Since 2018, Free
Verse has been managed by The Poetry Society. For over 100 years we’ve been a lively, passionate source of
energy and ideas, opening up and promoting poetry to an ever-growing community
of readers, performers, producers, publishers and writers.
History of Free Verse
History of Free Verse
Free Verse was first held in 2011 in Exmouth Market, London and was attended by 23 poetry presses. It was received enthusiastically by publishers, writers and readers. It was organised by Charles Boyle of CB editions, with a readings programme coordinated by Chrissy Williams.
Free Verse 2012, organised jointly by Charles and Chrissy, was held in Candid Arts, London, and was attended by 50 presses, more than twice as many as the previous year. It included more free readings, workshops organised by the Poetry School and saw a marked increase in audience numbers.
Free Verse 2013, organised by Charles and Chrissy with Joey Connolly, was held in Conway Hall, with almost 60 exhibitors, with the addition of an evening do at the Square Pig & Pen on Red Lion Square.
Charles Boyle stepped down for the 2014 Free Verse, but fellow organisers Chrissy and Joey Connolly stayed on. The fair took place in Conway Hall again, with the addition of an evening do at the nearby Rugby Tavern and an extra stage of readings in the Garden Cafe in Red Lion Square. We held two discussions, and the readings showcased the work of over 60 poets, including new pamphlets, anti-war poetry, new generation voices, a Choc-Lit poetry anthology, poetry from Japan and much, much more.
The 2015 - 2017 fairs were also held in Conway Hall, featured more than 80 exhibitors and again had a packed programme of readings and discussions. The core team in this time was also bolstered by Jemima Foxtrot (Volunteers Coordinator), Pavlos Johnathan (Social Media) and Will Harris (Readings Manager).
In 2018, Free Verse was managed by The Poetry Society, one of the UK’s most dynamic arts organisations, representing British poetry nationally and internationally. We run innovative education and commissioning programmes, and have a packed calendar of publications, performances, readings and competitions. The Fair's hosts were the Institute of English Studies at the School of Advanced Study, University of London at Senate House.
Just before the 2018 Fair, Chrissy Williams wrote ‘Joey Connolly and I are proud to have built what feels like an essential poetry event over the last seven years, growing from 22 publishers in a church hall to a large-scale event with over 80 exhibitors. The Poetry Book Fair needs to keep growing though, and we know the Poetry Society will be able to give it a more stable and secure future. We’re delighted that they've agreed to take it on, and look forward to seeing how it flourishes in their hands.
Thank you to all our cheerful volunteers over the years and to Jemima Foxtrot for managing them; to Pavlos Johnathan (Social Media) and Will Harris (Readings) for all their help last year; to founder Charles Boyle for having had the great idea in the first place; and to Joey Connolly, without whose management skills the Fair would surely have crumbled into dust years ago.
Thank you also for your support over the years – we hope to see you at this year’s Fair, only this time from the audience!'
Thank you to all our cheerful volunteers over the years and to Jemima Foxtrot for managing them; to Pavlos Johnathan (Social Media) and Will Harris (Readings) for all their help last year; to founder Charles Boyle for having had the great idea in the first place; and to Joey Connolly, without whose management skills the Fair would surely have crumbled into dust years ago.
Thank you also for your support over the years – we hope to see you at this year’s Fair, only this time from the audience!'
