Listen to the world’s best poetry read out loud.
Submissions for Poetry Archive NOW! WordView 2021 are now closed.
Thank you to all our wonderful poets for submitting their work. We're working to shortlist and the judges will be selecting the winners. The winning collection will be available here in November.
There are so many fantastic poets the Poetry Archive wants to record and preserve NOW so that future generations can enjoy listening to them, but which our resources can’t yet reach. Following the fantastic range of entries in 2020 we are now delighted to be launching our 2021 call for entries.
2021 is a year of optimism and caution! Many people have spent a long time isolated from the cultural, community and family networks they are used to. Poetry has become even more important to reflect on the age we live in and to offer inspiration, comfort and the sheer lift-of-spirits which listening to fantastic poetry can bring - let your voice be heard!
Capture your poetry.
We want you to have the opportunity to join the Poetry Archive collections by recording yourself reciting or reading your poem out loud and sending it to us to care for and share worldwide.
Be part of a unique digital collection.
20 poets will be chosen to join the Poetry Archive Now! WordView 2021 Collection and hundreds more will be curated, archived and shared in our YouTube collections with the millions of people who visit and love the Archive.
Connect with new audiences.
Poetry offers a vital reflection of the age we live in. We would love you to join our collections to offer inspiration, comfort and the sheer lift-of-spirits which listening to fantastic poetry being read out loud can bring.
How to get involved
Record and recite your poetry.
From May 25th to August 31st 2021 we would love you to make a video/film recording of yourself reading or reciting a single poem which you have written in 2021. We loved seeing where poets came from in last year’s videos, whether it was indoors or outside, and you'll find some great tips on making home videos through your phone or computer in our FAQs. When you are ready, simply complete the submission form and send your recording to us. We can then publish your poem for all to hear and see.
Your poetry published for all to hear and see.
From May 25th onwards we will begin publishing the poems to our new Poetry Archive YouTube channel where the millions of people who visit the Poetry Archive each year can hear them and know the poets who created them.
Poetry Archive WordView 2021
After the deadline a panel led by the poet and film-maker Imtiaz Dharker will select their 20 favourite entries for a special Archive Collection for 2021 to be celebrated on our website. Plus, hundreds of other poets will be published to our YouTube and other channels where we will curate a series of special profiles, poetry festival events and publicly curated collections to ensure your work is shared as widely as possible with poetry lovers around the world.
Need some inspiration?
UK Poet Laureate Simon Armitage shows how it’s done – he made this video for us in 2020 from his garden.
“Home-made film (daughter on phone-camera) of me reading Lockdown, in the garden, in the West Yorkshire Pennines, on a fresh spring day. First day proper of the emergency measures, but the blue tits and the buzzard in the background obviously hadn’t heard about the restrictions on movement, gatherings and vitality. And the sun was reliably in its proper position at the given hour.”
Award winning poet, Roger Robinson, also reads his unpublished poem called ‘A Conversation About Meat During The Plague'.
And if that's not enough to get you inspired, try visiting the WordView 2020 winners collection here.