Jonathan Davidson is a poet, writer and literature activist. He lives in the English Midlands but works internationally. His poetry has been widely published and he has also written memoir and criticism. His radio dramas and adaptations have been broadcast by BBC Radios 3 and 4. Much of his work is focussed on how writing – especially poetry – is experienced by readers and listeners.
Jonathan’s latest poetry collection is A Commonplace – Apples, Bricks & Other People’s Poems (Smith|Doorstop, August 2020). A conversation about how poetry exists as the underlying geology of our lives, Jonathan’s poems are complemented by work of other poets, littered with unruly footnotes. More…
A Commonplace
Bricks, Apples and Other People’s Poems
Published as Print and E-book on 1st August 2020
Digest of Out of Office Poems & Newsletter:
Events (readings, workshops, etc.)
This Land is Our Land: Poetry from Polly Atkin, L Kiew and Jonathan Davidson with music from Lucy & Hazel, Sheaf Poetry Festival, Sheffield, Saturday 27th May 2023, 20:00 BST
Nearly 100 years ago, workers marched onto Kinder Scout to fight for the right to roam over Britain’s open land. But in 2023, access to green space is limited by many factors including disability, race and social class. Our readers bring unique perspectives on what access to the outdoors means to them – L. Kiew’s More Than Weeds explores the language of migration and how it is used in relation to plant and animal species, while Polly Atkin is an advocate for voices at the margins of adventure and nature writing and has written about place, belonging and chronic illness. Jonathan Davidson’s A Commonplace places poetry at the heart of collective action, conversation and personal geography. Lucy & Hazel will finish the evening with spirit-rousing folk songs on themes of social, land and climate justice.
Taking Your Poetry Where It Wants To Go – 5-Week Online Poetry Short Course, led by Jonathan Davidson
The course will run on Mondays 5th, 12th, 19th, 26th June & 3rd July 2023 and some of the fees will go to support the Cheltenham Poetry Festival.
£125.00 (sorry, the free 100% bursary places are now taken, but there are still some 50% bursary places)
Meeting for two hours on Zoom across five weekly sessions, this course will help emerging and established poets work out where they want to take their poetry – alongside writing some new poems. We’ll be doing some very quick writing during each session, using a range of exercises to get the words on the page. There will also be some time to talk about individual goals as poets, whether it be getting published or learning your own poems off by heart, and all points between. Each session will be followed up with a weekly e-mail with useful information. The course will finish with a chance to perform a few poems to other participants (not compulsory!) and the now traditional and highly anticipated ‘end of course raffle’ in which absolutely everyone will win a prize.
Booking Deadline: Thursday 1st June 2023
Other news…
Jonathan’s book, On Poetry, was selected by the poet Anthony Anaxagorou (author of How to Write It), as one of his Top 10 books about creative writing for The Guardian on 14th October 2020, alongside books by Zadie Smith, Sandeep Parmar and Ben Lerner.
A Commonplace has been included in The Morning Star’s ‘Best of 2020: Poetry‘ list, having been nominated by the poet Rosie Miles.
Jonathan now has a bookshop page on www.bookshop.org enabling some of the books mentioned in On Poetry and A Commonplace to be bought (with independent bookshops and Jonathan both receiving a 10% commission on the value of any books ordered.)
Click here to join Jonathan’s e-mail list
Event Recordings
Book Launch, Sunday 2nd August, 2020
A recording of the Sunday 2nd August 2020 on-line launch of A Commonplace with Jonathan Davidson, Jo Bell, Sue Brown, Gregory Leadbetter and Peter Sansom. More…
Ó Bhéal Poetry Reading Series Cork, Ireland
Nine Arches Press Lunchtime In Conversation
The Swindon Spring Festival of the Arts and Literature 2020
Jonathan Davidson 