The Shape of Poetry
2026-03-14 14:00 - 16:00, 2026-04-11 14:00 - 16:00, 2026-05-09 14:00 - 16:00, 2026-06-13 14:00 - 16:00 UTC | Online
Note that these sessions will take place online – links to the Zoom sessions will be circulated to those who have registered in advance of these events.
Many of us feel intimidated by formal poetry: Some of us consider it too restrictive and governed by rules, while others write exclusively in form. This workshop is an invitation to all writers of poetry, whether you’re just starting out or have been writing for years, to explore the creative potential of poetic forms.
Our monthly sessions happen on the second Saturday of the month from 2pm til 4pm. During each of our workshops, we will look at the conventions of a particular form such as the sonnet, ghazal, or haiku, read example poems, and write our own versions. This workshop will be a collaborative space for us to explore how experimenting with limitations or restrictions in our writing can give us whole new ways of expressing ourselves, and open unexpected doors! Whether you’ve never written a poem before, have just started to write, or aren’t sure if what you’re writing is poetry, this monthly workshop is a chance to carve out some time for writing.
In each workshop, we’ll read a poem together, and use it as our starting point. We’ll suggest some prompts you could take from the poem, and ideas you might like to borrow. There will be plenty of time to write, and plenty more prompts if you get stuck. At the end of the session, you’ll be able to share what you’ve written in a supportive environment.
All you need to bring is yourself – these workshops are here for you to enjoy writing and build confidence in your voice. The workshop is open to anyone aged 16+.
Tickets are priced at £5 for general admission (£10 for those able to donate a bit more, £2 for those on lower income) and registration is required. If this cost would be prohibitive to your attending, please email us at oxfordpoetrylibrary@gmail.com and we can allocate you one of our limited free spots in the workshop.

LIT Reading Group- March
2026-03-16 19:30 - 21:30 | Online
Got started with poetry but not sure where to go next? Need some support and feedback for a specific piece of writing that is bugging you right now? Just looking for a friendly, low-pressure space to hang out and chat with folks who love words as much as you do?
Why not join us at LIT?
We are a reading and writing group for cis and trans women, trans men, non-binary people, and people of other minority genders to share their own work and the work of others. We take the broadest, most inclusive interpretation of what this means- if you feel like you might fit with us, you probably do!
We are a group of writers who host monthly friendly sessions around different themes. We meet in person and online.
For more information about us, you can read our statement of aims and values on our group page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/223789834941256 or email francesca_moll@hotmail.co.uk to request to join our WhatsApp group.
There’s no need to book or buy tickets- feel free just to join us on the zoom link here:
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/85006693701?pwd=[REDACTED]

Write Space
2026-03-20 12:00 - 14:00, 2026-04-17 12:00 - 14:00, 2026-05-15 12:00 - 14:00 | The Community Works Event Space
What is it?
Write Space is a pop-up space for you to work on your creative writing projects in the company of other local writers. Come and write with us in a friendly low-key environment.
When is it?
12-2pm on the third Friday of each month (currently booking to June 2026).
Where is it?
The Event Space at the Community Works, Park End Street (access through Lula’s).
Who is it for?
Writing can be a lonely business and sometimes it can be hard to protect time for yourself to write when life weighs in. Write Space is for anyone writing creatively (poetry, fiction, drama, creative non-fiction…) who values this space. Write Space is facilitated by OPL volunteers.
How do I take part?
Book your spot in advance via the Eventbrite link below – any donation is welcome from 1p to £££s to support the work of Oxford Poetry Library.
Do I have to come for the whole time?
It’s up to you! There is a writing prompt available at the start for those who wish, or you can settle straight into your own project. We take a short break half -way to chat about what you’re working on, discuss an aspect of writing life or just stretch your legs and grab a drink.
What should I bring?
Bring what you’re working on and what you like to write on/ with. Bring your own drink or buy one at Lula’s.

The Reading Circle
2026-03-21 14:00 - 16:00
People who never read poetry don’t write poems that are worth reading – Wendy Cope

If you’re keen to find a way in to reading and appreciating poetry, discover new writing, and open your mind to the world of poetry, welcome to The Reading Circle. Come to OPL’s poetry reading group where we’ll share and discuss contemporary poems (and occasionally poems from the late 20th century) in a relaxed and inclusive peer-led environment.

