Location
The Chancellor's Hall, Senate House
Register to attend the event: https://www.history.ac.uk/news-events/events/doing-history-with-poetry
What happens if we do history through poetry? What new stories come into focus? Whose voices do we hear? And how can poetry transform our perspective on the big histories of nation, Englishness, and England’s place in the world?
This event brings together historian Catherine Clarke (A History of England in 25 Poems) and acclaimed poet Hannah Lowe (The Kids, winner of the Costa Poetry Award and the Costa Book Award, 2021) in conversation chaired by Institute of Historical Research Director Claire Langhamer, to reflect on critical and creative approaches to doing history with poetry.
The panel discussion will be followed by a wine reception, which will celebrate the publication of A History of England in 25 Poems. All are very welcome.
Catherine Clarke is Professor and Director of the Centre for the History of People, Place and Community at the Institute of Historical Research, School of Advanced Study, University of London, where she is also Director of the Victoria County History of England. She is Visting Professor in English at the University of Southampton. Originally a specialist in medieval literature and culture, she now publishes widely across periods, with particular interests in place, heritage, and uses of the past. Her new history book, A History of England in 25 Poems, is published in September 2025.
Hannah Lowe is an award-winning poet and memoirist. Her poetry collections include Chick (2013), Chan (2016), The Kids (winner of the Costa Poetry Award and the Costa Book Award, 2021), The Neighbourhood (2019). Her memoir Long Time No See: A Memoir of Fathers, Daughters and Games of Chance (2015) featured on Radio 4’s Book of the Week. She was the 2024 recipient of the Eccles Centre-Hay Festival Writers Award for her work in progress, The Woman in The Chinese Collar (forthcoming, Scribner, 2026). She is a Professor at Brunel, University of London and a founding member of the Chinese-Caribbean Studies Network.
Claire Langhamer is Director of the Institute of Historical Research. She is a social and cultural historian of modern Britain who specialises in the history of everyday life, especially the experiences of women and girls, and the history of feeling.