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Literature

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Poetry

Frequently asked questions    

I am forwarding a sample of my poems for your review.   

I want to publish a book/poem/play by a British author in my country.

I want to translate a book/poem/play (or part of one) for use in my country.

Contact the Rights Department of the author’s publisher or contact their agent with an explanation of exactly which poem you want to use and why you want to use it. If you have a copy of the book the publisher’s address is usually given on the reverse of the title page

For publishers’ contact details:

  • Booktrust - list of UK publishers
  • Publisher’s Association
    1 Kingsway
    London WC2B 6XF
    Telephone: +44 (0)20 7565 7474
    Fax: +44 (0)20 7836 4543
    E-mail: mail@publishers.org.uk
    Website: http://www.publishers.org.uk
  • Booktrade includes publisher’s contact information
  • Babash can be searched by genre or by name

If it is a poem or article published in a magazine then contact the publisher of the magazine to ask permission to use it. The magazine will include the publisher’s address; contact details for all literary magazines are listed in the Writers’ and Artists’ Yearbook (A & C Black, annual publication); or a list of poetry publishers and poetry magazines, with contact details, are available from the:

Poetry Library
Level 5
Royal Festival Hall
London SE1 8XX
Telephone: +44 (0)20 7921 0943/0664
Fax: +44 (0)20 7921 0939
E-mail: poetrylibrary@rfh.org.uk
Website: http://www.poetrylibrary.org.uk

A list of literary periodicals with contact details is available on our website:

  • Literary Periodicals
I am visiting the UK next month, can you provide me with a list of poetry readings that I could attend?   

For UK events contact the

Poetry Library
Level 5
The Royal Festival Hall
London SE1 8XX
Telephone: +44 (0)20 7921 0943
Fax: +44 (0)20 7921 0939
E-mail: poetrylibrary@rfh.org.uk
Website: http://www.poetrylibrary.org.uk

The Poetry Society
22 Betterton Street
London WC2H 9BU
Telephone: +44 (0)20 7420 9880
Fax: +44 (0)20 7240 4818
E-mail: info@poetrysociety.org.uk
Website: http://www.poetrysociety.org.uk/

Arts Council of England
London Regional Office
2 Pear Tree Court
London EC1R 0DS
Telephone: +44 (0)20 7608 6100
Fax: +44 (0)20 7608 4100
E-mail: london@artscouncil.org.uk
Website: http://www.artscouncil.org.uk

Other Regional Arts Boards of England can also be found on the Arts Council website listed above

Scottish Book Trust
The Scottish Book Centre
137 Dundee Street
Edinburgh EH11 1BG
Telephone: +44 (0)131 229 3663
Fax: +44 (0)131 228 4293
E-mail: info@scottishbooktrust.com
Website: http://www.scottishbooktrust.com

Academi (Welsh Academy)
3rd Floor
Mount Stuart House
Mount Stuart Square
Cardiff CF1 6DQ
Telephone: +44 (0)29 2047 2266
Fax: +44 (0)29 2049 2930
E-mail: post@academi.org
Website: http://www.academi.org

The Arts Council of Ireland’s arts and entertainment listings site which includes literature events, talks and festivals: http://www.art.ie

Other sources of information:

Contact the local public library in the region that you are visiting.

Consult a good listings magazine which lists readings for the next week, for example, Time Out London. There is also a specialist poetry magazine called Poetry London which lists lots of events - you should be able to have a look at a copy at the Poetry Library in London.

I have written a poem that would be perfect for Poems on the Underground. How do I contact them?   

The organisers of Poems on the Underground don't solicit poems. They select from already published works or they sometimes select from specific competition winners so to be included you need to get your poem published. For information about poetry magazines, publishers and competitions contact the Poetry Library

Poetry Library
Level 5
The Royal Festival Hall
London SE1 8XX
Telephone: +44 (0)20 7921 0943
Fax: +44 (0)20 7921 0939
E-mail: poetrylibrary@rfh.org.uk
Website: http://www.poetrylibrary.org.uk

Or look at the periodicals list on our website:

  • Literary Periodicals
I would like to purchase one of the Poems on the Underground posters.   

The posters are available from the Poetry Society for £2.50 each.

22 Betterton Street
London WC2H 9BU
Telephone: +44 (0)20 7420 9880
Fax: +44 (0)20 7240 4818
E-mail: info@poetrysociety.org.uk
Website: http://www.poetrysociety.org.uk/education/under.htm

I am searching for a poem by … that contains something along the lines of …

I heard this line from a poem quoted recently can you tell me which poem it comes from?

We can trace some poetry for you but for a comprehensive service please contact the Poetry Library

Poetry Library
Level 5
The Royal Festival Hall
London SE1 8XX
Telephone: +44 (0)20 7921 0943
Fax: +44 (0)20 7921 0939
E-mail: poetrylibrary@rfh.org.uk
Website: http://www.poetrylibrary.org.uk

I would like to access poems on the web   

Some sites with poems on them:

BBC poetry
Visual and audio poems and a poet in residence.

Blue Nose Poets
London-based UK organisation offering workshops, events, courses, competitions and services to schools.

Contemporary Writers
Author site that includes some audio poetry clips.

LION – Literature Online
A subscription site with full text of 344,000 poems.

Magma
Poetry magazine with subscription and contents online.

Opening Line
Writer's resource site - includes flash poetry.

Panic! Brixton Poetry
Magazine of poetry, writing and art based in Brixton, South London.

Poetry London
Poetry magazine with samples and listings online.

Poems on the Underground
Read the current Poems on the Underground selection online at the Poetry Society web site.

Poetry Archive
Poetry archive of out-of-copyright poetry.

The Poetry Archive
A comprehensive collection of recordings of poets reading their work.

Poetry Kit
Packed with resources for poets, including a handy list of ezines

Poetry Library
Links to the individual sites of poets that often feature poems.

Poetry Society
Links to poets sites that often feature poems.

Poetry Worm
The e-mail poetry magazine of Poetry Works with a full online archive.

Scriberazone
Magazine for poetry, raps, short stories, lyrics, slams, and other scribblings.

University of Toronto Online Poetry
Over 2,000 out of copyright poems online.

Audio and flash poetry from our Bloodaxe/British Council poetry tapes can also be found through our Literature home page.

I want to know about poetry competitions   

Contact the Poetry Library

Poetry Library
Level 5
The Royal Festival Hall
London SE1 8XX
Telephone: +44 (0)20 7921 0943
Fax: +44 (0)20 7921 0939
E-mail: poetrylibrary@rfh.org.uk
Website: http://www.poetrylibrary.org.uk

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