A Midsummer Night's Press .. Acumen .. Ad Hoc Fiction .. Against the Grain ..Agenda .. Allardyce, Barnett, Publishers .. Ambit .. Arachne Press .. Assorted Translations .. Bad Betty Press .. Bare Fiction .. Beacon Books .. Blart .. Boatwhistle Books .. Boiler House Press .. Burning Eye Books .. Butcher's Dog .. Carcanet .. clinic .. Coast to Coast to Coast .. Critical Documents .. Culture Matters .. Dempsey & Windle .. Dreamcatcher .. Etruscan Books .. Exiled Writers Ink .. Eyewear Publishing .. Faber & Faber .. Face Press .. Fine Press Poetry .. Fly on the Wall .. Forward Arts Foundation .. Frogmore Press .. Gatehouse Press .. Green Bottle Press .. Guillemot Press .. Hazard Press .. Hearing Eye .. Henningham Family Press .. Hercules Editions .. Holland Park Press .. If a Leaf Falls Press .. ignitionpress .. Inpress / Poetry Book Society .. Isobar Press .. Katabasis .. Knives, Forks & Spoons Press .. Leafe Press .. Lighthouse .. Long Poem Magazine .. Longbarrow Press .. Lunar Poetry Podcasts .. Magma .. Modern Poetry in Translation .. Neon Books .. New Departures / Poetry Olympics .. Nine Arches Press .. Offord Road Books .. Original Plus .. Oversteps Books .. Paekakariki Press .. Palewell Press .. Paper Swans Press .. Penned in the Margins .. P N Review .. Poem Flyer .. Poetry on the Picket Line .. Poetry School .. Poetry Translation Centre .. Sad Press .. Seren .. Shanghai Literary Review .. Shearsman .. Sidekick Books .. Smokestack .. Smith Doorstop .. Snow lit rev .. Society of Authors .. Stairwell Books .. Stranger Press .. Strangers Press .. Tapsalteerie .. Test Centre .. The British Haiku Society .. The Crater Press .. The Emma Press .. The Liminal Residency .. The Poetry Society .. Toothgrinder Publishers .. Tuba Press .. Ugly Duckling Presse .. V. Press .. Valley Press .. Veer Books .. Verve Poetry Press .. William Cornelius Harris Books .. Yew Tree Press
2017 Exhibitors
Agenda, Allardyce, Barnett, Publishers, Anathema, Anima Poetry Press, Arachne Press, Assorted Translations, Boiler House Press, The British Haiku Society, Burning Eye Books, Carcanet Press, Cinnamon Press, clinic, Dempsey & Windle, Dream Catcher Books, The Emma Press, etruscan books, Faber & Faber, Face Press, Flarestack Poets, Forward Arts Foundation, Gatehouse Press, Green Bottle Press, Guillemot Press, Hearing Eye, Henningham Family Press, Hercules Editions, Holland Park Press, Hurst Street Press, If a Leaf Falls Press, if p hen q, Inpress, Isobar Press, Knives Forks and Spoons Press, Lautus Press, The Lifeboat, Little Island Press, Live Canon, Longbarrow Press, The Melos Press, Modern Poetry in Translation, MOOT PRESS, Mother's Milk Books, New Departures/Poetry Olympics, Nine Arches Press, Out-Spoken Press, Oversteps Books Ltd, Paekakariki Press, Paper Swans Press, Parthian Books, Partus Press, Peepal Tree Press, Penned in the Margins, Platypus Press, Poem Flyer, The Poetry Book Society, The Poetry School, The Poetry Society, The Poetry Translation Centre, Rack Press, The Rialto, Seren, Shearsman Books, Sidekick Books, Silhouette Press, Sine Wave Peak, smith|doorstop Books / The Poetry Business, Society of Authors Poetry and Spoken Word Group, Stairwell Books, Templar, Test Centre, Tuba Press, V. Press, Valley Press, Vane Women Press, William Cornelius Harris Publishing, The Yew Tree Press, zimZalla
Agenda, Allardyce, Barnett, Publishers, Anathema, Anima Poetry Press, Arachne Press, Assorted Translations, Boiler House Press, The British Haiku Society, Burning Eye Books, Carcanet Press, Cinnamon Press, clinic, Dempsey & Windle, Dream Catcher Books, The Emma Press, etruscan books, Faber & Faber, Face Press, Flarestack Poets, Forward Arts Foundation, Gatehouse Press, Green Bottle Press, Guillemot Press, Hearing Eye, Henningham Family Press, Hercules Editions, Holland Park Press, Hurst Street Press, If a Leaf Falls Press, if p hen q, Inpress, Isobar Press, Knives Forks and Spoons Press, Lautus Press, The