Untold Stories

Last autumn we uncovered untold stories through poetry, over the course of several workshops (and a poetry competition) with Jacob Sam-La Rose, English Heritage’s Poet in Residence for 2020, and Malika Booker.

Young producers workshop - writing out new ideas

Untold Stories was an English Heritage Creative Programme project that explored the hidden histories and contemporary resonances of English Heritage sites.

The programme includes some of England’s best poets, both established and emerging, reflecting on the history, fabric and atmosphere of our sites, using their creativity to explore what lies beneath the surface of history’s prevailing narratives – stories that have gone untold or people who have been forgotten.

Untold Stories – Poetry at English Heritage has been published on the English Heritage website. A digital poetry anthology that will bring together selected poems from the professionals, and from you…

Read it here
Graphic of Malika Booker

UNTOLD STORIES: Unravelling the Threads

The Writing Squad and Barbican Young Poets traced the lost stories and roots of English Heritage sites through poetry. Following the threads of our heritage, as we unpacked ancient languages, raided castles, dismantled and rebuilt legends, sipped on flying ointment, and excavated the coffins of forgotten history.

The poems created undulate, twist and flow seamlessly into each other, mapping Cornwall, Cumbria, Lancashire and beyond.

Watch the sharing event here
Graphic of a pen and writing

UNTOLD STORIES: Interrogate the Frame

Uniting poets from BeatFreaks and Artful Scribe we bridged the gaps in history and brought English Heritage sites to life through poetry. We interrogated how the narratives of beloved English heritage sites are framed, digging beyond the known and reclaiming space for histories that have been silenced.

Watch the sharing event here