Inspired by Thomas Hardy: An Anthology of Students' Poems 2019

Edited by Dr Faysal Mikdadi

Students aged between 10 and 17 from nine schools took part in the Thomas Hardy Poetry Workshops. These young poets from Dorset, Cornwall, Birmingham and Taunton read a selection of Hardy’s poems. Inspired by his verse, students wrote over 130 poems part emulating and part expanding on Hardy’s lines. Their poems have been published in this wonderful Anthology now available for sale at £10.00 per copy. Critics have responded positively to this work by young student poets.

The following are judgments made by two professors, a novelist, a poet, a historian and three postgraduate students: ‘...a beautifully crafted book and a delight’; ‘...this work has been by far the most ambitious inter-action between the Thomas Hardy Society and schools’; ‘...these poems show at genuine engagement with Hardy’s work, whether in terms of theme, metaphor, style or the picking up of some verbal tune’; ‘...remarkable, extremely rich anthology’; ‘...there is some incredible writing here’; ‘I read it in one sitting and totally forgot my mug of hot tea! I found the students’ poetry delightful, excellent and even profound’; ‘There are compelling stanzas and lines and interesting word choices on almost every page’; ‘What a wonderful project: exciting, inclusive and one which clearly yielded some terrific poetry’. The students themselves fed back entirely positively when asked about their experiences as aspiring poets.

The Thomas Hardy Society is continuing its work in schools during the academic year 2019-2020. More than 150 students will take part in this year’s Thomas Hardy Creative Workshops in some fifteen schools across England. Inspired by Thomas Hardy - An Anthology of Students’ Writings 2020 will be published by July 2020 in readiness for the Society’s bi-annual Conference.

The book is available from the Thomas Hardy Society website Shop: www.hardysociety.org/shop/

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