Words that sizzle



Summer is in full swing here at the National Poetry Library: don't miss our events bringing together poetry with music as part of Dance Your Way Home, the Southbank Centre's summer series exploring how dance unites us.

Plus, find more of our Special Edition events just around the corner, and take a last minute trip to Switzerland via poetry tomorrow.


A sweet refresh



A poem selected by the Head of the National Poetry Library, Chris McCabe.

This Is Just To Say

by William Carlos Williams

I have eaten

the plums

that were in

the icebox



Dance Your Way Home

A person wearing black and large gold hoop earrings and a nose ring. They have deep brown eyes

Poets on the Dance Floor

THU 24 JUL

Spotlighting music and movement, poets Iris Colomb, Rob Gallagher, Oluwaseun Olayiwola and Belinda Zhawi chronicle the dance floors that have inspired them.


Megaphone lying on scrunched up balls of paper and other origami shapes

Iris Colomb: Opening Event

WED 23 JUL

Be the first to see the National Poetry Library’s new exhibition and experience a live performance from the poet and artist behind it.

An upside down person with their hanging off their head reads off a small piece of white paper.

Iris Colomb: Try! Try! Try! Again!

THU 24 JUL 2025 – SUN 4 JAN 2026

Dive into Iris Colomb’s daring poetic experiments in this debut solo exhibition, merging poetry with other art forms in unexpected ways.


Speaker standing on NPL stage in front of a microphone.

European Poetry Festival: Switzerland

WED 2 JUL

The UK’s biggest celebration of continental poetry in performance, experimentation and collaboration returns, hosted by S.J. Fowler.


Special Edition

Image of turquoise keys arranged in a row.

Special Edition: Femina Culpa Poetry & Justice

WED 6 AUG

Hear from three poets and discuss shared themes of their new collections: historical research, archival materials and female working-class voices in the 1800s.


Pencil image of two mountains on a white background.

Special Edition: Drawn Poems

WED 24 SEP

Discuss the shared facets of poetry and drawing with poets Chiara Ambrosio, Sascha Aurora Akhtar and Stephen Watts, who is known for his ‘drawn poems’.

Leaf that has begun to disintegrate and decompose with a purple and blue blurred background

Special Edition: Love in Old Age

WED 1 OCT

Discover the joy of ageing through poetry from four accomplished writers: Jane Draycott, Annie Freud, Jenny Lewis and Claire Crowther.

Join the library today

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National Poetry Library at Southbank Centre

Access our ebooks

Did you know you can borrow poetry ebooks for free, without having to leave your home? Just sign up for a free membership to explore our collections, and start borrowing!


Poetry treats


Gif of David Shrigley products from the shop

Stuffed with Shrigley

You asked, we delivered: more homeware, more gifts and more of David Shrigley’s wonderfully weird art. Shop the latest collection now at the Southbank Centre Shop.


Southbank Centre logo

Thanks for reading. We hope you enjoyed your specially selected highlights. Share your comments and photos with us by mentioning @southbankcentre or @haywardgallery.



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