people singing, dancing, to drive the dark away
(Susan Cooper, “The Shortest Day”)
In Bishop’s Castle we had the great switch on of the Christmas lights, tractors draped in fairy lights rumbling past in a joyful procession, lanterns glowing, live music floating through the streets and fireworks were launched above our tiny town. The primary school children sang carols, we drank mulled wine and friends hugged. Everyone mucked in. It was all glitter and goodwill in the very best small town way.
And how different it might seem from our sister Poetry Pharmacy in Oxford Street. There the starry lights are dazzling on a huge scale. Crowds stream past windows dressed for Christmas. There is the buzz of shoppers and the rush of the capital. Yet even there, in the heart of retail, something quieter is happening. We are a team of poets above all else, people who listen. A tiny refuge of kindness where each passing visitor is seen and welcomed and invited to take a breath.
Two places that look worlds apart, but with one heart holding them together. A spirit of connection and curiosity, with poetry as a way to gather us in. Wherever you find us this season we hope it feels like coming home.
Where does your community live? Is it on a lantern lit high street in a market town? Or on a busy city, your friends, or family, the pub or workplace? In arts practices, hobbies, volunteering, or in messages and threads online? Communities can take many shapes. Sometimes they are scattered. Sometimes they are virtual. Yet they can still hold us and give solace and support.
Wherever you gather and whoever you gather with, we hope this festive season brings you those bright moments of belonging. We are very glad you are part of ours.
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This is one of Deb's favourite reads for this time of year, Susan Cooper’s poem The Shortest Day captures the magic behind the returning of the light, the yearning for traditions that connect us with generations that have gone before – and the hope for peace that we carry into the future. Richly illuminated by Carson Ellis.
Deb’s Review
Susan Cooper’s The Shortest Day is a book I return to every winter, it feels both strange and also completely right, with its seeming to understand something deep in us and in being long-connected, to community and through history. For me it holds the ancient thrill of watching the sun diminish and then return. Carson Ellis’s illustrations take that feeling and make it visible. The sun is not just a distant star but a living presence: tall and sure through the warm months, then sinking and folding in on itself as winter presses in.
There is genuine chill in these pages. The darkness is not cosy or decorative. It is a real force that waits at the edge of the firelight. In one image people stand around the flames, protecting a circle of brightness. Just beyond, in the pitch black, lurk shadowy creatures that feel as old as fear itself. That contrast between celebration and unease feels honest. Life is made of both.
But what shines through is the promise of light’s return. The sense of community, of ritual handed down through time; a reminder that midwinter celebrations are not only glitter and comfort. They are acts of hope and defiance. We gather together, year after year, trusting the sun will rise again.
The Shortest Day Read Aloud.
You can buy a copy here. |
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Wild Words: Winter
with acclaimed poet Rhiannon Hooson
Cold settles across the land like a spell. In the wood, each leaf and twig are edged in frost, and from the ice-clogged fields rises a fog that blooms into lilac as the moon rises.
The Wild Words courses are low pressure writing courses which help you ground your creativity in the turning year, and help you build a sustainable, daily creative habit. They are made up of daily seasonal writing prompts which focus on finding inspiration in the world around us.
How it works
Beginning on the first of January, you will receive a daily writing prompt delivered to your inbox. You can spend as much - or as little - time on each prompt as you like. The course finishes on the 31st.
Wild Words: Winter is for anyone who would like to live more creatively, write more, or make an authentic connection with the natural world. The cost is £37 for a whole month of inspiration.
You can learn more here, and sign up here. If you have any questions please do email Rhiannon at crhooson@gmail.com.
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The Poetry Archive- Our news
The Poetry Archive is a rich online resource dedicated to preserving poets’ voices and making poetry accessible to everyone. Founded by former Poet Laureate Andrew Motion and producer Richard Carrington, it offers thousands of recordings — poems read aloud by the poets themselves — along with learning materials, interviews, and curated collections for teachers, students, and curious listeners alike.
We’re delighted that our very own Deb Alma has been included in this remarkable archive.
"It means a great deal to me to be included in the National Poetry Archive this year, particularly within the South Asian collection. As a mixed-race woman I’ve often lived between identities with an affinity with borderlands, and poetry has been the place where those worlds can come together. To see that work recognised in this context is a great honour." Deb Alma
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Late night shopping in our Oxford Street bookshop
Join us in Oxford Street at the Poetry Pharmacy inside LUSH for Late Shopping Evenings throughout the festive period, when we’ll be open until 10pm Monday to Saturday.
