Welcome to the Website of Portsmouth Poetry

Established in 2016 we are a non-profit body encouraging poets and poetry in the city specialising in
community and educational projects.

!!We're back in action!!
Our poetry competition for schools is now open
Information below and details on the page attached to this

Josh reviews the latest collection from the remarkable poet Oliver James Lomax

COMING SOON

Portsmouth Poetry Podcasts

With so much art being forced to go digital, Portsmouth Poetry will soon be launching podcasts on poets and poetry. The first will examine a topic we have visited before, the poetry of popular song lyrics. Then as part Ports Fest 2021, the newly re-branded Portsmouth Festivities, we will be podcasting the life and work of the great C20th poet and author Robert Graves with local actor Stuart Olesker who met him in 1961

Portsmouth Festivities one of the city's longest running arts events has been re-shaped to reflect its variety and commitment to a diverse city. Ports Fest launches from 2-4 July this year because of Covid restrictions. The full programme will be released later in May. Portsmouth Poetry is proud to be a Ports Fest Cultural Partner.

for more information visit

www.portsfest.co.uk

Schools and Community

Portsmouth Poetry will be working with the New Theatre Royal to bring poetry-based workshops for children in the autumn to address anxiety among the young arising out of the Covid19 pandemic

WHAT's NEW?

Our Poets -
Tom Pennacchini & Joanna Lilley

We have a new page

We are proud to present the work of actor and poet Tom Pennacchini from New York City. Tom sent us 7 poems which liked so much we asked for more! 18 poems are published on a new page -- 'Our Poets' and we have reviewed his poetry (see 'Reviews')

Schools Poetry Competition

in association with

Ports Fest 2021

Following our successful international poetry competition last year and previous competitions for schools, Portsmouth Poetry will once again be running a children's poetry competition as part of this year's Ports Fest.

The competition will be open to Primary Schools (Key Stages 1 &2) and Secondary Schools (Key Stages 3 & 4). Four winners in the Key Stages will be awarded a £10 book token and £50 of book tokens for their school. Ports Fest are delighted to support this wonderful creative writing initiative and will be awarding the overall winner of the poetry competition a £50 book token donated by Ports Fest and publishing the winning entries online.

The competition is now open

For details go to the

2021 Schools Poetry Competition

attached to this page

WW1 Heritage Project Update

Our Passchendaele 1917-2017 Heritage Lottery project in conjunction with Portsmouth Cathedral told the stories of men from Portsmouth who fought in the 3rd Battle of Ypres 1917. One of these men was Dudley Hugo Heynes who survived the battle but died a year later. We have been contacted by Rustington Museum who have an archive of items from Dudley Heynes and his daughter Lynette who was a poet.

Visit our 'Poetry & WW1' pages to view this information & links to the Museum

Portsmouth Poetry Covid-19 Crisis

Due to the Coronavirus pandemic, Portsmouth Poetry has been forced to shelve its projects for Spring/Summer 2020 and our monthly 'AWAY WITH WORDS' events with Portsmouth Guildhall. We hope to return in the Autumn. Please visit our Twitter and Facebook pages

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What's Here?

Find you way around our website

The site is in 8 Sections, some with more than one page....

HOMEPAGE

You're there NOW!!

OUR POETS

We have been working with poets and publishing their work on this website so we thought it about time we acknowledged the talent we collaborate with

+ New Work
+Send us your Poems

How to submit your poetry to our site

REVIEWS

Reviews of newly published poems and collections and the poets who create them

Recent Reviews are:

Tom Pennacchinni New York Poet

Sunita Thind 'Coconut Girl'

ABOUT

Our Mission
+ Partners
+ Gallery
+ Who We Are
+ Contact
+ Links

AWAY WITH WORDS

Our monthly spoken word event at Portsmouth Guildhall Studio explores the many forms words may take. A 'Pay-What-You-Feel' event with Bar.

SEE THE AWAY WITH WORDS PAGE FOR WHATS ON NEXT!

Currently suspended due to the pandemic

+ Current Events

Poetry and arts related information for the area. Your chance to advertise and promote your organisation and events!

POETRY & WW1

The result of our 2017 WW1 project funded by Heritage Lottery, Arts Council England and Big Ideas

+ Paaschendaele 2017

Men from Portsmouth who fought in the worst battle of WW1 narrated through poetry. A Heritage Lottery funded project

+ Lost Poets

The lives and work of the poets who died in WW1

+ Invisible Women

The women poets of WW1 whose work is often overlooked

FEATURED POET

The life and work of a poet explained especially where the poet has been allowed to slip into obscurity or is the victim of misrepresentation

DYLAN THOMAS

Portsmouth Poetry is run by two Welsh lovers of spoken and written word (one from West Wales & one from the North). Inevitably, we love the great (and the greatest) poet from the land of Bardds.

Articles, information and events about one of the greatest modern poets who lived in Hampshire for a while including new insights and views from Portsmouth Poetry

"LOVE THE WORDS"

One of the American actors at the rehearsals for the first ever performance of Under Milk Wood at the 'Y' in New York in 1953 asked for direction. This was Dylan's response.