Transport for London (TfL) launches the autumn series of Poems on the Underground with a special event at Covent Garden station where customers using the station can enjoy public recitals from 11:30 until 12:00. Poems will be played on the tannoy throughout the day.
The collection includes classical, contemporary and international works, including the award-winning Guyanese-British poet Grace Nichols, whose work has previously been showcased in Poems on the Underground’s 40th anniversary leaflet. The poem, “For the Life of This Planet”, is a lyrical ode to nature that will reappear in the autumn poetry collection.
Along with Nichols, several other Black poets are featured to mark Black History Month. Harlem Renaissance poet Langston Hughes is represented by “Song for Billie Holiday”, a meditation on how art can inspire art. The Jamaican-British poet, novelist and children’s author Valerie Bloom “Brave New Words”, which celebrates the joy of learning new words, also features in this series of autumn’s poems.
Emily Brontë’s “Fall Leaves Fall” celebrates the advent of autumn. A similar reflection is made in the Estonian poet Jaan Kaplinski’s “Only at dusk do eyes really begin to see”, while Irish poet Bernard O’Donoghue’s “Going Without Saying” reflects on the uncertainty of knowing when a conversation with a friend may be the last.
Poems on the Underground will round out this year’s 40th anniversary celebrations with a poetry and music event on Saturday 24 October at the Purcell Room in the Southbank Centre. The lineup features founder Judith Chernaik, poets Patience Agbabi, Imtiaz Dharker and George Szirtes, along with Apollo Strings Quartet and saxophonist Juliet Lewis.
Justine Simons OBE, Deputy Mayor for Culture and the Creative Industries, said: “It’s wonderful that Poems on the Underground continues its 40th birthday celebrations with this special collection. What began as an experiment is now firmly part of London’s culture, continuing to inspire and connect with Londoners and bringing world-class poetry to a wider audience. With themes including nature, Black History Month and the joy of language, this autumn season will be another fascinating collection, as we build a better London for everyone.”
Emma Strain, Customer Director at TfL, said: ‘‘Poems on the Underground is a wonderful initiative that has enriched millions of journeys over four decades with meaningful moments of reflection. It is beloved by our customers and colleagues and we look forward to spotlighting more beautiful poetry like this selection of autumn poems in the years to come.”
Judith Chernaik, Founder, Poems on the Underground, said: “As we celebrate the twin arts of poetry and music this autumn, it’s a great pleasure to know that poems will surface on the Underground next year and beyond.”
Poems on the Underground is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year. The posters first began appearing on the Underground in 1986, intended to bring world-class poetry to a wider audience. Forty years later, they continue to inspire moments of pause and reflection in commuters, tourists and Londoners during their daily journeys.
Poems on the Underground began as an experiment devised by friends Judith Chernaik, Cicely Herbert and Gerard Benson, after they persuaded London Transport (later TfL) to display short poems in Underground trains and stations. With the support of TfL, Arts Council England and the British Council, the public literature campaign has become an iconic part of London’s cultural landscape and has inspired many similar initiatives across the world.
