Page 8 - Keble Review 2014

keble was founded in honour of
a poet, so it is fitting as well as pleasing that the study of poetry
here should be going from strength to strength. John Keble’s godson Matthew Arnold called poetry “simply the most beautiful, impressive, and widely effective mode of saying things.” Several new initiatives at the College seek to explore and celebrate the arresting ways in which things get said in poems.
The Salutation & Cat, now in its second year, is a gathering for anybody who
is interested in reading poetry as part
of a group. The S&C (as its regulars affectionately call it) meets every other week during term to discuss a handful
of poems that have been selected in advance on a particular topic. Topics have included specific objects (flowers, fish,
and boats - to name just a few) as well as broader themes (lies, loss, and risk). The discussions are engaging and fun and are regularly attended by students and staff from a variety of backgrounds. Professor Sir Geoffrey Hill - a past student of the College and the current Oxford Professor of Poetry - often attends when he is in residence in Oxford, and the S&C has proved so popular with visiting scholars and writers that it has recently spawned independent outposts in London and New York.
Founded with a similar spirit of collegiality is Keble’s new Meet the Poet series, which brings a poet to Keble every term to give a reading followed by an informal question- and-answer session. The series has so far brought four terrific poets to the College
- three Americans (James Longenbach, Jonathan Galassi, and Maureen McLane) as well as the English poet Simon Armitage, who packed out the Pusey Room with poetry enthusiasts from across Oxford. Whenever possible, the featured poet
also attends a meeting of the S&C; when Armitage joined us for a discussion of poems “On Rain”, he treated the group
to a reading of one of his own poems on the subject - to great acclaim. All Meet
the Poet events are free and open to the public, and a generous pledge from Old Member and Honorary Fellow Robin Geffen has ensured that the series will run for two more years.
Poetry at Keble is also flourishing in other ways. The family of an Old Member, Ian Hamilton, has just donated his extensive poetry library to the College. Hamilton
was an influential poet, biographer, critic, and editor; his library is filled with early collections by poets who later became widely known (some of them with his help).
These books - several of which are first editions - will be a great asset to many of
the College’s students, especially those interested in working on twentieth-century poetry. A special evening celebrating Hamilton and his family’s donation is planned for next academic year.
During 2013-2014, in association with COMPAS (Oxford’s Centre on Migration, Policy and Society), Keble helped to organise a national poetry competition that drew entrants of all ages and walks of life from across the UK. The theme was “Poetry on the Move”, and the adult competition garnered more than 175 entries, which were initially judged by
a panel that included tutors from Keble English. Ruth Padel selected the final winners, and she and the winning poets read from their work at a ceremony held at the Ashmolean. The children’s competition was equally successful, and the prize for the ten winning entrants was a day of poetry
at Keble. Erica McAlpine - poet and current Career Development Fellow in English - ran a poetry workshop with the students, while Matthew Bevis offered a close-reading class on ‘The Journey and The Poem’.
Another new initiative will be launched
in Michaelmas term 2014. ‘The Poet’s Essay’ will be a termly series of seminars led by the internationally-renowned psychoanalyst and essayist Adam Phillips. Seminars will be free and open to all who
Poetry at Keble
Professor Sir Geoffrey Hill
Oxford Professor of Poetry Lectures
Michaelmas 2014 will mark the beginning of Sir Geoffrey Hill’s fifth and final year as Oxford Professor of Poetry. Since his inaugural lecture in November 2010, Sir Geoffrey has delivered one lecture every academic term on topics such as ‘Poetry, Policing and Public Order’ and ‘Monumentality and Bidding’ .
Recordings of past lectures are available through the English Faculty’s website at
www.english.ox.ac.uk/news-events/regular-events/professor-poetry
The next Professor of Poetry lecture will take place on the 2nd December 2014, at the Examination Schools, High Street, Oxford.
All are welcome.
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The Keble Review 2014