Hatred of Poetry

Poetry: love it or loathe it, six daring voices debate its worth in a fierce, funny and unmissable night of literary sparring – during Poetry Month no less!

‘Many more people agree they hate poetry than can agree what poetry is,’ poet Ben Lerner posits in Hatred of Poetry, the title drawn from Marianne Moore’s ‘Poetry’, which begins, ‘I too, dislike it…’

But what does it really mean to hate poetry? Why do so many of us feel alienated by it – even as we reach for it in moments of joy, grief, crisis and change? Might poetry and the hatred of poetry in some ways be intertwined?

This rousing and theatrical debate brings together poets, provocateurs and public figures for an unforgettable night of wit, passion and fierce opinions. They will grapple with poetry’s contradictions: its shortcomings and its strengths, its marginalisation and its necessity, and its power to stir both awe and irritation.

On the side arguing that the hatred of poetry is justified: Evelyn Araluen, Sez, Suren Jayemanne. On the side arguing that the hatred of poetry isn’t justified: Eloise Grills, PiO, Vidya Rajan. These six electrifying and impassioned debaters will spar over poetry’s place in contemporary life – and answer once and for all the age-old question most of us ask when faced with stanzas: what does all this even mean?

Hosted by David Quirk, with an opening reading by Isabella Eichler-Onus and a closing performance by Leah Senior.

Presented in partnership with The Wheeler Centre as part of Poetry Month 2025