The Poetry Pharmacy: Tried-and-True Prescriptions for the Heart, Mind and Soul

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I liked the concept and premise of this variegated anthology a lot. A fine poem a day keeps the doctor away. As a believer in the power and the necessity of poetry, I cheer William Sieghart’s laudable mission to listen to people’s problems and administer a “prescription” in the shape of poem to those affected by what he classifies as “conditions” (mostly ‘spiritual ailments’ as there are, addiction, despair at the absurdity of the world, aging, the emotions connected to love, regret, self-recrimination, heartbreak, depression, isolation, various forms of fear, grief, lethargy, illness, worrying and many, many more - the array of human suffering is wide). As a devotee and promotor of poetry, having founded National Poetry Day in Britain, he understood that suffering is the access point to poetry for a lot of people and that such offers a momentum to introduce people to poetry as they are ready to open their ears, hearts and minds – and find poetry as a balm, a comfort, a smile, a succour, or simply a help to embrace one’s feelings in certain situations (infatuation, grief) The poems are presented in five categories, touching on mental and emotional wellbeing, motivations, self-image and self-acceptance, the world and other people, love and loss.

The book is delightful; it rightly resituates poetry in relation to its biggest and most serious task: helping us to live and die well' Alain de Botton Read more Details The Forwards are among the world’s most coveted poetry honours. They have been awarded annually since 1992 for the Best Collection, Best First Collection and Best Single Poem published in Britain and Ireland, and the roster of winning, shortlisted and highly commended poets regularly juxtaposes familiar canonical names with fresh voices. He was left standing with blood on his hands and a poem in his head – Philip Larkin’s ‘ Ambulances’,which talks about the moment when one sees an ambulance on the street: How can we make more space for poetry among all the pressing demands of daily life? Why would we want to? And if we did, what creative magic might happen?

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You’re not alone! You’re not mad, you’re not sad, and what’s more, if they wrote it 700 years ago, everybody has to go through this. It’s part of life”.

For someone coming from a different linguistic area, not all but many of the poets called on were a first acquaintance and so fresh, while many naturally are household names to the English speaking audience this anthology is serving in the first place (Siegfried Sassoon, Wendell Berry, Philip Larkin, Maya Angelou, Mary Oliver, Seamus Heany, Derek Walcott, John Donne) – only the poems of Hafez, Rumi, Izumi Shikibu come in a translation. Despite the splendour of the greater part of the poems, the anthology left me slightly underwhelmed, because some of the poems tasted rather bland for me - not because of their content, which was often poignant enough, just their tone, cadence, musicality couldn’t stir me much aesthetically – I assume some more of them might grow on me on a next read. William is an entrepreneur, philanthropist writer and broadcaster with a distinguished record of support for the arts and literature. In 1992, he founded the Forward Prizes for Poetry and in 1994, National Poetry Day. Since September 2015, he has been chairman of the Board of Trustees at Somerset House. A thought which you had thought special and particular to you is set down by someone else, a person you have never met, someone even who is long dead, and it’s as if a hand has come out and taken yours. Prized Poems: Twenty-five Years of the Forward Prizes | Forward Arts Foundation". www.forwardartsfoundation.org. Archived from the original on 27 December 2016.Although I didn’t think of it that way at the time, that may well have been the first incarnation of the Poetry Pharmacy. The Pharmacy proper began much later, while I was being interviewed at a literary festival in Cornwall, England, about a more traditional anthology I’d just brought out. A friend of mine, Jenny Dyson, had the idea of allowing me to prescribe poems from that book to audience members after the talk. She set me up in a tent, with two armchairs and a prescription pad. It turned out to be all I needed. The hour we had originally planned for came and went, and then a second, and a third, until, many hours later, I was still in there, with queues of people still waiting for their appointments. The Poetry Pharmacy is one of the anthologies I'd like to get a physical copy of to leaf through regularly. I discovered new poets, the collection is diverse and I wrote down some poems that are now part of my favourites. I loved that the author linked health and poetry: words mean more than just assembled letters on paper or uttered out loud. They create something after they pass, after they are read, something that stays - I still remember "Come to the Edge" by Christopher Logue!

This week we'll focus on listening to poetry and on learning poems by heart. We'll dip into the slam scene, exploring different styles of performance poetry and consider ways of borrowing creative inspiration from others. I live with a man of habit and routine. Who is lovely and gentle, kind and generous. And needs to sit with me in the evening and watch something on Netflix.He’s really grounding for me, and really important. Our approach is constructive, supportive and positive , and you’ll go away with concrete ideas for your work as well as plenty to think about.Under five broad headings, this short book covers everything from Anxiety and Convalescence to Heartbreak and Regret. I most appreciated the discussion of slightly more existential states, such as Feelings of Unreality, for which Sieghart prescribes a passage from John Burnside’s “Of Gravity and Light,” about the grounding Buddhist monks find in menial tasks. Pay attention to life’s everyday duties, the poem teaches, and higher insights will come.