Advice for emerging poets
If you write poetry as an outlet for your feelings and purely for yourself, that’s great.
However, if you’ve got ambitions to get your writing in front of other people, or possibly into print, we’ve got some tips to help you get started, to improve your work, and point you in the right direction.
Read and listen to as much poetry as you can
This way, you will learn what went before you, what works for readers.
Don’t expect to like or even understand everything you read. If it bores you or is irrelevant simply close the book and move on. You haven’t wasted your time. You are learning worthwhile lessons of what to avoid in your own writing. Along the way you will find many wonderful poets that will inspire you to keep writing as they entertain and move you.
As a member you can borrow ebooks and physical books from the National Poetry Library.
Get advice from ‘how to’ books
There are a lot of books available on the art of writing poetry. Some are listed below. These books are available at the National Poetry Library. You may also find them at your local public library.
Addonizio, Kim Ordinary Genius : A Guide for the Poet Within (W. W. Norton, 2009)
Alma, Deborah (ed.) Poetry Projects to Make and Do (Nine Arches Press, 2023)
Anaxagorou, Anthony How to Write It : Work with Words (Merky Books, 2020)
Brooks, Gwendolyn A Capsule Course in Black Poetry Writing (Broadside Press, 1975)
Chavez, Felicia Rose The Anti-Racist Writing Workshop : How to Decolonize the Creative Classroom (Haymarket Books, 2021)
Humphreys, Ian Why I Write Poetry : Essays on Becoming a Poet, Keeping Going and Advice for the Writing Life (Nine Arches Press, 2021)
Koch, Kenneth Making Your Own Days : the Pleasures of Reading and Writing Poetry (Touchstone, 1998)
Newlyn, Lucy The Craft of Poetry (New Haven ; London : Yale University Press, 2021)
Oliver, Mary Rules for the Dance : a Handbook for Reading and Writing Metrical Verse (Houghton Mifflin Company, 1994)
Szymborska, Wisława How to Start Writing (And When to Stop) : Advice for Writers (New Directions Publishing, 2021)
Bell, Jo ; Commane, Jane (eds.) How to be a Poet : a Twenty-first Century Guide to Writing Well (Nine Arches Press, 2017)
Dastidar, Rishi (ed.) The Craft : a guide to making poetry happen in the 21st century (Nine Arches Press, 2019)
Houghton, Robin A Guide to Getting Published in UK Poetry Magazines (Telltale Press, 2020)
Mslexia : Indie Press Guide / the Mslexia Guide to Small and Independent Book Publishers and Literary Magazines in the UK and Republic of Ireland (Mslexia Publications, 2023)
Nelson, Helena How (Not) to Get Your Poetry Published (HappenStance, 2016)
Owen, Alysoun Writers’ & Artists’ Yearbook 2023 : the Essential Guide to the Media and Publishing Industries (Bloomsbury Publishing, 2023)
Rowland, Jane Publishing & Printing Terminology for Self-publishers (Troubadour Publishing, 2010)
Thompson, Luke A Guillemot Guide to Very Small Press Publishing (Guillemot Press, 2022)
Bearder, Pete Stage Invasion : Poetry and the Spoken Word Renaissance (Out-Spoken Press, 2019)
Bennett, Joshua Spoken Word : The Story of How Performance Poetry Changed the World (Square Peg, 2023)
English, Lucy ; McGowan, Jack (eds.) Spoken Word in the UK (Routledge, 2021)
Holbrook, Sara Outspoken! How to Improve Writing and Speaking Skills through Poetry Performance (Heinemann, 2006)
Hoyles, Asher ; Hoyles, Martin (eds.) Moving Voices : Black Performance Poetry (Hansib, 2002)
Novak, Julia Live Poetry: An Integrated Approach to Poetry in Performance (Rodopi, 2011)
Somers-Willett, Susan B.A. The Cultural Politics of Slam Poetry: Race, Identity, and the Performance of Popular Verse in America (University of Michigan Press, 2009)
Wade, Stephen A straightforward guide to writing performance poetry (Straightforward Publishing, 2018)
Go to events
Poetry doesn’t just exist on the page – it is happening in spaces all over the country, probably not too far from where you live.
Check out our events page featuring as many poetry events as we’re aware of nationwide, as well as events here at the National Poetry Library.
Upcoming poetry events
Get Googling
Find out what’s happening in your area by looking up writing courses, local writing groups, poetry readings and slams and other poetry websites. Your public library should also be able to help you with local information.
Enter competitions
Competitions are a great way to find out what other people think of your work, and there are many to enter.
We compile a list, which is updated regularly.
Current & upcoming competitions
Send your poems to magazines
Many poetry magazines take submissions and are a first route into publishing for a lot of poets.
The National Poetry Library compiles a list of some of the titles, which is updated regularly.
Our Poetry Magazine list
Join the Poetry Society
The Poetry Society exists to promote the appreciation of poetry, and is a great way to meet other poets as well as discover education and commissioning programmes, performances and readings.
The Poetry Society
Join the Young Poets Network
Run by the Poetry Society, this network supports young, emerging poets with advice and company, as well as a programme of events.
The Young Poets Network
For your visit
National Poetry Library Southbank Centre
The National Poetry Library is open six days a week.
Tuesday, 12 noon – 6pm
Wednesday – Sunday, 12 noon – 8pm
Monday, closed.
Getting here
The National Poetry Library is on Level 5 of our Royal Festival Hall.
Our address is Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, London, SE1 8XX.
The nearest tube stations to us are Waterloo and Embankment; Waterloo is also the nearest train station. And more than 20 different London bus routes pass within 500 metres of our venues. More information on getting here by rail, road or river is available on our Getting here page.
We’re cash-free
Please note that we’re unable to accept cash payments across our venues.
Access
We’re working hard to remove barriers, so that our facilities and events can be accessible to as many people as possible.
All help points, toilets, performance and exhibition spaces at the Southbank Centre are accessible to all, as are the cafes, bars and restaurants. We also have excellent public transport links with step-free access.
All information about booking wheelchair spaces, step-free access, blue badge parking, access maps and guides and other help available whilst you’re here, including details about our Access Scheme, can be found on our Access page.
Study & library use
The library is London’s only space dedicated to poetry study. Visitors studying another subject or looking for a place to work are kindly asked to find an alternative space in the Royal Festival Hall.
