The celebrated Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish once said, ‘every wonderful poem is an act of resistance’. Mary Shelley wrote, ‘Words have more power than anyone can imagine; it is through words that the world's greatest battles are fought,’ as she championed speaking out against injustice two hundred years ago and Audre Lorde reminded us that ‘Poetry is not a luxury. It is a vital necessity of our existence.’ Yet, poetry is often seen as lofty and inaccessible, difficult to understand or relate to.

The ‘Poems that Changed the World’ reading group is about making poetry more accessible and carving out a little time in a busy week just for you to share a love of poems and enjoy meaningful discussions. The group isn’t academic or formal. You don't need to know a load of poetry jargon, although you might pick some up along the way. It's not like being back in your high school English class. The focus is not to learn how to write poetry, although expanding your reading horizons will certainly enhance your writing skills, if that's something you're interested in. 

Each month we take time to read and discuss one poem and its’ creator, exploring the social issues and struggles within, how they connect to our own experiences and the world we live in today. Often our interpretations of the poems or our views on the content differ which makes for lively conversations and new ways of looking at things.