It's not snowing this Christmas, at least in the UK. So here's 'First Snow in Alsace' by Richard Wilbur. Written in his early twenties whilst serving as a GI, aged 22-23, on the Western Front.

Enjoy this year's Look North More Often poem, 'Glow' by Coral Rumble? Swipe to read excerpts from some previous contributions to the series! The best part? They're available to read in full on our website. 🎄

[P] Two vast and trunkless legs of stone And a crutch without an owner Stand in the desert And on the pedestal, these words appear: "My name is Tiny Tim; God bless us, everyone, ye Mighty, and despair!" Nothing beside remains.

And Tiny Tim, who did NOT die, ate the plums that were in the icebox and which you were probably saving for breakfast Forgive him they were delicious so sweet and so cold

This morning I learned that Tennyson, when young, once bodily picked up a troublesome donkey and set it aside. Which of our contemporary poets could do as much?

A beautiful and heartbreaking poem by Mary Mulholland - from the Winter 2025 edition of Poetry News.

Merry Christmas one and all! To listen to a special Christmas podcast with the children who performed 'Glow' by @rumblecoral at the Trafalgar Square Christmas Tree lighting up ceremony this month and to learn more about our annual Look North More Often education project, visit the link in our bio!

'Southgrove Road Carol Singing' by Beth Davies was a winner in the Winter Poems challenge on Young Poets Network (YPN) in 2016. 🎄

🕰️ With the year coming to an end, we asked a selection of our contributors to give us their favourite poetry books and pamphlets of 2025. Next is Astra Papachristodoulou's pick: I Confess by Eric Schmaltz (Coach House Books). Thank you, Astra!

'When the short day is brightest, with frost and fire, The brief sun flames the ice, on pond and ditches, In windless cold that is the heart’s heat, Reflecting in a watery mirror A glare that is blindness in the early afternoon.' — Little Gidding #Wintersolstice

🕰️ With the year coming to an end, we asked a selection of our contributors to give us their favourite poetry books and pamphlets of 2025. Next is Henry St Leger's pick: Stay Dead by Natalie Shapero (Out-Spoken). Thank you, Henry!

🕰️ With the year coming to an end, we asked a selection of our contributors to give us their favourite poetry books and pamphlets of 2025. Next is JP Seabright's pick: Emotional Support Horse by Claudine Toutoungi (Carcanet). Thank you, JP!

Want to take part in the Wolverhampton Literature Festival Poetry Slam on Saturday 31st January 2026 at 7.30pm. @pandemonialists.bsky.social are taking expressions of interest til midnight on Christmas Eve. We'll do the draw on Boxing Day to see who gets to compete. Winner of slam gets a paid gig.

Poetry Review arrived today from the @poetrysociety.org.uk , along with the Winter Edition of Poetry News. Thank you for the chuckle!

Calling all poets aged 25 and under - looking for inspiration over the festive period? Young Poets Network has got you covered! Head to Young Poets Network to find prompts and enter the challenges: ypn.poetrysociety.org.uk

📢 We’re Hiring! Programmes and Website Administrator (Fixed Term, 12 Months) 📌 Location: Hybrid — London/Leeds + home working 🗓️ Apply by: Monday 12 January 2026, 11.59pm 💻 Interviews: W/C 19 January 2026 👉 View full job description here: poetryschool.com/ope...

Save the date! Join us on 29 January at the Schwarzman Centre for our next Professor of #Poetry lecture by A.E. Stallings @aestallings.bsky.social. The title of the lecture is 'People Poems: Portraits in Verse'. ALL WELCOME! Booking details will be confirmed in the new year.

In partnership with Fitzcarraldo Editions, Giramondo and New Directions, Granta is pleased to presents extracts from the eight shortlisted collections for the Poetry in Translation Prize 2025. granta.com/the-poetry-i...

We commissioned Jackie Kay to write 'The Kindness of Trees' back in 2012 for our Look North More Often project, which celebrates the Trafalgar Square Christmas tree. Lovely to see it still finding audiences today!

