Poetry & Memory
![]() The Poetry and Memory Project was an interdisciplinary investigation into the value and experience of the memorised poem, on which I was the full-time researcher. It was funded for three years by the Leverhulme Foundation (2014–16).
The project set out to investigate the value and experience of poetry in the memory, and examining the relationship between memorisation and understanding. The project yielded a very rich set of data on which I continue to work. I am now writing a book about the value of learning poetry that draws together recent research in memory and neuroscience, some of the history of memorisation, and the findings and real-life 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, please start by filling in the project questionnaire. I look forward to hearing from you! |