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This week's newsletter comes after a week of dark weather here in the UK and unsettling news in the world. We hope our small and generally cheerful news and the sharing of poetry will shine a little light at a dark time.
February began with our Chief Poetry Pharmacist, Deborah Alma speaking at the glorious Gladstone’s Library, for Hearth, a one-day celebration of literature in the Gladstone Room lounge.
The Warden at the Library is Revd Dr Andrea Russell, who is the first woman to hold the role, and the first new warden in 25 years. Andrea quizzed Deb on all things poetry and in particular her work as an editor of poetry anthologies. You can find her eight new Poetry Prescription anthologies here.
Gladstone’s Library hosts a range of writing workshops and residencies, as well as having lovely rooms to stay in. Their silent Reading Rooms are the perfect destination for a writer’s retreat when the world is grey and grave.
At the time of writing, we're in the middle of the busy Bishop’s Castle Arts Festival here in our Shropshire bookshop, offering a warm welcome through the freezing weather, hosting a range of fun, curative events, from Mindful Journaling to Painting Poems. Writing, painting, reading poetry – there are so many ways poetry can have a positive effect on mental health in long Winter months.
If poetry remains a mystery to you, have a listen to Deb in the Demystifying Poetry podcast, hosted by Oxford Poetry Professor Tara Stubbs. Tara quizzes Deb on the ideas behind poetry on prescription and the Poetry Pharmacy, all the way to our latest publication of anthologies.
And some big news! On Tuesday the Poetry Pharmacy was one of 7 Midland bookshop finalists for the British Book Awards 2025 Independent Bookshop of the Year. We were pleased to win Midlands bookseller of the year in 2024 and we'd be so delighted to get to the posh London party again this year! Fingers crossed!
In other news, inside our Poetry Pharmacy Laboratory we have been cooking up some new poetic medications; all of them collaborations - with the charity Doctors in Distress, with Batsford Press and with 2 writing retreats. Look out for more news about these in the next few weeks.
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