“I too, dislike it: there are things that are important beyond all this fiddle. 
      Reading it, however, with a perfect contempt for it, one discovers that there is in 
      it after all, a place for the genuine.” 

Marianne Moore, ‘Poetry’ 

RHUL’s Poetry Society is all things poetry on campus! We are a group of enthusiastic poets of varying levels of experience, whose aim is to promote the culture of poetry in all its forms. From regular open mics and workshops to special events and collaborations, we try to empower our members to enjoy the art form we all love to the fullest while studying at Royal Holloway.

Poetry Society Open Mics

We run regular open mics approximately once a month. These events invite you to go up on stage and perform a 5-minute original poem in a judgement free, safe space. So come try out performing or join us to enjoy new original work being showcased for the first time! Some of these events will feature more established poets as headliners, but the core focus of our open mics will always be for anyone to take the stage. These events are free and for everyone, no membership required, so come along and meet the poets.

Poetry Society Workshops

We host workshop sessions biweekly during term time. These events are for members to get together with a small group of fellow poets and share work, get feedback and suggestions, and find new directions towards which to take their practice. Though the sessions are moderated by a member of the committee, the feedback will come from the entire group, as many minds are always better than a few.

Special Events & Publications Opportunities

Poetry Society also puts on a series of special events each year. These might include specialized workshops for certain topics or themes, performance events which bring established poets on to campus, and collaborations with the university or other poetry entities. In addition, Poetry Society also aims to present its members with opportunities to publish their poetry in our running series of zines (small pamphlet anthologies of poetry), campus publications, and other magazines. In addition, members can expect to get discounted tickets for select poetry events outside of campus.

So, join us for a year filled with poetry! Once you’ve purchased a membership, email us at poetry@royalholloway.su to be added to our groupchats and newsletter (w.i.p.) and follow us on Instagram @rhpoetsoc for updates!