Poets

Shakespeare’s Sonnets

Thomas Wyatt and Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey

I have a copy of ‘A Book of Verse for Boys and Girls’, a school anthology of remarkable sophistication from the 1920s, which belonged to an aunt who died young and then to my mother. I regularly read from it - often out loud to myself. I have favourite poems rather than poets.

For fans of Carol Ann Duffy here is a recording of one of her poems by Joanna Lumley: ?

I hope it works
m.mixcloud.com/e2e/the-laughter-of-stafford-girls-high-by-carol-ann-duffy-starring-joanna-lumley-bbc-radio-4/

Ted Hughes for me but recently Simon Armitage.

I recently listened to a podcast with him reading and talking about Ted Hughes' poem Full Moon and Little Frieda.

*volver ? ?

Kathleen Jamie. She's Scottish (of course, this is me, after all )

Here lies our land: every airt
Beneath swift clouds, glad glints of sun,
Belonging to none but itself.

We are mere transients, who sing
Its westlin winds and fernie braes,
Northern lights and siller tides,

Small folk playing our part.
Come all ye, the country says,
You win me, who take me most to heart.

clawdlyI have met Lemn Sissay, he himself was in the care system and he organises Christmas diners for care leavers

His a bit erratic but a nice well intentioned person with a horrific childhood that unfortunately has scared him for life

He has an autobiography that was not too long ago published which is brilliant

What are we .. when we're alone
When no one visits and you don't hear the phone

What are we now .. that we're old
We leave our jobs and be given a watch of gold

What are we now
Why are we still here
Well its to be around for our grandchildren
that keep us so dear

Brian Bilston. He frequently tweets his latest writing, often about recent events and usually thoughtful and entertaining prose.

Lemn Sissay is a big favourite of mine, and I've loved Yeats for a long time.

I love Roger Mc Goughs poems especially „A joy to be old“

To those who said Carol Ann Duffy, I concurr. Fabulous writer! Can even interest (well, not bore) the average 15 year old student.

During her time as Poet Laureate, she wrote a wonderful poem for Remembrance Day called “Last Post”.

I found this when I was trawling through my notes. It makes me smile.

“Another Reason why I don't keep a Gun in the Housel.

The neighbors’ dog will not stop barking.
He is barking the same high, rhythmic bark
that he barks every time they leave the house.
They must switch him on, on their way out.

The neighbors’ dog will not stop barking.
I close all the windows in the house
and put on a Beethoven symphony full blast
but I can still hear him muffled under the music,
barking, barking, barking,

and now I can see him sitting in the orchestra,
his head raised confidently as if Beethoven
had included a part for barking dog.

When the record finally ends he is still barking,
sitting there in the oboe section barking,
his eyes fixed on the conductor who is
entreating him with his baton

while the other musicians listen in respectful
silence to the famous barking dog solo,
that endless coda that first established
Beethoven as an innovative genius.

— by Billy Collins

Spike Milligan and loads I can't remember that did daft poems to please my growing mind!

To those who said Carol Ann Duffy, I concurr. Fabulous writer! Can even interest (well, not bore) the average 15 year old student.

I have too many favourites to mention, and they vary from day to day; but if anyone is looking for a series of poetry books to introduce them to a wide range of poets they could do worse than look at the Being Human series from Bloodaxe. There is Being Human, Staying Human, Being Alive and Staying Alive. All have a wide selection of poems from a wide selection of poets, and there is a mix of older and more modern poems. I love them.

We have an informal poetry group at our local library (whilst it remains open). We range from Leonard Cohen to Patience Strong, John Cooper Clarke to Flower Fairies. Whoever has chosen them tells us why they have chosen that poem and it leads to us all being drawn in to enjoy them.

I have been reading poetry since I was a little girl. If I had to pick favourites, AE Housman and Shakespeare probably come top. Housman wrote a lot more than A Shropshire Lad, fine though that is.

Wendy Cope; Carole Ann Duffy; W.B. Yeats; Ian MacMillan (the Bard of Barnsley!); Siegfried Sassoon; Robert Graves - countless others, no particular favourites. Love most poetry but can’t get on with the Keats, Wordsworth, Shelley and Co.

I like several poets, but my main requirement is that the poetry rhymes, otherwise to me it`s not poetry. My favourite has to be John Masefield, but my modern taste also runs to Pam Ayres.

I’ve just been given a copy of Farewell Performance by Vernon Scannell which I am really enjoying.

Recently discovered WB Yeats, (some of it); I like Larkin, T.S.Eliot, Betjeman, Seamus Heaney, Wendy Cope, Thomas Hardy, (much prefer his poetry to his novels, he actually had a sense of humour), some Tennyson, some Kipling, some Shelley and of course Shakespeare.
There are others; I just don't have a favourite poet.

Depends on my mood. Could be Louise Labé and other 16th century French sonneteers, or Ogden Nash!

A random selection -

John Donne, when my brain needs a challenge
Walter de la Mare, for atmosphere and description
Pam Ayres, for common sense and wry humour

Re Dylan Thomas, on a long car journey we were once lucky enough to hear a recording of Under Milk Wood, read (IIRC) by Richard Burton. Must have been R4 - it was brilliant.

I don’t really have favourite poets - just an eclectic mix of favourite poems.