*****PLEASE NOTE THE NEW DATE - 8 SEPTEMBER 2026*****

When reading poetry, what emphasis should we place on the persona of the poet, and what are the dangers of over-emphasising this? Denise Riley explores the question in A Chorus of Ears, originally delivered as the Clark Lectures at Trinity College, Cambridge; Leontia Flynn has called it ‘much-needed reminder of inspiration’s independence’, which ‘gently resets the coordinates of contemporary poetry away from the mechanical and literal-minded’.

Riley will be in conversation with Emily Berry, whose most recent collection is Unexhausted Time (Faber, 2022).

Please note: our events start promptly at 7 p.m., so please arrive in good time. St. JOHN next door will be open until 6.55 p.m. for wine, house cocktails and snacks.

Description supplied by the event organiser.