Questions we’ll be asking include:
What makes a poem ‘work’?
Why do we like a poem? Why don’t we?
Is there such a thing as a fashionable poem? Does it matter?
Can we love a poem we don’t fully understand? What makes mystery different to obscurity?
What might we learn from other poets that can help us enrich our own craft?

The Reading Circle meets on the third Saturday of each month, 2-4 pm in The Community Works.
We suggest a donation to attend each session: £5 for general admission (£10 for those able to donate a bit more) and registration is required here. Donations are optional and shouldn’t be prohibitive to you attending, but all proceeds go to the running costs of the Oxford Poetry Library and our ability to continue providing these sorts of sessions. If you aren’t able to come on the day, please do cancel your booking on Eventbrite, to free up space for others.
This month’s group will be facilitated by the established writers (and prolific readers) Vanessa Lampert and Carl Tomlinson.

The building is accessible, but if you have any specific access needs, please drop us an email at oxfordpoetrylibrary@gmail.com beforehand.

The Hip Crowd open mic
2026-03-27 11:30 - 13:30, 2026-04-24 11:30 - 13:00, 2026-05-29 11:30 - 13:00 | The Community Works Event Space
Hey! The rumours are true. It’s…
The Hip Crowd Open Mic!

Oxford Poetry Library and Makespace Oxford bring you an open mic event especially for folks with babes-in-arms, but also open to all and everyone.
If you’re feeling like daytime is the right time for you to entertain or be entertained, join us at The Community Works on the last Friday of every month. The action begins at 11.30am, but performers please do arrive from 11am to sign up for your turn on the stage.
We welcome poetry, music, storytelling, comedy and whatever else you think might dazzle in a 5-minute slot
The entire event will be baby friendly and baby welcoming, with lots of floor space at the front, changing facilities, buggy parking area outside, and clear walkways to exit the performance area easily if needed. There will also be that most beautiful and warmly appreciated of gifts: free tea and coffee provided.
The event is non-ticketed, but costs £5 to spectate (£2 for concessions) and is totally free to performers.
Be there or be square.

Mentor-a-thon
2026-03-28 13:00 - 16:00 | The Community Works Event Space
A once-a-year opportunity to be mentored by award-winning and widely published poets, Vanessa Lampert and Tina Sederholm, at a price you name!
Would you like…
In-depth personalised feedback on up to four poems? Or a bespoke performance skill session. Maybe you fancy advice on putting together your first pamphlet or collection. Tina and Vanessa are here to help with any of your poetry-related questions.
Simply book a 30 minute session by filling out this Google form.
Cost: Pay What you Feel. This is a fundraiser. All proceeds go to support Oxford Poetry Library, and our goal is at least £200. A £5 deposit will secure your slot, then make the rest of your donation on the day by cash or card. Only 10 slots available, so book soon!
Saturday 28th March, 1-4 pm
The building is accessible, but if you have any specific access needs, please drop us an email at oxfordpoetrylibrary@gmail.com beforehand.

More about your mentors:
Vanessa Lampert
Vanessa Lampert is a writer, mentor, editor and teacher of poetry. Her work is widely published, recently in Magma, The Oxford Times, The Rialto, The London Magazine, Under the Radar, Oxford Poetry, and Poetry London. She runs workshops nationwide for adults and in schools. She was a co-founder of The Alchemy Spoon magazine and is a committee member for Poetry in Aldeburgh.
Vanessa has won the Café Writers, Edward Thomas, Ashdown Forest and Sentinel prizes and the Ver Poetry prize (twice). She has been placed in many others including commendations in the Troubadour, Magma, Bridport, Verve, and National Competitions.
Vanessa’s pamphlet On Long Loan was published by Live Canon in 2020 and her full collection Say It With Me was published by Seren in 2023. Poems from that collection have been published in the Daily Telegraph poem of the week and the Forward Prizes anthology 2024.
Tina Sederholm
Tina started out as a performance poet, winning more than 20 slams before creating five one-woman spoken word shows, which she performed at the Edinburgh Fringe seven times. Her last show, This Is Not Therapy, was commended for ‘Best Show’ at the Buxton Fringe 2023, and was a Three Weeks’ ‘Tried and Tested’ pick at the 2022 Edinburgh Fringe.
She also loves writing for the page and has published two collections, Everything Wrong With You Is Beautiful and This Is Not Therapy, (Burning Eye). Her poetry has featured in over 20 publications, including Atrium, IOTA, Interpreter’s House, Ink, Sweat and Tears and Under the Radar. She was Highly Commended in Verve Poetry Festival competition 2024, and shortlisted for the 2025 Poetry Library Free Verse competition.
Tina wrote three non-fiction books on training horses and was an equestrian journalist before she turned her attention to poetry. She now works as an editor and mentor, specialising in poetry and memoir, and runs The Mourning Pages, a month-long online retreat to help creatives recover from burnout.
Her next show, Everything’s Working Out Poetically, will be at the Old Fire Station Oxford, on Thursday 30th April.

