It’s National Poetry Day this Thursday! Every year we have an opportunity to dive back into our old favourites or discover a whole new love of poetry altogether. We speak to award-winning anthologist and curator, Allie Esiri, on why poetry is so special to her, how we can bring it to the younger generations and find out all about her gorgeous new anthology of Shakespeare’s plays, poems and sonnets – Shakespeare for Every Day of the Year.

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What does National Poetry Day mean to you and what do you usually do for it?

National Poetry Day is a wonderful invention as it has meant that millions focus on the wonders of poetry. Every year throws up something different for me…last year I think I did ten radio interviews – as it tied in with the publication date of my latest anthology, A Poet for Every Day of the Year.

We love your anthologies at School Notices. Which have you most enjoyed working on and why?

I have loved doing them all. The most challenging part – and perhaps the most enjoyable – is finding the right poem for the right date. In Shakespeare for Every day of the Year, an example would be the St Crispin’s Day speech from Henry V for 25 October, the date of the Battle of Agincourt, or a love sonnet for Valentine’s Day. Finding the poem ‘Phenomenal Woman’ by Maya Angelou, to sit on March 8 in A Poem for Every Day of the Year for International Women’s Day, was a very happy moment .

What lead you to start creating these amazing anthologies in the first place?

As a child, I loved reading and reciting poetry. I wanted to try and curate books that would help get the new generation to fall in love with poetry.

And what inspired you to create this most recent anthology of Shakespeare’s works?

There are loads of brilliant books about Shakespeare, but anthologies of his works are rare. It might be due to the fact that an early anthologist called William Dodd was executed for forgery! I hoped that an anthology of Shakespeare’s greatest hits might work well in the poem-a-day format, with a daily introduction to give a little window in to the work. Extracts of his work stand alone as works of art in themselves and in the case of the sonnets, that is precisely what they are. I rather hope that this book is received in better favour than poor Dodd was at the end of his life.

What do you think it is about Shakespeare that keeps everyone so enthralled so many centuries later?

His work covers all of humanity and is timeless. It is almost impossible to believe that one man could have such understanding. I love how the writer Borges concluded, “it must have been God’s work’

In what ways do you think your anthology will help bring Shakespeare’s work into today’s world, particularly for a younger audience?

Each page of Shakespeare for Every Day of the Year contains a piece matched to the date. The introductory paragraphs explore his work and what we know about his family and his life and times. I hope that the daily format, along with the little intros and the synopses of the plays, combine to make Shakespeare more accessible, and hopefully more fun!  You could start with the witches’ chant on October 31, for Hallowe’en: “Double, double, toil and trouble;/ Fire burn and cauldron bubble” and then continue to be spellbound by all the rest!

Favourite Shakespeare play and why?

I have a theory that most people’s favourite Shakespeare is one they studied at school. Mine is Macbeth. I often draw on lines that I learned by heart in the fifth form.

Favourite Shakespeare sonnet and why?

Sonnet 18, ‘Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day’ is the love sonnet most turn to, but my favourite is Sonnet 60 with Shakespeare’s reflections on the passing of time. Its opening lines are “Like as the waves make towards the pebbled shore,/ So do our minutes hasten to their end,”. Brilliant.

Favourite Shakespeare poem and why?

There’s poetry, of course, in all his plays but my favourite poem of his is ‘Venus and Adonis’. It’s not well known today but Shakespeare wrote it in 1593 when the theatres were closed due to the plague and it became his most successful published work in his lifetime. Based on an Ovidian myth, the poet describes the goddess Venus’s love for the beautiful mortal Adonis, who ignores her attention and is more interested in going hunting…

Which words of wisdom from the extracts you chose resonate most with you/are most relevant today?

Shakespeare wrote at least thirty-seven plays, one hundred and fifty-four sonnets and a handful of longer poems, so this is hard to choose…there are so many that are still relevant as we travel through a year. What about this for Spring, “daffodils, / That come before the swallow dares, and take / The winds of March with beauty.” That get me every Spring-time!

What would you say to children and teenagers to help them discover a love of poetry?

I think it is important to discover poetry for pleasure, outside of the classroom. Although some may enjoy studying poems, a poem should not just be met for a comprehension task. Read it, recite it, enjoy it. Crucially, in life, it doesn’t matter if you don’t understand it. Just let the words wash over you, like a song.

What advice would you give to aspiring young poets at school and university?

Have confidence in yourself: you can do anything with your writing.  If you want to get published, look out for magazines who welcome submissions.

How do you think poetry can help children, teenagers and even adults get through the difficult times we are currently experiencing?

We have always turned to poetry in difficult times. A great poet can express what most of us struggle to put in words. A poem can offer understanding, make us feel less alone.

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Praise for Allie Esiri’s Shakespeare for Every Day of the Year:

What distinguishes [Shakespeare for Every Day of the Year] are its fascinating, scholarly prefaces. A lucky dip for all ages and a handsome Christmas diversion. –Books of the Year, The Observer

Perfect for reading, sharing and treasuring. ― S Magazine – Sunday Express

Experience tells me that the best book presents are sentimental or serendipitous. Having a poem to read every day sweetened the passing of time, and with its hoard of immortal wisdom, the collection was a handrail to hold onto whenever I felt wobbly. ― The Telegraph – Perfect Books

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Allie Esiri’s new Shakespeare anthology, Shakespeare for Every Day of the Year, is out now! Got a child studying Shakespeare at the moment or a child who loves poetry? Get ahead of your Christmas shopping and buy your copy today.