poetry

Punk poet John Cooper Clarke: 'The drugs? Well, obviously keep away from all that s**t'
John Cooper Clarke. Portrait by Bryan Ledgard
Letter to My Younger Self

Punk poet John Cooper Clarke: 'The drugs? Well, obviously keep away from all that s**t'

Punk poet John Cooper Clarke writes to his younger self about poetry, sartorial autonomy, and becoming a 'modern day Cyrano de Bergerac'
'A man of integrity': Tributes pour in after writer and poet Benjamin Zephaniah dies aged 65
Benjamin Zephaniah
Literature

'A man of integrity': Tributes pour in after writer and poet Benjamin Zephaniah dies aged 65

Artist and poet Chris Bird: My art is an attempt to create hope and beauty in the everyday
Self portrait by Chris Bird
Poetry

Artist and poet Chris Bird: My art is an attempt to create hope and beauty in the everyday

Top 5 books to inspire you to write poetry, selected by The Poetry Pharmacy's Deborah Alma
poetry

Top 5 books to inspire you to write poetry, selected by The Poetry Pharmacy's Deborah Alma

Poet and author Blake Morrison on grief and why he wrote so much about his family
Letter to my Younger Self

Poet and author Blake Morrison on grief and why he wrote so much about his family

Paul Simon unveils surprise collaboration with artist Charlie Mackesy: 'It's nice to make a friend this way'
Music

Paul Simon unveils surprise collaboration with artist Charlie Mackesy: 'It's nice to make a friend this way'

Bright Fear by Mary Jean Chan: Poetry alive with compassion and acceptance
Bright Fear by Mary Jean Chan
Review

Bright Fear by Mary Jean Chan: Poetry alive with compassion and acceptance

Marxist take on Keats poetry opens up possibilities
Keats’s Odes: A Lover’s Discourse book cover
John Bird

Marxist take on Keats poetry opens up possibilities

Faith healing: How churches offer reassurance in tough times
Churches

Faith healing: How churches offer reassurance in tough times

Patterflash by Adam Lowe review: Acrobatic and winking poems of queer life
Patterflash by Adam Lowe
poetry

Patterflash by Adam Lowe review: Acrobatic and winking poems of queer life

Quiet Fires by andriniki mattis review: Realities of living as a transgender Black person in America
Poetry

Quiet Fires by andriniki mattis review: Realities of living as a transgender Black person in America

Paul Simon: 'Seven Psalms is very much about God. But not always praise'
Exclusive interview

Paul Simon: 'Seven Psalms is very much about God. But not always praise'

Paul Simon reveals he has ‘lost the hearing’ in his left ear
Paul Simon performing in his native New York on the final concert of his farewell tour in 2018. Image: Evan Agostini/Invision/AP
Exclusive

Paul Simon reveals he has ‘lost the hearing’ in his left ear

Top 5 poetry collections on climate change, chosen by Rishi Dastidar
Climate change: Arid landscape beside a field of flowers
tackling crisis

Top 5 poetry collections on climate change, chosen by Rishi Dastidar

The Speculations of Country People review: Majella Kelly's poems of desire
The Speculations of Country People by Majella Kelly
Poetry

The Speculations of Country People review: Majella Kelly's poems of desire

Dust Sucker review: Jen Calleja weaves resonant strands together
Dust Sucker cover
Books

Dust Sucker review: Jen Calleja weaves resonant strands together

Orlam by PJ Harvey review: Singer-songwriter's poetry book is a rich and unwieldy epic
Book reviews

Orlam by PJ Harvey review: Singer-songwriter's poetry book is a rich and unwieldy epic

Hussain Manawer: 'From sadness, I created beautiful things'
Hussain Manawer features on BetterPod The Big Issue's podcast
mental health

Hussain Manawer: 'From sadness, I created beautiful things'

Ben Okri: 'War taught me as a kid that there is no certainty in this world'
Books

Ben Okri: 'War taught me as a kid that there is no certainty in this world'

Limbic by Peter Scalpello review: the dark side of queer writing
Book review

Limbic by Peter Scalpello review: the dark side of queer writing

The Kids by Hannah Lowe review: Poetry that sings from the page
Book reviews

The Kids by Hannah Lowe review: Poetry that sings from the page

Read this exclusive poem about homelessness by Ian McMillan
Tents in Butler Place in London, ont far from the houses of parliament
Books

Read this exclusive poem about homelessness by Ian McMillan

Benjamin Zephaniah hails the rising tide of poetry in lockdown
Benjamin Zephaniah
Books

Benjamin Zephaniah hails the rising tide of poetry in lockdown

Michael Rosen: 'We never know when, why or how we might become a refugee'
Books

Michael Rosen: 'We never know when, why or how we might become a refugee'

John Bird: Let poetry be the answer to these troubled political times
Books

John Bird: Let poetry be the answer to these troubled political times