Playback Poetics: London Review of Books
Come together for a vinyl listening session and be transfixed by new recordings of poems originally published in the London Review of Books.
The National Poetry Library presents Playback Poetics, an evening of exploring and listening to the library’s unique collection of vinyl records, spanning eight decades of recorded poetry.
For this edition, the London Review of Books (LRB) will present their series of 45 rpm vinyl single box-sets, produced in celebration of the paper’s 45th anniversary. Each box-set features new recordings of poems originally published in the LRB, read by actors in (thematically and acoustically) resonant locations, released exclusively on vinyl.
The evening features communal listening of these recordings alongside selections from the National Poetry Library collections, and plenty of chances for discussions around the history and future of recorded poetry.
Need to know
Times & tickets
Dates, times and prices
Dates & times
10 Nov 2026, 7.30pm
Run time
1 hour and 15 minutes (approx)
All timings are approximate and subject to change
Standard entry
from £13
Ticket prices may be adjusted without notice to reflect demand.
Concessions
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Refunds and exchanges
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For your visit
This event is held at the National Poetry Library Southbank Centre
The National Poetry Library is open six days a week.
Tuesday, 12 noon – 6pm
Wednesday – Sunday, 12 noon – 8pm
Monday, closed.
Getting here
The National Poetry Library is on Level 5 of our Royal Festival Hall.
Our address is Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, London, SE1 8XX.
The nearest tube stations to us are Waterloo and Embankment; Waterloo is also the nearest train station. And more than 20 different London bus routes pass within 500 metres of our venues. More information on getting here by rail, road or river is available on our Getting here page.
We’re cash-free
Please note that we’re unable to accept cash payments across our venues.
Access
We’re working hard to remove barriers, so that our facilities and events can be accessible to as many people as possible.
All help points, toilets, performance and exhibition spaces at the Southbank Centre are accessible to all, as are the cafes, bars and restaurants. We also have excellent public transport links with step-free access.
All information about booking wheelchair spaces, step-free access, blue badge parking, access maps and guides and other help available whilst you’re here, including details about our Access Scheme, can be found on our Access page.
Study & library use
The library is London’s only space dedicated to poetry study. Visitors studying another subject or looking for a place to work are kindly asked to find an alternative space in the Royal Festival Hall.