Lifeboat, Little Island Press, Live Canon, Longbarrow Press, The Melos Press, Modern Poetry in Translation, MOOT PRESS, Mother's Milk Books, New Departures/Poetry Olympics, Nine Arches Press, Out-Spoken Press, Oversteps Books Ltd, Paekakariki Press, Paper Swans Press, Parthian Books, Partus Press, Peepal Tree Press, Penned in the Margins, Platypus Press, Poem Flyer, The Poetry Book Society, The Poetry School, The Poetry Society, The Poetry Translation Centre, Rack Press, The Rialto, Seren, Shearsman Books, Sidekick Books, Silhouette Press, Sine Wave Peak, smith|doorstop Books / The Poetry Business, Society of Authors Poetry and Spoken Word Group, Stairwell Books, Templar, Test Centre, Tuba Press, V. Press, Valley Press, Vane Women Press, William Cornelius Harris Publishing, The Yew Tree Press, zimZalla
2016 Exhibitors
A Midsummer Night’s Press, Agenda, Allardyce, Barnett, Publishers, Ambit Magazine, Arc, Assorted Translations, Blart Books, Bloodaxe, British Haiku Society, Carcanet, CB editions, Cinnamon Press, Controlled Explosion Press, Corbel Stone Press, Crater Press, Egg Box, Emma Press, Equinox Press, Etruscan Books, Eyewear Poetry, Faber & Faber, Fair Acre Press, Five Leaves Press, Flarestack Poets, Forward Prizes, Frogmore Press, Gatehouse Press, Green Bottle Press, HappenStance, Hearing Eye, Hercules Editions, Holland Park Press, if p then q, Inpress, Isobar Press, Katabasis, Liquorice Fish Books, Literary Pocket Books, London Magazine, Melos Press, Mother’s Milk Books, Modern Poetry in Translation, Neon Books, New Departures/Poetry Olympics, Nine Arches Press, Original Plus and The Journal, Oversteps Books Limited, Paekakariki Press Ltd, Paper Swans Press, Pearbox Press, Penned in the Margins, Poem Flyer, Poetry Archive, Poetry Book Society, Poetry Library, Poetry School, Poetry Society, Poetry Translation Centre, Quirky Press, Rack Press, Reality Street, Red Squirrel, Rialto, Roncadora Press, Seren Books, Shearsman Books, Sidekick Books, Singing Apple Press, smith|doorstop books / the Poetry Business, Smokestack Books, Soundswrite Press, Stairwell Books, Stonewood Press, Stranger Press, Telltale Press, Templar Poetry, Tuba Press, Two Rivers Press Ltd, Ugly Duckling Presse, V Press, Valley Press, Veer Books, Versal, William Cornelius, Harris Publishing, Words Press, zimZalla
2015 Exhibitors
A Midsummer Night's Press, Agenda, Allardyce, Barnett, Publishers, Ambit, Arc Publications, Assorted Translations, Blart Books, Bloodaxe Books, British Haiku Society, Carcanet Press, CB Editions, Cinnamon Press, Controlled Explosion Press, Corbel Stone Press, Crater Press, Egg Box Publishing, Emma Press, The, Equinox Press, Etruscan Books, Eyewear Publishing, Faber & Faber, Fair Acre Press, Five Leaves Press, Flarestack Poets, Forward Arts Foundation, Frogmore Press, The, Gatehouse Press, Green Bottle Press, HappenStance Press, Hearing Eye, Hercules Editions, Holland Park Press, if p then q, Inpress, Isobar Press, Katabasis, Liquorice Fish Books, Literary Pocket Books, London Magazine Editions, The, Melos Press, Mother's Milk Books, Modern Poetry in Translation, Neon Books, New Departures / Poetry Olympics, Nine Arches Press, Original Plus, Oversteps Books Limited, Paekakariki Press Ltd, Paper Swans Press, Pearbox Press, Penned in the Margins, Poetry Archive, Poetry Book Society, Poetry Business, The, Poetry Library, Poetry School, Poetry Society, Poetry Translation Centre, Quirky Press, Rack Press, Reality Street, Red Squirrel Press, Rialto, The, Roncadora Press, Seren Books, Shearsman Books, Sidekick Books, Singing Apple Press, Smith | Doorstop Books, Smokestack Books, Soundswrite Press, Stairwell Books, Stonewood Press, Stranger Press, Telltale Press, Templar Poetry, Tuba Press, Two Rivers Press Ltd, Ugly Duckling Presse, V. Press, Valley Press, Veer Books, Versal, William CorneliusHarris Publishing, Words Press, zimZalla
2014 Exhibitors
2013 Exhibitors
 |
2012 Exhibitors
 |
2011 Exhibitors
 |
