Held every year on 21 March, World Poetry Day celebrates one of humanity’s most treasured forms of cultural and linguistic expression and identity. Practiced throughout history – in every culture and on every continent – poetry speaks to our common humanity and our shared values, transforming the simplest of poems into a powerful catalyst for dialogue and peace.
Poetry Assemblies
Start your poetry day with a poetry assembly beamed straight to your hall or classroom! our assemblies can be tailored to meet the theme of your day - please contact us for details.
"Each class thoroughly enjoyed the poetry workshops and enjoyed taking an active role in order to create their ideas. Using drama to create an orchestra of sounds for our soundscape poems was fantastic to see and I know that we plan to use this strategy with the children again! Thank you for inspiring the children, so they could create such wonderful ideas!" (Windsor CP School)
World Poetry Day: Standing on the Shoulders of Giants
Celebrate the lives and achievements of some amazing British writers from diverse backgrounds through highly engaging workshops taking a very active approach to poetry - and culminating in new and original poems written by the pupils themselves! And with every year group looking at a different writer, your school will discover a whole new world of poetry! The writers we have selected include …
- Raymond Antrobus – winner of the 2019 Ted Hughes Award – and whose work is influenced by his experiences of deafness …
- Malorie Blackman – who was spurred to write after realising that none of the characters in the books she had read as a child looked like her …
- Levi Tafari – born in Liverpool, a performance poet who has worked within a wide range of music traditions – with partners from dance and drum band Delado to the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra …
- Andrea Levy – proving that it’s never too late to write by publishing her first book at the age of thirty eight, sharing with the world some of the experiences of the Windrush Generation.
- Benjamin Zephaniah – a hugely influential poet who, despite his dyslexia, now has sixteen honorary doctorates, and is a Professor of Poetry and Creative Writing!
- Rupinder Kaur – mixing influences from her family’s heritage in the Punjab with her experiences as a 21st century British Asian woman to create something entirely new.
"The immersion aspect was particularly effective in engaging the pupils and this led to high standards of written poetry. All teachers were full of praise for the workshops and were delighted with the pupil outcomes and engagement. We would love to arrange another visit for next year!" (Head of English, Immanuel and St Andrews School)
Find out more about our full range of poetry workshops available throughout the school year.
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