|
I saw the gooseflesh on my skin. I did not know what made it. I was not cold. Had a ghost passed over? No, it was the poetry.
Sylvia Plath
Dear Patient,
As clocks prepare to slip backwards, and as the year wanes and the air thickens with mists and darker evenings, our Poison Cabinet creaks open once more. Inside lie our darkest preparations — bottled not for the faint of heart, but for those who understand that a touch of venom may sometimes heal.
CURSES & MALEDICTIONS
For when civility fails, verse to lay waste to deceit and treachery. Handle with gloves; words may blister.
DARKNESSE
A draught for those who find solace in shadow. Best taken by candlelight, as the last of the evening’s courage seeps away. Extract of Night; For Howling to the Moon & the Love of the Unlit.
VICE
Temptation, bottled. Sweet, unrepentant, and dangerously restorative.
REVENGE
Distilled from centuries of betrayal and poetic justice. Take in small doses; may cause satisfaction.
TORTURED POET
For Anguished Souls; Ink-stained Despair & Relentless Torment. Poems to writ(h)e along to...
The Cabinet stands unlocked until the tolling of midnight on All Hallows’ Eve. Step carefully; all who enter may leave altered.
* All our poisons to be taken with a pinch of salt
The Poetry Pharmacy Dispensary Team
Purveyors of Poetic Poisons
|
|
|
|
Our subject line is taken from ‘Haunted Houses’
All houses wherein men have lived and died
Are haunted houses. Through the open doors
The harmless phantoms on their errands glide,
With feet that make no sound upon the floors.
We meet them at the doorway, on the stair,
Along the passages they come and go,
Impalpable impressions on the air,
A sense of something moving to and fro.
There are more guests at table than the hosts
Invited; the illuminated hall
Is thronged with quiet, inoffensive ghosts,
As silent as the pictures on the wall…
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Read the full poem here.
|
|
|
|
Gift boxes
A Gift That Thinks Deeply
Some gifts say I thought of you.
Ours say I understand you.
Introducing our Luxury Bespoke Poetry Pharmacy Gift Boxes, eight beautifully curated collections inspired by the sections of our bookshops and the Poetry Prescription anthologies.
Each box contains:
-
A bottle of our signature Poetry Pills
- A Poetry Prescription anthology
- Poetry Pharmacy chocolate
All carefully wrapped in a reusable box, designed to delight both the eye and the intellect.
We believe that they are gifts that address the more philosophical part of an individual, the part that reflects, questions, and feels.
A gift that flatters not the surface, but the deeper self.
Discover all eight prescriptions here.
 
|
|
|
|
New Cemetery Review
We’re delighted to feature a review from one of our booksellers, Mia, this week, exploring New Cemetery — Simon Armitage’s poignant new collection that finds beauty and wit in the shifting landscapes of grief, memory, and time.
 In the “whispered half-rhymes of earth and death on the spade’s tongue,” Simon Armitage’s New Cemetery takes shape around the unsettling transformation of a Yorkshire beauty spot into a hilltop graveyard. As the field shifts from cow pasture to “graves like deckchairs, all facing south,” Armitage blends wry, often terse observations with more intimate reflections on mortality and personal loss.
Each poem, named after the moths that flit amongst the graves, offers meditations on time, memory, death, the environment, and even the act of writing. Yet, as ever, the ‘pound shop trinkets’ and ‘hippopotami of shopping aisles’ is consistent with his ability to balance the mundane with the lyrical and elegiaic. As he pivots from the profound to the absurd, we are reminded of how life so often shifts between the trivial and the significant, while time itself is 'propped in the corner like a cricket bat."
For the Armitage faithful, this latest collection won't disappoint, whilst those yet to discover him will find an accessible poet who illuminates the ordinary with universal truths. This stripped-back, deeply considered collection demonstrates Armitage’s maturity; a poet at the height of his powers who continues to venture out across unsettled ground.
- Mia Davis
You can buy this beautifully produced hardback book from us here.
|
|
|
Following the success of our Bishop’s Castle and Oxford Street branches, we are opening our third space in the heart of York: part apothecary, part bookshop.
We are now looking for an experienced Bookshop Manager to help bring this new chapter to life. If you are passionate about books and wellbeing, thrive in independent retail, and have experience leading a team, we would love to hear from you! This is an opportunity to take a leading role in building and nurturing an independent bookshop, manage a welcoming and creative space, and connect with a community of readers and poetry lovers.You can read the full job description and apply via the email address found here. If you know anyone who would be perfect for this role, please do pass it along — we’d be delighted to hear from talented, enthusiastic candidates.
Whip-ma-whop-ma-gate
The shortest street with the longest name,
it hasn’t always been the same:
Witnourwhatnourgate, 1505
(Don’t ask me. I wasn’t alive!)
then Whitney Whatneygate instead.
They once chucked eggs and mouldy bread
at men and women in the stocks
for vagrancy, or stealing socks
and that might just explain the whip
or so you’re told on the tourist trip.
Its three addresses make me laugh
One, One A and One and a half!
This poem will be short and sweet
like the longest name for the shortest street.
Carole Bromley
from her collection The Stonegate Devil, published by Smith/Doorstop and available here.
|
|
|
Explore the richness of our
inner and outer landscapes
Sunday 2nd November 2025, 10.30-3pm
Bishops Castle
Join poets Roz Goddard and Jane Commane for a poetry spa morning of workshops and readings. We will explore the richness of our inner and outer landscapes where new creative ideas can spontaneously arise and be used for experiments in writing poetry.
