Exploring Visual Poetry

This resource explores visual poetry, a poetry format in which the shape, pattern and form of the poem has as much significance as the words. It’s a playful medium where meaning is revealed through both reading and looking.

The inspiration behind this resource is the National Poetry Library, which can be found on Level 5 of our Royal Festival Hall. The world’s largest collection of modern poetry, the library was founded by the Arts Council in 1953. It had a number of previous homes before settling here at the Southbank Centre in 1988, where it was officially opened by Seamus Heaney. 

The National Poetry Library is home to thousands of different types of poems that challenge our perception of what poetry is. Their vast collection includes sound poems on vinyl, poetry games and even poems in the form of code. This resource brings the same spirit of discovery into the classroom, expanding ideas of what poems can be and who can create them.

Designed for KS2 and KS3 schools, Exploring Visual Poetry offers interactive ways to expand your curriculum. By introducing students to visual poetry, you can help them engage with poetry more widely, and develop their writing, analytical and creative skills.

The resource includes a brief history of visual poetry, suggestions on how to help students appreciate poetry, and classroom activities using different types of visual poems. There are also links to further information and resources should you wish to do more reading.