🕰️ With the year coming to an end, we asked a selection of our contributors to give us their favourite poetry books and pamphlets of 2025. Next is Tim Relf's pick: Wonder by Chris Emery (Salt Publishing). Thank you, Tim!

Alessio Zanelli reads 'Presence', a winner of the Members' Poetry Competition - Winter 2025: 'A nose loses its face...', judged by Fred D'Aguiar. The next Members' Poetry Competition will be judged by Clare Pollard on the theme of ‘Fairytales’.

🕰️ With the year coming to an end, we asked a selection of our contributors to give us their favourite poetry books and pamphlets of 2025. Next is Vidyan Ravinthiran's pick: The Infernal Garden by Gregory Leadbetter (Nine Arches Press). Thank you, Vidyan!

🕰️ With the year coming to an end, we asked a selection of our contributors to give us their favourite poetry books and pamphlets of 2025. Next is Cherry Potts's pick: Bold in the Life by Jeremy Dixon (Broken Sleep Books). Thank you, Cherry!

27 January, 7-8:30pm: The Poetry Society presents a showcase reading introducing some of the most exciting up-and-coming Black poets in partnership with the Obsidian Foundation. Book a ticket here: poetrysociety.org.uk/event/obsidi...

That’s right! I will be judging the next Members’ Poetry Competition on the theme of ‘Fairytales’ 🍎❄️🐺🧚🏾🏰🐸🩸🦢🪞🧜🏻‍♀️ (And congrats to Mary)

Baroness Hodge's review of Arts Council England has been published. The report makes 21 recommendations for the future of ACE. Read it here www.gov.uk/government/p...

🕰️ With the year coming to an end, we asked a selection of our contributors to give us their favourite poetry books and pamphlets of 2025. Next is Pascale Petit's pick: That Broke into Shining Crystals by Richard Scott (Faber). Thank you, Pascale!

Open up the window for today's #PoetryByHeart Festive Showcase advent calendar and you'll find the funny festive poem 'Just Doing my Job' by Clare Bevan ⚔️ ✨ 🎄 Enjoy the humour and see if you can bring out the comic punchline in your performance of this poem! poetrybyheart.org.uk/poems/just-d...

Many thanks to Young Critic Anisha Jaya Minocha for this very thoughtful guide to Gillian Allnutt's @tseliotprize.bsky.social shortlisted tenth collection Lode. @poetrysociety.org.uk youtu.be/9nIbqJeZAnE?...

Calling all young poets: new writing challenge alert! 🌱 The challenge: write a poem about a transitional space or place, inspired by ecotones. Set and judged by Alycia Pirmohamed. Find prompts and enter: bit.ly/EcotonesYPN (linked in our bio).

🕰️ With the year coming to an end, we asked a selection of our contributors to give us their favourite poetry books and pamphlets of 2025. Next is Ellen McAteer's pick: Guaracara by Fawzia Muradali Kane (Carcanet). Thank you, Ellen!

Mary Mulholland reads 'prayer to a lost son', a winner of the Members' Poetry Competition - Winter 2025: 'A nose loses its face...', judged by Fred D'Aguiar. The next Members' Poetry Competition will be judged by Clare Pollard on the theme of ‘Fairytales’.

New day, new poetry window to open on the #PoetryByHeart advent calendar! Our seasonal poem is Benjamin Zephania's 'Talking Turkeys', and you might never look at a plate of turkey in the same way after reading it! 🎄 ❤️ poetrybyheart.org.uk/poems/talkin...

🕰️ With the year coming to an end, we asked a selection of our contributors to give us their favourite poetry books and pamphlets of 2025. Next is Jenny Lewis's pick: If I Must Die (Let it be A Tale) by Refaat Alareer (OR Books). Thank you, Jenny!

