As part of our ongoing Health Haven Programme at Castlehaven Community Association, we’re proud to highlight a Poet’s Circle pamphlet featuring poems written by Castlehaven members in collaboration with the British Library and award-winning poets.

Poet’s Circle took place over eight Friday morning sessions in 2025 at The Last Word, the British Library’s Community Hub, bringing together Castlehaven members, local residents and those referred through social prescribing. Open to all experience levels, the programme explored how poems are made, drawing inspiration from both city life and the Library’s collections.

Delivered in partnership with the British Library’s Community Engagement team, local writer Anna Lamche, and supported by British Library curators.

 

Some participants were lifelong readers or writers of poetry, while others were encountering the form for the first time. Together, through the Poet’s Circle, the group explored subjects that were tender, vulnerable and deeply personal.

Each session explored new ideas, from metaphor and pattern poetry to archives, urban walks, and identity.

Participants even had the chance to explore historic poetry pamphlets from the British Library’s collections.

Week by week, the group became something more than a writing class. People found common ground, built connections, and grew in confidence as they developed their voice. By the end, it had become a space for shared stories, creativity and community.

A Poet's Circle Pamphlet

The series culminated in the creation of a poetry pamphlet, celebrated at a special open mic event where participants performed their own work to mark its launch.

The result is a pamphlet made entirely by the people who took part. It holds stories, images and perspectives drawn from real lives and real places, and the courage it took to put them into words should not be underestimated.

We’re delighted to share a glimpse of it here, including The Last Word: A Community Sonnet by participant Darek Wyrzykowski, a piece that beautifully reflects the spirit of the group and the space that brought everyone together.

Read the Full Poetry Pamphlet Here