Our Oxford Street coffee shop will also be open late on Fridays and Saturdays until 7.30pm, serving delicious mince pies and seasonal winter-warming drinks. For more information on our festive opening times, please check our website.
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Christmas Gift Guide
Guaranteed to restore cheer
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Book of the Month Offer
Our  Book of the Month is Virgin by Hollie McNish. Purchase a copy in store and enjoy a free drink in either of our coffee shops - choose from a comforting coffee, a pot of loose-leaf tea, a seasonal winter warmer, or any of our chilled drinks to enjoy while you dip into the book. Available at both Shropshire and Oxford Street.
You can also buy a signed copy online from us here.
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A journey through London’s poetic past and present
The London Poetry Tour is a collaboration between The Poetry Pharmacy and Bookmarked London. Running every Sunday at 11.30am, the tour guides you in the footsteps of some of the city’s greatest poets and writers - including Blake, Yeats, Keats, Christina Rossetti, Rabindranath Thakur, T.S. Eliot, Virginia Woolf, Kae Tempest, Richard Scott and more - and concludes at The Poetry Pharmacy on Oxford Street, where attendees receive 10% off poetry purchases.
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A poetic celebration of the richness of winter,
from wild landscapes to the warmth of home
 Skeleton Tree: A Guided Exploration
of Winter Poetry with Jan WestwoodSunday 14th December, 11am-1pm
Poetry Pharmacy Lab, Bishops Castle
Join Jan for an exploration of poems about the many aspects of the winter season celebrated by poets past and present. Let us come together to enjoy the season in all its rich variety from snow laden trees, animal and birdlife, the wildness of bleak landscapes to the domestic joys of friendship, food, drink and warmth with a hint of the renewal that the new year will bring.
Jan was a teacher of English for over 40 years and has had her poems published in various anthologies. She has an MA in English Literature and chairs various poetry groups in person and online.
Ticket price includes tea or coffee and cake!
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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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Take poetry for a walk through London’s
most storied neighbourhoods
In Search of London’s Poets:
a Poetry Walk with Liz IsonSunday 25th January, 9.50am-12pm
London
Back by popular demand — and to mark the publication of 100 Poems to Grow Your Confidence — join Liz Ison for a literary walk through Marylebone and Soho. We’ll visit the places that shaped writers such as Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Dylan Thomas, Byron, Shelley, Katherine Mansfield, Blake, Shakespeare and Oscar Wilde, with poetry readings along the way. The walk ends at the Poetry Pharmacy on Oxford Street.
£35 ticket includes:
• 100 Poems to Grow Your Confidence
• Limited edition Confidence pills
• Hot drink and cake at the Poetry Pharmacy
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A playful poetry workshop for budding young writers
 Catch the Poetry BugWednesday 18th February, 10.30-11.30am
Bishops Castle
Children's Poetry Workshop - for ages 5-8
Catch the poetry bug at the Poetry Pharmacy! Join in with poet Debra Bertulis as she performs some of her (really) silly poems, then when she stops being silly, learn how to write your own poem in this fun, inspiring, interactive poetry session!
This event is part of Bishop's Castle Arts Festival, being held in the space above the bookshop.
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A playful poetry workshop for budding young writers
Catch the Poetry BugWednesday 18th February, 2-3.30pm
Bishops Castle
Children's Poetry Workshop - for ages 9-13.
Poetry is contagious, but it’s okay because we’ll all be at the Poetry Pharmacy! Join poet Debra Bertulis in this fun, inspiring poetry workshop. Learn how to create a poem full of imagery. That’s not all! Want to know how famous poets do it? Debra’s ready to spill the beans on their tricks of the trade. Want to know what word does actually rhyme with ‘orange?
This event is part of Bishop's Castle Arts Festival, being held in the space above the bookshop.
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A gentle workshop to reconnect you with your inner voice
 Writing from Stillness
with Sarah HollandWednesday 18th February, 10.30-11.30am
Poetry Pharmacy Lab, Bishops Castle
Join meditation teacher and writer Sarah for a mindful journey into writing.
After her last sell-out sessions, Sarah returns to lead a workshop on meditative writing to open the 2026 Bishop’s Castle Arts Festival programme at the Poetry Pharmacy.
In this gentle, grounding workshop, Sarah will guide you to write from a place of stillness — a place where the body can speak before the mind begins to interfere. Through guided meditation, quiet contemplation, and creative exercises, you’ll be invited to explore writing that emerges from depth and presence, opening new pathways of expression.
This workshop is part of the Bishop’s Castle Arts Festival and takes place in the space above the bookshop.
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A welcoming open mic night with special guests
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