🕰️ With the year coming to an end, we asked a selection of our contributors to give us their favourite poetry books and pamphlets of 2025. Next is Fiona Larkin's pick: Measures of Weather by J.R. Carpenter (Shearsman). Thank you, Fiona!

The Winter 2025 issues of Poetry Review and Poetry News are right around the corner! To find out more about what's to come, head over to our website. Poetry News is exclusive to Poetry Society members. Issues of The Poetry Review can be purchased on our website.

🕰️ With the year coming to an end, we asked a selection of our contributors to give us their favourite poetry books and pamphlets of 2025. Next is Harry Josephine Giles's pick: What I Love About a Cloud Is Its Unpredictability by Iona Lee (Trickhouse Press). Thank you, Harry Josephine!

Time is running out! If you are buying a gift membership and would like the winter Poetry Review and Poetry News to arrive with the recipient by Christmas, it is recommended to purchase the gift membership by Sunday 14 December for the best chance of these publications arriving on time.

Lovely to hear @jesstraynor.bsky.social on RTE Arena last night. She and Thomas McCarthy were reading some of their favourite winter poems and discussing them with host @rickoshea.bsky.social. Jessica also read a poem from her fourth collection New Arcana (from 22:20). www.rte.ie/radio/radio1...

Thanks to everyone who came to our festive open mic in the Poetry Cafe tonight! We heard all sorts of poems, from a nexus of exes on Xmas to oranges, lemons & the bells of St Clements! Special thanks to our wonderful headliner John Hegley & the equally wonderful Adam, who accompanied him on guitar.

Watch young critic Aphra Le Levier-Bennett reviewing our T. S. Eliot nominated title, Heirloom, by Catherine-Esther Cowie:⬇️ youtu.be/ysqPl9nMfT0 @poetrysociety.org.uk @tseliotprize.bsky.social Get 20% off Heirloom with code CARCMAS: www.carcanet.co.uk/978180017479...

🕰️ With the year coming to an end, we asked a selection of our contributors to give us their favourite poetry books and pamphlets of 2025. Next is Oliver Fox's pick: We Will Be Fine by Rowan Lyster (Little Betty). Thank you, Oliver!

Here's an excerpt from Young Critic Freya Gillard's review of Vona Groarke's Infinity Pool, which is shortlisted for the 2025 T.S. Eliot Prize @tseliotprize.bsky.social Watch the rest of Freya's review: www.youtube.com/watch?v=WCNB...

🕰️ With the year coming to an end, we asked a selection of our contributors to give us their favourite poetry books and pamphlets of 2025. Next is Helen Farish's pick: The Anchorage by Bernard O’Donoghue (Faber). Thank you, Helen!

Here's an excerpt from Young Critic Aphra Le Levier-Bennett's review of Catherine-Esther Cowie's Heirloom shortlisted for the 2025 T.S. Eliot Prize @tseliotprize.bsky.social Watch the rest of Aphra's review: www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysqP...

🕰️ With the year coming to an end, we asked a selection of our contributors to give us their favourite poetry books and pamphlets of 2025. Next is Sasha Debevec-McKenney's pick: Modern Poetry by Diane Seuss (Fitzcarraldo Editions). Thank you, Sasha!

Here's an excerpt from Young Critic Ishita Uppadhayay's review of Sarah Howe's Foretokens, shortlisted for the 2025 T.S. Eliot Prize @tseliotprize.bsky.social Watch the rest of Ishita's review: www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pwp0...

Still feeling a certain incredulity about having a poem displayed in Trafalgar Square. Grateful to ⁦‪⁦‪@PoetrySociety‬⁩ for trusting me to write this special poem. poetrysociety.org.uk/news/look-no...

🕰️ With the year coming to an end, we asked a selection of our contributors to give us their favourite poetry books and pamphlets of 2025. Next is Jane Clarke's pick: Something New: Alternative Poems for Alternative Weddings, edited by Caroline Bird & Rachel Long (Picador). Thank you Jane!