“Roz Goddard is one of my favourite poets and Small Moon Curve shines with all that I admire in her poems: mystery, beauty, deep tenderness and a willingness to venture into the dark and light it with love.” – Liz Berry
|
|
|
|
Join Tom and Rozi for an intensive poetry weekend
Join Tom Hirons and Rozi Hilton for a weekend intensive in the territory of what they call the Feral Angels of Poetry: poetry with its blazing head in the cosmos and its feet in the muck and murk of this world. Immersive, alive, embodied and richly experiential, these are not your average poetry weekends.
|
|
|
Hear from speakers, panel members and poets who are redefining poetry’s role in wellbeing and professional practice
The Poetry in Business Conference explores how poetry can inspire leadership, creativity, and wellbeing in the workplace. Through talks, panels, and live readings, leading thinkers and poets will share how language can help organisations embrace uncertainty, nurture resilience, and build human-centred cultures.
As part of the conference, our very own Deb Alma will be joined by LUSH CEO Mark Constantine OBE for a conference-exclusive conversation exploring how poetry can serve as an unexpected but powerful tool for thoughtful decision-making in business. They’ll discuss the creative role poetry can play in both life and leadership, drawing on their book The Poetry Business School (HarperCollins), with Kate Downey-Evans as their executive coach.
You can buy your tickets here.
|
|
|
Explore the ways hope lives in us
through writing and conversation
Join poet and Poetry Pharmacist Katie Dunstan for a 90-minute creative writing workshop exploring hope. Through storytelling, conversation prompts, and gentle writing exercises, you’ll connect with your own experiences of hope and take inspiration from the “Hope” Poetry Pharmacy pills. No prior writing experience is needed — just bring your favourite notebook and pen!
This workshop is made possible with the kind support of our friends at LUSH, who are providing space at their Soho HQ.
|
|
|
A lively exploration of one of Britain’s most beloved poets
Duffy has said of her poetry that it is like, ‘the sand in the oyster, it’s a creative irritant. In each poem, I am trying to reveal a truth.’ Duffy was appointed Poet Laureate in 2009 and held the position until 2019. She was the first female, Scottish and openly gay person to do so. Duffy’s work encompasses a wealth of subject matter: childhood, teenage years, sex, city life, oppression, politics, gender, loss, nostalgia and love.
Join Jan Westwood to explore Duffy's poetic works. Ticket price includes tea or coffee and cake!
|
|
|
Join two brilliant authors for a talk on animals,
wonder, and the path to a kinder world
Join authors Jay Griffiths and Gareth Howell-Jones for an inspiring evening exploring the healing power of animals and the simple wonders of the natural world. From hedgehogs to everyday encounters, they invite us to reimagine our place in nature with humour, hope, and heart. Discover new ways to nurture ourselves, our communities, and the planet.
|
|
|
Between sleep and sky: Making friends
with your dreams through poetry
 When the Night Speaks
with Leah LarwoodMonday 8th December, 6-8pm
Online
Every night, dreams visit us—strange, mysterious, sometimes unsettling, always full of meaning. We’re delighted to partner with The Moon Lab to bring you this special workshop, where poetry becomes a bridge between the world of sleep and waking life.
Through creative prompts, simple writing exercises, and gestalt-inspired ‘poetry therapy’ techniques, you’ll discover ways to listen to, honour, and explore your dreams. No experience is needed, just bring your curiosity, a notebook or dream journal, and an open heart ready to meet the magic of your night world.
|
|
|
Personalised poems crafted on a vintage typewriter
Jen is an award-winning poet and creative copywriter who transforms feelings, memories and ideas into heartfelt, personalised poetry. At her regular drop in events at the Poetry Pharmacy on Oxford Street, she crafts bespoke poems live on her trusty vintage typewriter, capturing individual stories and emotions and turning them into unique keepsakes.
“Jen is an exceptionally talented writer. Her poetry conjures such vivid images that transport you somewhere else, and the way she puts words together is a beautiful art in itself.” Ceri, Poem recipient
|
|
|
'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse...
 The Night Before
the Night Before ChristmasTuesday 23rd December, 3.45-4.45pm
Bishops Castle
Join us for a magical treat on the night before Christmas Eve, when Anna Dreda will be reading the classic Christmas poem, The Night Before Christmas, all by candlelight at the Poetry Pharmacy above the bookshop.
Each ticket is £15 per family, and includes a gift for the children and some festive refreshments. Our proceeds this year will be going to the Gaza Appeal for Children in Crisis.
|
|
|
Exploring the poetry of the body, breath, and lived experience
 Write the Unruly Body Poetry Workshop
with Dr. Kate NoakesSunday 3rd May, 10.30am-12.30pm
Bishops Castle
To Write the Unruly Body, Kate Noakes presents a number of approaches and exercises for writing about illness, dis-ease and disease. Deriving from her new book, Sublime Lungs, in which Kate explores her lifelong asthma and the breath as a source of poetic inspiration, she invites you to the Poetry Pharmacy for a morning of reflection and expression, and occasional light-heartedness.Kate Noakes PhD, is a poet and non-fiction writer from Bristol. She has published nine full collections of poetry and a pamphlet. She has taught workshops for Paris Lit Up, the Poetry School, Oxford University and Malika’s Poetry Kitchen. You can visit Kate's website here.
|
|
|
Thank you so much for reading.
|
|
|
|
