Poetry groups

How to choose a room

Look for a group that critiques rather than congratulates, that has a stated etiquette, and that reads living poets as well as each other’s drafts. Avoid any workshop whose only feedback is “I love this” or “I don’t relate.” You want readers who can point at a line-break.

If you are under 18, start with Young Poets Network and the Foyle ecology rather than an adult stanza. If you write for the stage, go where microphones are. If you write quiet page poems, a slam night may still teach you about the last line.

Places to begin

• The Poetry Society Stanzas

  UK, Ireland, Europe — in person and online

  Local and online groups run by Poetry Society members. Some critique, some read, some host open mics. Open to members and non-members; the organiser must be a member. Ages 18+.

• Global Online Stanza

  Online · first and third Mondays, 18:00 UK time

  A Poetry Society stanza for poets anywhere. Feedback on work in progress plus discussion of form and technique. English is the working language.

• The Poetry School — CAMPUS

  Online courses and a social learning network

  One of the largest programmes of online poetry courses in the world: generative classes, feedback groups and reading courses, with a free-to-join CAMPUS community around them.

• Young Poets Network

  Online · ages 11–25

  The Poetry Society’s free hub for younger writers: challenges, features, and a route into the Foyle Young Poets Award. The least cliquey on-ramp in British poetry.

• National Poetry Library community

  Southbank Centre, London, plus online catalogues

  The UK’s public library of poetry. Membership is free. Reading rooms, events, and a collection you cannot replicate with a search bar.

• Apples and Snakes

  England · performance and spoken word

  The national body for performance poetry: gigs, development programmes and a scene that treats the spoken poem as the real one.

• Hammer & Tongue

  UK slam nights

  Long-running slam nights in several cities. If you want to test a poem on a room rather than a page, start here.

• NaPoWriMo

  Online · every April

  National Poetry Writing Month: a poem a day in April, with optional prompts. A structured way to generate more drafts than your inner critic can kill.

• r/OCPoetry

  Reddit · worldwide

  A workshop subreddit that requires you to critique others before posting. Uneven, as all open workshops are, but genuinely useful if you have no local group yet.

• r/Poetry

  Reddit · worldwide

  Reading, discussion and weekly poem threads rather than a workshop. Good for keeping your ear in when you are not writing.

• Discord poetry servers

  Discord · worldwide

  Search Disboard or Grok for active poetry Discords. Look for ones with critique channels and a code of conduct; avoid servers that only swap compliments.

• National Association of Writers' Groups

  UK local groups

  A directory of writers’ groups, many of which include a poetry strand. Useful if you want a mixed-genre table in a library or pub.

• Writers' HQ

  Online · UK-centred

  A community and course platform with a no-nonsense tone. Not poetry-only, but a good home if you write across forms.

• Roundhouse Poetry Slam

  London · young artists

  The Roundhouse has been a proving ground for UK spoken-word artists for years. Watch their programme for slams, development and shows.

• The Friday Poem community

  Online journal and newsletter

  A weekly poem plus reviews and essays. Not a workshop, but a civilised way to stay inside the conversation.

Workshop manners

• Bring a poem, not a life story, unless the life story is the poem.
• Say what the poem is doing before you say what you would prefer it to be.
• Do not defend every line. Take notes. Decide later, in cold blood.
• Critique the work on the table, never the poet’s right to have written it.
• Read other members as carefully as you want to be read. Groups die of takers.