The ‘Poetry + Health’ event on 26 June 2020 formerly launched and celebrated the success of the These Are The Hands NHS Poetry Anthology, the first poetry collection to feature poems by NHS staff –
“A wonderful anthology to celebrate the NHS, which is itself the best poem a country has ever written” – Stephen Fry.
The online poetry evening was curated by Beth Calverley, founder of ‘The Poetry Machine’, Poet in Residence at UHBW and contributor to the These Are The Hands collection. She was joined by fellow UHBW colleagues and poets also reading their entries from the anthology.
Katrina Curtis, Respiratory Physician at UHBW and Rachel McCoubrie, Consultant in Palliative Medicine and lead wellbeing consultant for doctors and dentists, UHBW.
Other poets taking part were Helen Sheppard, a Bristol-based poet and former Neonatal Midwife also published in These Are The Hands; Dr Elizabeth Osmond, Neonatologist and facilitator of a staff creative writing group for reflective practice sessions, UHBW; Stephen Lightbown, a Bristol-based poet, champion of disability rights and Director of Comms at North Bristol NHS Trust (NBT) and Bob Walton, a published poet who co-runs the ‘Chapter 1’ creative writing group in Weston in association with Super Culture, offering free, open to all sessions .
“’Poetry + Health’ is a celebration of Weston and Bristol based poets who blend the worlds of poetry and health. As Poet in Residence for UHBW, I see first-hand the benefit that poetry can have on people who are isolated, anxious and unwell, as well as the joy and confidence it can bring to people from all walks of life.” Beth Calverley