June 2025 Quote of the Month

"She'd rather weep all day than never weep again, and for some

folk that really is a straight choice."

From 'Feeling Things' by Don Paterson

in Zonal

Faber and Faber Ltd, London, 2020

20+ Poetry Things You Could Do Today

1) Firstly check out poets reading their poems

See: Bob and Poetry.com: Short poetry clips - YouTube

For longer readings and films see: Bob and Poetry.com: Readings On YouTube - YouTube

I add to these playlists all the time so do keep checking.

2) Visit the Poetry Magazine's Page

There links to dozens of sites on poetry. Blue Marble Review - Literary Journal for Young Writers, for instance, regularly has a free, new, online magazine to read and posted new poems in Spring 2025.

Or, The Lake - contemporary poetry webzine - POETRY, showcases new poetry nearly every month, the most recent being April 2025.

3. (From How to Go Home | Eleanor Robins | Substack)

The Imagining Realm

If you are having a day in which you are wanting to write poetry, or perhaps would like to be having one of those days, I would like to recommend you spend a few minutes watching this video on Eleanor Robin's Substack page.

To watch click this link: My top practice for creating from the imaginal real

4. (From Writer's Digest)

Wednesday Poetry Prompts - Writer's Digest

Following a month of daily prompts in April 2025, Robert Lee Brewer is now offering weekly Wednesday Poetry Prompts, which may contrast a little with my preferred approach from Eleanor Robins, but it is important we all find our own way ahead, and they are by no means mutually exclusive. The archive of these prompts extends over 110 pages.

'Are you passionate about writing poetry? This is where you’ll find poetry prompts, solid tips on writing poetry, interviews with poets, and blog posts highlighting various poetic forms. Sit back, relax, and learn more about the craft of poetry!'

To see, click the link Write Better Poetry | Poetic Forms | Poetry Prompts - Writer's Digest

5) (From Plume | Online Poetry Magazine)

Plume Issue #166 June 2025 Archives - Plume

"In brief, Plume is a magazine dedicated to publishing the very best of contemporary poetry. To that end, we will be highly selective, offering twelve poems per monthly issue."

There is an extensive archive to enjoy, too

For this edition see: Plume Issue #166 June 2025 Archives - Plume

6) (From Of Poetry Podcast – Kitchen table conversations with poets)

Episode 72: Han VanderHart (Of Larks, Genealogy and Truth as a Poetics, and the Line) with Guest Host Amorak Huey

"Han VanderHart is a queer writer living in Durham, North Carolina, under the pines. Amorak Huey (uh-MOR-ack) is the author of four books of poems." All the episodes are available from the site's homepage.

See Episode 72: Han VanderHart (Of Larks, Genealogy and Truth as a Poetics, and the Line) with Guest Host Amorak Huey – Of Poetry Podcast

7) (From Carol Rumens's poem of the week | Books | The Guardian website page)

Carol Rumens' Poem of the Week

A faultlessly consistent article in a national newspaper, and always available online, too.

See Poem of the week: Carol Rumens's poem of the week | The Guardian

8) (From The Fig Tree | Tim Fellows | Substack)

The Fig Tree Issue 8

'Welcome to the eighth issue of The Fig Tree, sandwiched between parts one and two of the Coal Mining Special ... This issue’s Featured Poet, Joe Williams ... Once again I hope you enjoy reading this issue as much as I did collating it. You are joining over 500 people who are reading the webzine on a regular basis.'

Read this issue at The Fig Tree - Issue 8 - by Tim Fellows - The Fig Tree

All Back issues and the two Coal Mining Anthologies are available at : The Fig Tree | Tim Fellows | Substack

9) (From Top Writing Contests website)

Enter Your Poem Into a Competition

Wrting Competitons .Net list all the current competitions that you can enter. If you subscribe to their email they will keep you posted on new ones as they come out. Its brilliant.

See Top Writing Contests

10) (From Tin House website)

Between The Covers

Between the covers is a literary radio show and podcast hosted by David Naimon, is brought to you by Tin House. These long-form in-depth conversations have been singled out by the Guardian, Book Riot, the Financial Times, and BuzzFeed as one of the most notable book podcasts for writers and readers around.

For Between the Covers Podcasts visit Between the Covers Podcast - Tin House

For the most recent poetry book based podcast see: Keetje Kuipers : Lonely Women Make Good Lovers - Tin House

11) (From Poetry Extra webpage )

Spring Equinox

Daljit Nagra revisits the BBC's poetry archive.

"Poet Daljit Nagra celebrates 160 years since the birth of WB Yeats by selecting another highlight from the BBC's poetry archive. In Adventures In Poetry - Leda and the Swan: the resonances of Yeats's great sonnet are explored by poets, artists and contemporary readers. Producer: Sara Davies First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1998."

See: Poetry Extra - Adventures In Poetry - Leda and the Swan - BBC Sounds

12) (From The Buzz – The Hive Poetry Collective Website)

The Hive Poetry Collective - S7: E16 Kirk Glaser Talks with Julia Chiapella

"Airing on KSQD 90.7 FM most Sundays at 8:00, the Hive Poetry Collective is a buzz of poets in Santa Cruz, California— a swarm of radio conversations, public readings, and writing workshops. " All episodes are available at the website.

Hear the most recent podcast posted 27 May, 2025:

S7: E16 Kirk Glaser Talks with Julia Chiapella by The Hive Poetry Collective

13) (From West Wilts Radio)

The Poetry Place (Click for archive)

"The Poetry Place is a monthly poetry magazine programme bringing you news, views, readings and interviews from today’s poetry community, both locally and further afield. Presented by Dawn Gorman and Peter O’Grady, it brings inspiration and food for thought for everyone, from those who enjoy listening to the occasional poem, to people writing and publishing their own work.