Drafting Table - featured poet session
2026-03-29 13:00 - 15:00 | The Community Works, 21 Park End Street, Oxford, OX1 1HH, United Kingdom
Welcome to Drafting Table, where we share our emerging poems with each other and provide feedback in a safe and inclusive environment.
Maybe you have been attending the Getting Started sessions and feel ready to edit your work and develop your ideas. Maybe you’re an experienced but unpublished poet who wants to take those next steps in your poetry career. Just bring a willingness to receive and provide feedback with the whole group!
Once a month, we invite a published poet to join us. There will be a short reading of their poems followed by a workshop where attendees can learn more about the creative process, get an insight into what it means to be a poet, and share our work with them. This month we will be joined by Mary Jean Chan.
THIS EVENT IS TICKETED AND BOOKING IS ESSENTIAL: https://draftingtablemarch26.eventbrite.com
Mary Jean Chan is the author of Flèche (Faber, 2019), which won the Costa Book Award for Poetry. Bright Fear (Faber, 2023), Chan’s second book, was shortlisted for the Forward Prize for Best Collection. Chan is currently Departmental Lecturer in Poetry on the MSt in Creative Writing at the University of Oxford.
Feel free to email any queries to opldraftingtable@gmail.com

Drafting Table - workshop session
2026-04-04 13:00 - 15:00, 2026-05-02 13:00 - 15:00, 2026-06-06 13:00 - 15:00 | The Community Works, 21 Park End Street, Oxford, OX1 1HH, United Kingdom
Welcome to our poetry drafting group, where we share our emerging poems with each other and provide feedback in a safe and inclusive environment.
Maybe you have been attending the Getting Started sessions and feel ready to edit your work and develop your ideas. Maybe you’re an experienced but unpublished poet who wants to take those next steps in your poetry career. If you feel you’d like to join us, please bring along at least one unfinished, unpublished work-in-progress that you’re willing to share with the whole group. We are normally able to hear and give feedback to around 6 or 7 poets per session.
Regular attendance is encouraged, to help us build a trusting and collaborative community.
Feel free to email queries to opldraftingtable@gmail.com
We meet:
1-3pm
First Saturday of every month at The Community Works – enter via the side entrance for the Event Space
21 Park End Street OX1 1HH

This is Just To Say: spoken word open mic
2026-04-07 19:30 - 22:00 | The Community Works Event Space
Oxford Poetry Library presents a spoken word open mic night! Join us in the library on the first Tuesday of every month to enjoy all manner of word-weaving, story-sharing, and spell-casting.
We welcome poets, storytellers, and writers of all kinds to share their work (or the work of others) in a safe, supportive, and inclusive space. Slots are 2-3 minutes long, and performers sign up on the door – first come, first served and slots fill up quickly so we recommend arriving in good time for 7pm!
At OPL we want everyone to feel comfortable and has space to enjoy the night. That’s why we have a few basic guidelines that we ask everyone to follow:

Please refrain from using discriminatory language or harmful content in your performance. If you are unsure about your performance, speak to the host when you arrive.
You should aim to read something that’s around one page or 2-3 minutes – this ensures that everyone has enough time to read.

