Poetry
Poetry is an outstanding strength of the School, which has underpinned the transformation of Newcastle into the ‘UK Capital of Poetry’.
Our research cluster produces prize-winning poetry from leading contemporary writers.
The Newcastle Centre for the Literary Arts (NCLA), housed in the School, promotes and celebrates the best contemporary literature from the region and around the world, with a particular emphasis on poetry. Since 2016, NCLA has hosted the annual Newcastle Poetry Festival. NCLA is partnered with multiple national and international literature organisations, including the Poetry Book Society, the Poetry Society, the Poetry School and the Lannan Centre for Poetics and Social Practice (USA).
Newcastle University is home to a wealth of contemporary poetry archives, including the Bloodaxe Books archive, one of the most significant collections of Anglophone poetry materials in the world, as well as the personal manuscripts of such leading poets as Barry MacSweeney, Sean O’Brien, Selima Hill, Rosemary Tonks and Moniza Alvi. These archives enable the study and interpretation of poetry in fresh contexts by staff and students alike, as well as the creation of new work by poets, artists and film-makers. Using these archives, NCLA has developed a strong social engagement focus, conducting poetry workshops in schools and prisons, and has developed multiple pioneering poetry apps and digital interfaces such as the Bloodaxe Poetry App and the Poetics of the Archive website.
