Poetry London is an arts charity and leading international poetry magazine where acclaimed contemporary poets share pages with exciting new names. Published three times a year in February, May and September, each issue contains new poetry, incisive reviews and features. Poetry London holds an annual poetry competition and launches each issue with readings from distinguished poet contributors to the magazine.

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Poetry London Summer 2020 cover

Autumn 2020: Issue 97

The Autumn 2020 issue contains translations from Filipino and Arabic, poems from American poet sam sax and Zimbabwean poet Togara Muzanenhamo, a long poem by St Lucian–Canadian poet Canisia Lubrin, and new work by Hannah Lowe, Inua Ellams, Fiona Moore, Susannah Dickey, Mark Waldron, Declan Ryan, Gboyega Odubanjo and Sean O’Brien, among many, many others. Newcomers to the magazine include James Giddings and Layla Benitez-James.

The prose in this issue hinges on three exclusive interviews with poets whose new books have been released in the shadow of lockdown. In their conversations with the Poetry London team, Inua Ellams, Rachel Long and Romalyn Ante each, in their own way, talk about the dislocations of the pandemic and the politics of rebuilding society in the aftermath. Be sure to check out the longer online versions of the Ellams interview, to see that fascinating conversation spread out beyond its counterpart in the print issue.

Our feature essay, meanwhile, sees Vidyan Ravinthiran reflect on the experience of growing up with a speech impediment, in a memoir that doubles as an acute critical account of poetry driven by experiences of blockage, obstacle and disability. And we have the usual wealth of reviews, covering collections from Danez Smith, Karen Solie, Franny Choi and Sharon Olds, among many other emerging and established voices.

A selection of poems and articles are available to read online here.

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