The theme for this month’s session is LEARNING HOW TO SEE. We want your fresh perspectives, your new ways of looking: at yourself, each other, or the world. Should be an eye-opening evening!
Every month we feature a performer with a slightly extended set and this month’s featured performer to grace our stage will be Lee Campbell! Dr Lee Campbell is an artist, poet, filmmaker, co-curator of POW! Play on Words (a regular spoken word platform in London along with Colin B. Osborn) and Senior Lecturer at University of the Arts London. His debut poetry collection ‘See Me: An (Almost) Autobiography’ was published by London Poetry Books in November 2024. Other publications of his poetry include The Atticus Review, Ink, Sweat and Tears, Otherwise, You Are Here – The Journal of Creative Geography, Queerlings, Streetcake, Step Away Magazine, London Grip and Flight of the DragonFly. His chapbook ‘Queering the Landscape’ was shortlisted for the 2024 Broken Spine Chapbook Poetry Competition. In 2025, he headlined at many established poetry platforms including The Word Zoo, Rhymes and Stitches, Big Trouble and Medway Poetry Night, Testing Grounds and The Poetry Shack. His experimental performance poetry films have been selected for many international film festivals and prizes since 2019 including shortlisted for Best Poetry Film at the Out-Spoken Poetry Prize 2023, Queen Elizabeth Hall, Southbank Centre, London.
The session starts at 7.30pm (performers are advised to arrive from 7pm), at The Community Works (21 Park End St, OX1 1HU).
£5 entry (£2 concessions), performers free.
The building is accessible, but if you have any specific access needs, please drop us an email at oxfordpoetrylibrary@gmail.com beforehand!

Getting Started with Poetry
2026-04-13 19:00 - 20:30, 2026-05-11 19:00 - 20:30, 2026-06-08 19:00 - 20:30 | The Community Works Event Space
Whether you’ve never written a poem before, have just started to write, or aren’t sure if what you’re writing is poetry, this monthly workshop is a chance to carve out some time for writing.
In each workshop, we’ll read a poem together, and use it as our starting point. We’ll suggest some prompts you could take from the poem, and ideas you might like to borrow. There will be plenty of time to write, and plenty more prompts if you get stuck. At the end of the session, you’ll be able to share what you’ve written in a supportive environment.
All you need to bring is yourself – these workshops are here for you to enjoy writing and build confidence in your voice. The workshop is open to anyone aged 16+.
Tell us you’re coming by booking your free ticket here.
The Oxford Poetry Library is an accessible space but please do contact us in advance if you have specific requirements. You can email us about this or with any questions about the workshop at oxfordpoetrylibary@gmail.com

LIT Reading Group- April
2026-04-20 19:30 - 21:30 | Online
Got started with poetry but not sure where to go next? Need some support and feedback for a specific piece of writing that is bugging you right now? Just looking for a friendly, low-pressure space to hang out and chat with folks who love words as much as you do?
Why not join us at LIT?
We are a reading and writing group for cis and trans women, trans men, non-binary people, and people of other minority genders to share their own work and the work of others. We take the broadest, most inclusive interpretation of what this means- if you feel like you might fit with us, you probably do!
We are a group of writers who host monthly friendly sessions around different themes. We meet in person and online.
For more information about us, you can read our statement of aims and values on our group page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/223789834941256 or email francesca_moll@hotmail.co.uk to request to join our WhatsApp group.

Drafting Table - featured poet session
2026-04-26 13:00 - 15:00 | The Community Works, 21 Park End Street, Oxford, OX1 1HH, United Kingdom
Welcome to Drafting Table, where we share our emerging poems with each other and provide feedback in a safe and inclusive environment.
Maybe you have been attending the Getting Started sessions and feel ready to edit your work and develop your ideas. Maybe you’re an experienced but unpublished poet who wants to take those next steps in your poetry career. Just bring a willingness to receive and provide feedback with the whole group!
Once a month, we invite a published poet to join us. There will be a short reading of their poems followed by a workshop where attendees can learn more about the creative process, get an insight into what it means to be a poet, and share our work with them.
April’s featured poet is Leatrice. Originally from NYC, Leatrice studied at Sarah Lawrence College, moved to the UK to pursue a master’s at Oxford University, and has lived in Oxford since. Her writing focuses on belonging and mental health, and has been published in Blood + Honey, Corporeal, Feast Zine, and Magnolia, among others. Recently, she was longlisted for The Poet’s Workshop 2026 prize. This March, she was featured poet at the St. Patrick’s Day parade in Trafalgar Square, reading from her debut poetry collection, Yearbook Signing (Reconnecting Rainbows Press, 2026).
Leatrice’s workshop will involve editing work from the past, so please bring one or two poems you wrote as a child/young adult or earlier in your writing journey that you would like to rework and give new life to.
Feel free to email any queries to opldraftingtable@gmail.com

