The Poetry Pharmacy Forever William Sieghart

• 176 pages
• Penguin
• Published 27th September 2023

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The world has reopened and so has the Poetry Pharmacy: the powerful final instalment in the hugely beloved series


After the tumult of the last years, William Sieghart is back to prescribe the perfect poem for a variety of life’s ailments, offering hope and comfort to readers in need. Here, he draws on the emails he received from the public during multiple lockdowns, as well as tried-and-true classics from his in-person pharmacies, to create an essential anthology of poetry for our times. Through his expert curation and insightful commentary, he reminds us of the power of words to help us heal, to reconnect us with the world and to recover what has been lost.

From weathering sorrow and sudden loss, to dealing with environmental despair and burnout, this new selection speaks directly to a society in urgent need of comfort and compassion. Whether you’re searching for guidance, hope, or simply a moment of beauty, The Poetry Pharmacy Forever is here to provide solace, joy and inspiration, one verse at a time.

The Poetry Pharmacy Returns William Sieghart

• 176 pages
• Particular Books
• Published September 2019

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Available in hardcover and ebook.

‘A matchless compound of hug, tonic and kiss’ Stephen Fry on William Sieghart’s bestselling Poetry Pharmacy.

The Poetry Pharmacy is one of the bestselling (and most giftable) poetry anthologies of recent decades. Now, after huge demand for more prescriptions from readers and ‘patients’ alike, William Sieghart is back. This time, tried-and-true classics from his in-person pharmacies are joined by readers’ favourite poems and the new conditions most requested by the public – all accompanied by his trademark meditations (warm, witty and understanding, with just a twist of the challenging) on the spiritual ailments he seeks to cure.

From ageing bodies and existential crises to long-distance relationships and embracing your slovenliness, The Poetry Pharmacy Returns caters to all-new conditions while drilling further down into the universals: this time, the challenges of family life, and of living as a person among others, receive a much closer look. Perfect for the treasured friends, barely tolerated siblings, beloved aunts and revered grandparents in your life.

Forward Book of Poetry 2019 William Sieghart

• 176 pages
• Faber & Faber
• Published September 2018

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‘These annual anthologies of the poems in the running for the Forward Prizes remain the best way of encountering the richness that new poetry has to offer.’ Daily Telegraph.

The Forward Book of Poetry 2020 brings together a selection of the best poetry published in the British Isles over the last year, including the winners of the 2019 Forward Prizes – and a foreword by jury chair Shahidha Bari.

She and her fellow judges – Jamie Andrews of the British Library, plus poets Tara Bergin, Andrew McMillan and Carol Rumens – read a year’s worth of new collections plus selected poems from magazines and competitions before arriving at their choices.

In celebrating today’s fresh voices alongside new work by familiar names, this anthology offers both an overview of the current poetry scene and a great introduction to contemporary poets.

‘The Forward collection is a cornucopia of sweet and sour delights . . . Why read poetry at all? Because these firework-bursts of words can lighten the darkest skies.’ Daily Mail

The Poetry Pharmacy William Sieghart

• 176 pages
• Particular Books
• Published September 2017

Shop now | UK

Available in hardcover, ebook, and audiobook.

‘Truly a marvellous collection … There is balm for the soul, fire for the belly, a cooling compress for the fevered brow, solace for the wounded, an arm around the lonely shoulder – the whole collection is a matchless compound of hug, tonic and kiss’ Stephen Fry

Sometimes only a poem will do. These poetic prescriptions and wise words of advice offer comfort, delight and inspiration for all; a space for reflection, and that precious realisation – I’m not the only one who feels like this.

In the years since he first had the idea of prescribing short, powerful poems for all manner of spiritual ailments, William Sieghart has taken his Poetry Pharmacy around the length and breadth of Britain, into the pages of the Guardian, onto BBC Radio 4 and onto the television, honing his prescriptions all the time. This pocket-sized book presents the most essential poems in his dispensary: those which, again and again, have really shown themselves to work. Whether you are suffering from loneliness, lack of courage, heartbreak, hopelessness, or even from an excess of ego, there is something here to ease your pain.

‘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

Poems of the Decade William Sieghart

• 208 pages
• Faber & Faber
• Published March 2015

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Poems of the Decade brings together more than one hundred poems from the many thousands submitted to the Forward Prizes for Poetry in the first decade of the 21st century.

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.

This anthology of anthologies draws on the ten Forward Books of Poetry published to accompany the prizes between 2001 and 2010.

It is the perfect introduction to a wide range of contemporary poetry: works that speak of violence, danger and fear, of love and all that opposes love, in forms of language broken and reshaped by the need to communicate what it is to be alive now, here.

‘These annual anthologies of the poems in the running for the Forward Prizes remain the best way of encountering the richness that new poetry has to offer.’ Daily Telegraph