Poetry & Memory

The project was an interdisciplinary investigation  into the value and experience of the memorised poem. It was funded for three years by the Leverhulme Foundation (2014–16), and yielded a very rich set of data on which I continue to work.  

More information and the final report are on the project website.

I am now writing a book about the value of learning poetry, drawing on the findings and stories from the project. I'm still interested in hearing from anyone who has learned  poetry, either as a child or as an adult. If you would like to tell me about your experience, do get in touch. I'd love to hear from you.

---

---

This project is fascinating and important. And it reveals a web of truths that we too often fail to notice: that our pleasure in poetry is as natural as breathing, that it forms part of our foundation as individuals, that the poems we commit to memory stay with us forever, and grow as we grow.
Sir Andrew Motion, Project Advisor

Capturing public interest