This is Just to Say: spoken word open mic
2026-05-05 19:30 - 22:00
Oxford Poetry Library presents a spoken word open mic night! Join us in the library on the first Tuesday of every month to enjoy all manner of word-weaving, story-sharing, and spell-casting.
We welcome poets, storytellers, and writers of all kinds to share their work (or the work of others) in a safe, supportive, and inclusive space. Slots are 2-3 minutes long, and performers sign up on the door – first come, first served and slots fill up quickly so we recommend arriving in good time for 7pm!
At OPL we want everyone to feel comfortable and has space to enjoy the night. That’s why we have a few basic guidelines that we ask everyone to follow:

Please refrain from using discriminatory language or harmful content in your performance. If you are unsure about your performance, speak to the host when you arrive.
You should aim to read something that’s around one page or 2-3 minutes – this ensures that everyone has enough time to read.

Every month we feature a performer with a slightly extended set and this month’s featured performer to grace our stage will be Erica Hesketh. Erica is a poet and editor, originally from Japan and Denmark, now based in London. Her debut collection In the Lily Room was published by Nine Arches Press in 2025, and her pamphlet To an Unknown Receiver: Sonnets & Cascades will be published by Guillemot Press in June. From 2016 to 2024 she was director of the Poetry Translation Centre, and she is currently artistic director of Winchester Poetry Festival.
This month’s theme is CARE. Are you caring for someone, or is someone caring for you? What do you care about? Why should we care? Make us care.
The session starts at 7.30pm (performers are advised to arrive from 7pm), at The Community Works (21 Park End St, OX1 1HU).
£5 entry (£2 concessions), performers free.
The building is accessible, but if you have any specific access needs, please drop us an email at oxfordpoetrylibrary@gmail.com beforehand!

The Reading Circle
2026-05-16 14:00 - 16:00 | The Community Works, 21 Park End Street, Oxford, OX1 1HH, United Kingdom
People who never read poetry don’t write poems that are worth reading – Wendy Cope

If you’re keen to find a way in to reading and appreciating poetry, discover new writing, and open your mind to the world of poetry, welcome to The Reading Circle. Come to OPL’s poetry reading group where we’ll share and discuss contemporary poems (and occasionally poems from the late 20th century) in a relaxed and inclusive peer-led environment.

Questions we’ll be asking include:
What makes a poem ‘work’?
Why do we like a poem? Why don’t we?
Is there such a thing as a fashionable poem? Does it matter?
Can we love a poem we don’t fully understand? What makes mystery different to obscurity?
What might we learn from other poets that can help us enrich our own craft?

The Reading Circle meets on the third Saturday of each month, 2-4 pm in The Community Works.
We suggest a donation to attend each session: £5 for general admission (£10 for those able to donate a bit more) and registration is required here. Donations are optional and shouldn’t be prohibitive to you attending, but all proceeds go to the running costs of the Oxford Poetry Library and our ability to continue providing these sorts of sessions. If you aren’t able to come on the day, please do cancel your booking on Eventbrite, to free up space for others.
This month’s group will be facilitated by the established writers (and prolific readers) Alan Buckley, Vanessa Lampert, and Carl Tomlinson.

The building is accessible, but if you have any specific access needs, please drop us an email at oxfordpoetrylibrary@gmail.com beforehand.