There's a new episode on the last Sunday of every month, with repeats from the archive on the other Sundays of the month."

Hear the most recent new edition first broadcast on 25 May 2025 at : The Poetry Place with Pam Thompson & Susan Utting #65

14) (From Rattle Poetry)

Critique of the Week: A Live Video Workshop

"It’s hard to find honest feedback about your work, but knowing how your poems are actually landing is more useful than any other advice a poet can get ... so we’d like to extend that experience to anyone who is interested.

With Critique of the Week, we’ll workshop several poems publicly each week, via Facebook and YouTube. Participants will get a chance to hear how the Rattle editors would encounter a poem if it were a submission and offer suggestions for improvement. Everyone is then welcome to join in the discussion in the video’s comments section, providing their own thoughts and feedback. Even if you don’t want to share your own poems, it should be an excellent learning opportunity for everyone who watches.

To participate, just use the Critique of the Week category on Submittable. Every active submission there will automatically be entered into a live drawing at the end of each month for the next round of participants. Subscribe to our YouTube Channel so that you don’t miss any of the critiques."

For more information see: Critique of the Week - Rattle: Poetry

Or see the latest live streamed event at : Rattlecast - Rattle: Poetry

Or read the latest daily poem at: Rattle: Poetry

(I sign up to the email daily post and strongly recommend it.)

15) (From Eat The Storms website)

May Storm, An all-county showcase for Poetry Day Ireland, 1 May 2025

Eat the Storms, the poetry podcast, will host its annual Poetry Day Ireland episode, featuring 32 poets, each reading a single poem to represent one of the 32 counties on the island of Ireland, our most popular episode each year. Hosted and produced by Damien B Donnelly, the podcast will go out at 8am on Thursday 1 May, on 12+ platforms including Spotify, Apple, Castbox, Podbean, Amazon Podcasts and YouTube.

Visit: May Storm, an all-county showcase for Poetry Day Ireland 2025 – Storm Shelter

Hear the podcast archive at: Listen to the Podcast – Storm Shelter

16) (From BBC Radio 4 - The Verb)

Hedges and Poetry

Presented by Ian McMillan.

Ian McMillan's guests celebrate hedges, with poetry from Alison Brackenbury and Testament, singing from Sam Lee, Michael Symmons Roberts explores a poem with a nightingale at its centre, and hedgelayer Paul Lamb records himself walking a hedgerow that's rich in wildlife.

First broadcast on 1 June, 2025.

See : The Verb - Hedges and poetry - BBC Sounds

Though this has slipped quite far down my list for no particular reason, The Verb is one of my favourite shows on radio and is available in podcast form. There is an archive of 254 episodes available at: BBC Radio 4 - The Verb - Available now

17) (From Moving Poems website)

Watch the Best Poetry Videos on the Web

The latest when I looked: Lost Stream by Fiona Tinwei Lam – Moving Poems

"A poetry video based on a poem about the city’s hidden and lost streams. Animation by Quinn Kelly. Narration by the poet Fiona Tinwei Lam. Audio-recording by Lileth Charlet. Recorded at CEDaR sound studio at the University of British Columbia. Sound design by Bill Hardman. Part of the Vancouver Poet Laureate’s City Poems Project 2022-2024."

Regularly updated there's 2453 videos (and counting) to see at Videopoems | Moving Poems

18) (From Spotify - Web Player: Music for everyone)

Frank Skinner's Poetry Podcast

'Frank Skinner loves poetry and thinks you might like it too.' If you are able to use Spotify, I strongly recommend this podcast, which is free and has the complete archive available. Frank offers wonderful insights into poems and poets that have certainly broadened my understanding. As you would expect, from Frank Skinner his presentation style is highly engaging and entertaining. See Frank Skinner's Poetry Podcast | Podcast on Spotify

19) (From T.S. Eliot website)

T.S. Eliot Prize

The T.S. Eliot Prize winner for 2024 has now been announced, and videos of all the nominees can be seen. Every year of the prize I have enjoyed watching the poets read from their book, and say a little about themselves.

See: Videos – The T. S. Eliot Prize

See the whole amazing archive at T. S. Eliot Prize - YouTube

20) (From Apples and Snakes)

Read, Watch, Listen : Apples and Snakes

Get the latest updates from the Apples and Snakes website at Read, Watch, Listen : Apples and Snakes

Maybe hear the most recent podcast at: S3 EP20 | Amen Noir - Maintaining Presence | Apples and Snakes: The Podcast

The archive of 38 podcasts is available at Apples and Snakes: The Podcast | Apples and Snakes.

21) (From London Review Bookshop website)

New Faber Poetry

"Isabelle Baafi, winner of the Somerset Maugham Award for her pamphlet Ripe, constructs her debut collection Chaotic Good (Faber) around the story of an escape from a toxic marriage. ‘Chaotic Good is a debut of amazing endurance,’ writes poet Will Harris. ‘Its formal pressures create a kind of kaleidoscopic intensity that – with each turn of the chamber – brings newly beautiful and painful shapes into focus.’

Isabelle Baafi was reading from her work in the company of Lavinia Greenlaw, whose most recent book is the essay collection The Vast Extent." From 9 April 2025.

Hear this podcast at: Isabelle Baafi & Lavinia Greenlaw: Chaotic Good | London Review Bookshop

For lots of past videos and podcasts (not exclusively poetry) see: Podcasts & video | London Review Bookshop