Poetry For All

On an orange background, which fades to a soft, white glow in the centre, are the words "Poetry For ALL" in a dark purple font. On either side of the words are impressionistic line art of hands which overlap as though gesturing rapidly in a flapping motion, also in dark purple.

About us

Poetry is an amazing art form but is often wrongly considered ‘off limits’ for people who have difficulties with hearing. And venues in a medieval town can be hard to navigate for blind, visually impaired or otherwise disabled people.

Poetry for ALL brings the joy of poetry and the spoken word to ALL. Our events are specially created for people with sight and hearing loss but are open to everyone with an interest in the spoken word.

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How it Started

In March 2018, St Clements Hall, York, we launched a new, accessible, fiercely independent event celebrating diversity and inclusion across the spectra of disability and neurodivergence, featuring hosts and poets alike who came together to expand notions of how words and performance could be used to reach more people. Poetry for All was born on 24th March and we haven’t looked back since.

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A composite image of five people with the words "Poetry for All" in the middle. From bottom left to bottom right, clockwise, the images are of a smiling, white person sitting cross-legged, propping their chin on their hand, wearing a red shirt, grey trousers, and a tartan scarf. Next is a white person wearing very dark glasses with short, bright green hair and a long-sleeved, mint green top over a patterned skirt and blue legging, standing, grinning, arms wide, on a seaweed-covered block on the seashort in bright sunset light. Their golden retriever stands next to them, watching the waves. Next is a confident-looking young man of mixed racial origin, standing in front of a stained brick wall with his hands in his pockets; he has a brightly-striped shirt open over a green top, short, black, curly hair, and a complex tattoo on one visible forearm. Next is a black-and-white image of a white, clean-shaven person with dark-rimmed glasses, gesturing emphatically with a very focused expression, long sleeves rolled up. Finally an older, white woman with long, pale blonde hair, standing against a black backdrop looking a little mournful with a bright pink, v-necked sweater and a piece of paper in one hand.