The end of summer often brings a shift in the air—not just in the weather, but in the rhythms of our homes. For many parents, this is the season of the “empty nest,” when children leave for university, work, or new lives of their own. The house, once alive with daily chaos, can suddenly feel spacious and strangely quiet.
Empty Nest Syndrome is not a diagnosis, but a tender ache, a mixture of pride, loss, and re-discovery. It is the silence that reminds us of what we’ve nurtured, and the invitation to turn some of that care back towards ourselves. Like all transitions, it holds both grief and possibility.
This week, we share poems and prescriptions for navigating absence, honouring change, and finding comfort in the space that remains.
And in having the bar of chocolate all to ourselves!
Walking Away
It is eighteen years ago, almost to the day –
A sunny day with leaves just turning,
The touch-lines new-ruled – since I watched you play
Your first game of football, then, like a satellite
Wrenched from its orbit, go drifting away
Behind a scatter of boys. I can see
You walking away from me towards the school
With the pathos of a half-fledged thing set free
Into a wilderness, the gait of one
Who finds no path where the path should be.
That hesitant figure, eddying away
Like a winged seed loosened from its parent stem,
Has something I never quite grasp to convey
About nature’s give-and-take – the small, the scorching
Ordeals which fire one’s irresolute clay.
I have had worse partings, but none that so
Gnaws at my mind still. Perhaps it is roughly
Saying what God alone could perfectly show –
How selfhood begins with a walking away,
And love is proved in the letting go.
By C Day-Lewis
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Book of the Week
Empty Nest, edited by Carol Ann Duffy, is a tender anthology of 99 poems exploring the bonds between parents and children - from everyday family life to the bittersweetness of letting go. Featuring voices from Shakespeare to Jackie Kay, this beautiful collection offers solace for anyone navigating change at home. Available from us here.
A Comforting New
Book for Times of Change
This beautiful seasonal companion is filled with poetry, recipes, quotes, book lists, and reflections on the natural world — a treasure trove to return to again and again. Rooted in the centuries-old tradition of the commonplace book, Miranda Mills curates a rich anthology from writers including Robert Browning, Emily Brontë, Sara Teasdale, Edith Wharton, and Louisa May Alcott.
For those experiencing the shift of an empty nest, this book offers comfort and inspiration: a way to mark the passing seasons and reconnect with your own rhythms. Available from us here.
Start Where You Are Journal
by Meera Lee Patel
This beautifully illustrated journal is designed to spark creativity, mindfulness, and motivation. Filled with uplifting quotes, thoughtful prompts, and space for writing and reflection, it offers gentle guidance through life’s ups and downs and encourages you to connect with your dreams. Start Where You Are is both inspiring and practical, inviting you to slow down, reflect, and discover fresh ways to see the world. Available from us here.
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Macmillan & the Poetry Pharmacy
Invite You to
Celebrate National Poetry Day with Us!
Join us on Oxford Street for an evening with maybe more Joy than Calm (as there is cake and prosecco), to celebrate the publication of the final two titles in our acclaimed Poetry Prescription series published for National Poetry Day on Thursday October 2nd.
Curated by Poetry Pharmacy creator Deb Alma, these beautiful hardbacks bring together poems to soothe, inspire and uplift. We'd love you to come and celebrate with us! Book your £5 ticket here.
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Breath and Verse: Unlock your creative flow
Discover how controlled breath can guide you through your inner landscape, revealing new insights and igniting your most authentic, creative expression.
Prepare to breathe, reflect, and release the vibrant world within you.
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Develop your poetry practice in a safe, pressure-free space, meet like-minded people and gain confidence in your craft
The duo behind Big Joy events are hosting a relaxed, supportive workshop series to practise poetry with others, whether you’re a seasoned writer or picking up a pen for the first time. Over three evenings (hosted at the legendary Torriano Meeting House), you’ll write, connect, and explore your creativity, guided by Grace and Maggie of Big Joy Events.
On the third session, they will be joined by two Poetry Pharmacy booksellers, Katie and Ellie, who are poets, performers, and facilitators in their own right. The series concludes with a performance night, where you can share your work and celebrate with friends and family.
This is a Big Joy event, please email Grace and Margaret if you have any questions: bigjoyevents@gmail.com
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A gentle walk with poetry readings, beautiful views of the Shropshire hills and tea and cake to finish
Saturday 4th October 2025,10:30-1pm
Bishops Castle
Join poet Jonathan Davidson for a Poetry Walk starting and finishing at The Poetry Pharmacy Lab in Bishop's Castle.
Using a circular route, we will stroll along small roads and footpaths, stopping now and then to hear some poems read aloud in the open air. Copies of poems – by various carefully selected poets – will be provided, although participants are welcome to bring along short poems of their own to share.
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A gentle walk through Literary London
to restore and inspire
Sunday 12th October 2025, 9.50-12pm
Finishing at Oxford Street Poetry Pharmacy
Join Liz Ison on a journey of exploration through literary St James, uncovering the hidden histories and stories of London’s writers and poets such as William Blake, Lord Byron, Samuel Pepys and Ignatius Sancho.
We’ll be bringing poetry and literature off the bookshelves and outside by spending time in one of the capital’s most beautiful parks, St James Park, seeing how the combined power of poetry and parks can help us to relax and unwind, before further literary wanderings through the districts of St James and Piccadilly, ending up at the Poetry Pharmacy in Oxford Street.
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 Poetry Prescriptions with Liz Ison
Sunday 12th October 2025, 2-3pm
Oxford Street
Pop in to our Oxford Street Poetry Pharmacy to meet poet Liz Ison, editor of ‘100 Poems to Help You Relax’ & pick up your own healing poetry prescription! No need to book - just pop in!
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Join award-winning novelist, poet and broadcaster Salena Godden to celebrate her latest collection
Thursday 16th October 2025, 6-7pm
Oxford Street
Join us to celebrate the paperback launch of Salena Godden’s powerful poetry collection With Love, Grief and Fury. Salena will be reading from the book, which moves between love and loss, truth and resistance, offering poems that comfort, inspire, and ignite hope.
Over thirty years after she first stormed the UK poetry scene, Salena has created her most audacious and definitive collection yet.
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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
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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.
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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
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From travelling as the Emergency Poet, to opening
the world's first walk in Poetry Pharmacy
Join our own Deb Alma in conversation with local poet Juliette Hart, discussing Deb's journey from the Emergency Poet to the Poetry Pharmacy. The event will include a live poetry consultation and some readings from The Poetry Prescription anthologies, including poetic cures for life’s ailments.
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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 the CEO of LUSH, Mark Constantine, to explore how poetry can serve as an unexpected but powerful tool for thoughtful decision-making in business. Expect an interesting conversation about the creative role poetry can play in both life and leadership.
Take a look at our Poetry in Business Conference 2025 bookshop.org list of recommended titles from speakers at this inaugural and ground-breaking conference.
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Thank you so much for reading.
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