LIT Reading Group- May
2026-05-18 19:30 - 21:30 | Online

Unravelling History & The Material of Living
2026-05-23 19:00 - 21:30 | The Community Works, 21 Park End Street, Oxford, OX1 1HH, United Kingdom
Join four poets for a reading that delves into the myriad personal and collective worlds, where you find stories of survival and loss; of ecological crisis and the material of living; memories of the sensous in all its skin and glitter; and the complexity of our inner selves.
On Saturday 23 May at The Community Works at 7pm, poets Mona Arshi, Troy Cabida, Nina Mingya Powles and Jennifer Wong will be sharing work from their recent collections.
Tickets are £5 (£2 concessions) – please book tickets in advance here!
The building is accessible, but if you have any specific access needs, please drop us an email at oxfordpoetrylibrary@gmail.com beforehand.

Mona Arshi’s debut poetry collection, Small Hands, won the Forward Prize for Best First Collection in 2015. Her second collection, Dear Big Gods, was published in 2019 and her novel Somebody Loves You in 2021. She has been appointed as Honorary Professor at the University of Liverpool and Fellow in Creative Arts at Trinity College, Cambridge, and is also co-editor of an anthology of nature poetry, Nature Matters: Vital Poems from the Global Majority (Faber, 2025). Her third collection of Poetry Mouth was published in 2025 by Chatto. Prior to her career in poetry, she worked as a human rights lawyer, often representing refugees and women fleeing domestic violence.
Troy Cabida is the author of Neon Manila (2025), a Poetry Book Society Recommendation. His pamphlets include War Dove (2020) and Symmetric of Bone: poems after Elsa Peretti (2024), a Poetry Book Society Pamphlet Choice.
Nina Mingya Powles is an Aotearoa New Zealand writer and poet based in London. She is the author of several poetry collections and pamphlets, most recently In the Hollow of the Wave (2024), Magnolia 木蘭 (2020) and two books of creative nonfiction, Tiny Moons: A Year of Eating in Shanghai (2020) and Small Bodies of Water (2021). She writes a monthly e-newsletter on food and memory called Crispy Noodles.
Jennifer Wong: author of Light Year (Nine Arches Press, 2026) and 回家 Letters Home (Nine Arches Press, 2020) which received the PBS recommendation, and pamphlets including time difference (Verve, 2024).

Drafting Table - featured poet session
2026-05-31 13:00 - 15:00 | The Community Works, 21 Park End Street, Oxford, OX1 1HH, United Kingdom
Welcome to Drafting Table, where we share our emerging poems with each other and provide feedback in a safe and inclusive environment.
Maybe you have been attending the Getting Started sessions and feel ready to edit your work and develop your ideas. Maybe you’re an experienced but unpublished poet who wants to take those next steps in your poetry career. Just bring a willingness to receive and provide feedback with the whole group!
Once a month, we invite a published poet to join us. There will be a short reading of their poems followed by a workshop where attendees can learn more about the creative process, get an insight into what it means to be a poet, and share our work with them.
Stay tuned for details of May’s poet!
Feel free to email any queries to opldraftingtable@gmail.com

This Just To Say: spoken word open mic
2026-06-02 19:30 - 22:00 | The Community Works Event Space
Oxford Poetry Library presents a spoken word open mic night! Join us in the library on the first Tuesday of every month to enjoy all manner of word-weaving, story-sharing, and spell-casting.
We welcome poets, storytellers, and writers of all kinds to share their work (or the work of others) in a safe, supportive, and inclusive space. Slots are 2-3 minutes long, and performers sign up on the door – first come, first served and slots fill up quickly so we recommend arriving in good time for 7pm!
At OPL we want everyone to feel comfortable and has space to enjoy the night. That’s why we have a few basic guidelines that we ask everyone to follow:

Please refrain from using discriminatory language or harmful content in your performance. If you are unsure about your performance, speak to the host when you arrive.
You should aim to read something that’s around one page or 2-3 minutes – this ensures that everyone has enough time to read.

Every month we feature a performer with a slightly extended set and this month’s featured performer to grace our stage will be announced nearer the time.
The session starts at 7.30pm (performers are advised to arrive from 7pm), at The Community Works (21 Park End St, OX1 1HU).
£5 entry (£2 concessions), performers free.
The building is accessible, but if you have any specific access needs, please drop us an email at oxfordpoetrylibrary@gmail.com beforehand!

LIT Reading Group- June
2026-06-15 19:30 - 21:30 | Online
