Following the success of ‘Reading the Great Tradition’ and ‘Reading Modern Poetry’, this course continues the series of collaborative readings of key poetic texts in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, taking as its point of departure American, British and Irish work from 1945 onwards, but also considering the influence of poetry in translation, from Eastern Europe, the Far East and the major western European languages, on contemporary poetry in English. As with previous modules in the series, the approach is non-academic and informal, with an emphasis on hearing as well as seeing the work.

The convenor, Harry Clifton, has recently completed his Term as Ireland Professor of Poetry.