Thursday 21 March marks World Poetry Day. Celebrating one of our most treasured forms of expression, poetry has been practiced in every culture globally throughout history. It can be simple or complex, can challenge traditional ideas of form and structure, and has been used as one of our most powerful mouthpieces for activism and change, or for coveying love and loss. 

Created by UNESCO, World Poetry Day encourages us to return to the tradition of poetry readings and to place poetry within other arts such as music or dance. Poetry shouldn't be considered an outdated form of art, but 'one which enables society as a whole to regain and assert its identity.'

Curated by William Sieghart, The Poetry Pharmacy is here to soothe any ailment. Whether you're suffering from loneliness, anxiety, a broken heart or a lack of courage, turn the page and read your poem prescription to ease the pain. Take the quiz for any immediate emotional need.

The power in poetry often lives in a live recital, particularly from its author. Discover new meaning behind metaphors with an extra beat, the tone of voice or flicker of an eye. Watch two of our favourite readings from Jay Bernard and Hera Lindsay Bird below. 

Poetry is for people of all ages, and it's not always serious! Poems can be laugh-out-loud hilarious, full of puns and wordplay. Get some recommedations on titles to read with younger poetry fans and watch renowned author Michael Rosen show you how to perform ridiculous rhymes to perfection. 

With its flexibility, poetry can constantly be revived and refreshed. Take a look through the latest award-winning poetry to discover the newest talent to win the Costa Poetry Award, The Forward Prize and the Dylan Thomas Prize among others. 

Feeling inspired to start writing your own poetry but unsure where to start? Robin Robertson, Poetry Editor at Jonathan Cape and author of the narrative poem The Long Take (shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize 2018) advises to widen your reading list:

'Poetry has always seemed to me to be the most rewarding of all the literary forms because of its linguistic compression and layered density, its embedded music – because you can go back to a great poem for renewed sustenance and reward as often as you can return to a great painting or symphony. Art comes out of emotion and then regenerates emotion, but it is never simply ‘self-expression’; it is always a craft: a skill to be learnt and mastered. It is difficult, and difficulty is much more interesting to me than accessibility.

Having a sudden emotion doesn’t create good poetry, any more than needing a place to live qualifies you as a competent house-builder. My advice is to read widely and deeply; pay attention, by looking and listening; take a notebook everywhere. Luckily, we don’t all have to write poetry – and most of us are happy enough reading it. The same rules apply though, and the same choices. Do you want greeting-card rhymes or something more profound and complicated and beautiful?'    

Winner of the Forward Prize 2018 for best collection with Don't Call Us Dead, Danez Smith says the focus for writing should come from the relationship we have with ourselves:

'Our best writing comes from when we are honest with ourselves and when we're willing to push ourselves and take risks.'

Burhana Islam, a WriteNow mentee writing her novel in verse encourages new writers to rediscover their love of language:

'Try and fall in love with language again. Play with pace and structure: full rhymes with no punctuation, one after another, can pick up speed quite quickly to build tension, or show how trapped somebody is feeling – it’s easy to get stuck inside a rhyme, right? Blank space, indentations and one line words can slow things right down. 

Always sound your work out: rehearse and read aloud. It’s all about the rhythm and the beat and that which rolls off the tongue. It shouldn’t be stilted or jarring unless it’s intentional to reflect the narrative at that moment in time. Remind yourself that poems need not to rhyme, have a metre or be in set verse – there are no rules for poetry so don't box yourself into them.'

One of the beautiful things about poetry is that it can be an individual experience - reading and writing, or with a group - listening and creating. Continue your World Poetry Day by listening to the VINTAGE Podcast episode with poets Ocean Vuong and Kayo Chingonyi.