The National Memorial Arboretum has announced its new poet in residence. Congratulations to Arji Manuelpillai, a poet and performer with a passion for community arts.

The National Memorial Arboretum is home to 150 acres and more than 400 memorials, with about 250 events taking place on site annually from small intimate services of remembrance to set-piece events like Armistice Day, Remembrance Sunday and Armed Forces Day. Arji’s brief is to explore the surroundings, landscape and memorials through the art of poetry.

Reading about his appointment made me nostalgic for my time as poet in residence at the University of Leicester Botanic Gardens. As an enthusiastic (but hapless) gardener, it was a great opportunity to learn more about plants, the natural world and the environment.  

It seems many organisations and venues have a resident poet, but one of my favourites has to be the one celebrating iconic London bridges. Cecilia Knapp became the City Bridge Foundation’s first-ever poet in residence last summer, with her wide-ranging role including celebrating five iconic bridges – Tower, London, Southwark, Millennium and Blackfriars.

Hackney-based Cecilia was selected from an impressive field of more than 170 applicants, with the help of the Foundation’s partner The Poetry Society. She has recently written a new poem, All around us, silver, to celebrate 25 years of Millennium Bridge, capturing the spirit, movement and meaning of this unique footbridge.

Cecilia’s debut poetry collection, Peach Pig, was published by Corsair in 2022, after editorial director Sarah Castleton acquired rights from Becky Thomas in her first deal closed at Lewinsohn Literary. Castleton described the poet as "an inspiration" because of her work as Young People’s Laureate for London 2020-21, as well as with Great Ormond Street Hospital, the Roadhouse and as an ambassador for the suicide prevention charity CALM.

"It demonstrates her unique talent for – and commitment to – connecting young people with poetry, amplifying voices that aren’t often heard and encouraging conversations around challenging experiences," Castleton said.

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At a recent online launch, an audience member observed that digital events are about the only aspect of the Covid pandemic they remember fondly.

It’s true. Although there’s something special about in-person events, the digital alternative brings many advantages in terms of convenience and accessibility.

The event in question was the launch of DA Prince’s Continuous Present and Richie McCaffery’s Skail, two pamphlets marking impressive additions to New Walk Editions’ list. This small publisher really punches above its weight, with editors Nick Everett and Rory Waterman at its helm.

Its approach is to publish four poets a year – two in the autumn, two in the spring. The press was born out of New Walk magazine, a print journal that ran from 2010 to 2017, during which time it featured work by writers as varied as John Ashbery, Alice Oswald, Alison Brackenbury and Mark Ford.

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