29/01/2025- if I pause as I do now

Welcome to the Poetry Pharmacy's newsletter!  Here you will find upcoming events, new and featured books, poems, prescriptions, and panaceas. 

On Friday we celebrated the publication of the first of our Poetry Prescription series, Comfort and Words for Love , edited by our own Chief Poetry Pharmacist Deborah Alma, at a launch party at the Poetry Pharmacy on Oxford Street. There were readings by the fabulous Imtiaz Dharker, our own co-founder James Sheard, and Oxford Street booksellers Patrizia Longhitano, Katie Dunstan and Héloïse de Satgé. We think we managed to convert a few guests to the efficacious nature of poetry - the pink and lilac prosecco may have warmed their hearts...Thanks to lovely publisher Macmillan for the delicious cup cakes and especially to Gaby Morgan editor at Macmillan for all her support with these books.. 
The eight themed titles will be published by Macmillan in pairs throughout 2025, with the first two titles available in UK bookshops now, or online from our Poetry Pharmacy store.  The next pair, Wild Remedy and Becoming, will be published in April.  

Comfort and Words for Love are now available as gift boxes on our website. And Words for Love is the perfect Valentines gift for the book lover in your life. 
The box includes: Pocket-sized hardback, a bottle of our poetry pills to match the book and a bar of our 'medicinal' chocolate.
Online

The Poetry Habit with Sophie Howarth

Back by popular demand this delicious series of online workshops is hosted by good friend to the Poetry Pharmacy, Sophie Howarth.

How can we make more space for poetry among all the pressing demands of daily life? Why would we want to? And if we did, what creative magic might happen?

The Poetry Habit introduces you to the transformative effects of a daily poetry prescription. We explore innovative ways to read, write, learn and share poetry, placing particular emphasis on cultivating everyday habits that inspire joy, deepen meaning and build creativity.

Five Tuesdays, 25 February - 25 March 2025

18.30 - 20.30 GMT on Zoom

£95.00

Please find more info about this course on our website.

Events

Bishop’s Castle 

February 19th 10.30am 

Painting Poems workshop  

There are just a few of remaining tickets for artist Clae Eastgate's day-long workshop at the Poetry Pharmacy, where participants can discover the joy of creating artworks inspired by poetry. Through carefully selected poems from the Poetry Pharmacy, participants will explore the dynamic relationship between art and poetry. They’ll enhance their technical abilities using paint and mixed media, uncover fresh sources of inspiration, and learn how to harness these influences to unlock their own creative potential.  

£65, Tickets available here

The Human Landscape workshop & readings
 
Jean Atkin and Alwyn Marriage lead a workshop to explore the poetic edgelands where people and place engage, where we leave a mark, and where place leaves its marks on us. The workshop will be followed by short readings from Jean and Alwyn, whose recent books address these themes.

The Poetry Pharmacy is delighted to host this fascinating workshop and reading from two fine and long established poets.
£25, Tickets available here

London 

16th February 12.00pm 

Bespoke Poetry with Jen Feroze, London Book Crawl 

Pop into our Oxford Street bookshop on Sunday 16th February where award-winning poet Jen Feroze will write you a personal poem on her vintage typewriter, as part of London Book Crawl.  

No need to book - drop in on the day.  
February in Bishop's Castle means it's the Arts Festival which has been growing for the last for 13 years and is now a much loved, 5-day event. There are  workshops, talks, exhibitions, music, dance, competitions and open studios, as well as poetry of course, with over 60 different events. It is always held during the February half-term holidays, and there are events each day for children which are free.
The Poetry Pharmacy is proud to be a part of the festival with events happening in the bookshop every day and you can see our part of the programme on our website. 
 
In this anthology, ten women poets from Iran and Afghanistan share their ideas, emotions, desires and worldviews with lovers of poetry, in celebration of life and freedom. The book is an ode to the Woman, Life, Freedom movement, and in memory of Jina Mahsa Amini, a Kurdish young woman who was brutally murdered by the Iranian regime's 'morality police' in September 2022. Featuring poems by: Azita Ghahraman; Ava Homa; Ziba Karbassi; Soheila Mirzaei; Sana Nassari; Nasrin Parvaz; Mehrangiz Rassapour (M. Pegah); Shirin Razavian; Muzhgan Saghar Schaffa; and Rouhi Shafii. With an introduction about the events and the role of literature in resistance movements by Shahrzad Mojab, professor of Women and Gender Studies at University of Toronto.

“The book is full of absence and desire. It will haunt you.”
–George Szirtes

You can buy the book from us here