Pamenar Press) and Leo Boix (Poetry Translation Centre) in the Library at Free Verse Poetry Book & Magazine Fair 2025. The Poetry Society’s Free Verse Poetry Book and Magazine Fair celebrates the vitality of poetry in the UK – it’s an unrivalled opportunity to browse and buy the very best in contemporary poetry, and to meet publishers, organisations and poets.

Taking the Temperature is a panel where brand-new and seasoned editors and publishers will discuss how independent poetry publishing is changing, with Tristram Fane Saunders (GRAVY and The Little Review), Niall Munro (ignitionpress), Jess Chandler (Prototype) and Amy Acre (Bad Betty) in the Library at Free Verse Poetry Book & Magazine Fair 2025. The Poetry Society’s Free Verse Poetry Book and Magazine Fair celebrates the vitality of poetry in the UK – it’s an unrivalled opportunity to browse and buy the very best in contemporary poetry, and to meet publishers, organisations and poets.

Inua Ellams reads 'Reminisce of tongues' at The Poetry Review Spring 2025 launch by The Poetry Society

Rashed Aqrabawi reads 'Poem' at The Poetry Review Spring 2025 launch by The Poetry Society

Joe Carrick-Varty reads 'Almost Back Where We Left Now' at The Poetry Review Spring 2025 launch by The Poetry Society

Tiffany Atkinson reads 'Patrick' at The Poetry Review Spring 2025 launch by The Poetry Society