Karly

Anyone who has had a conversation regarding poetry with me will tell you that every time, without fail, I end up recommending Allie Esiri’s anthologies. In fact, since I studied English, the topic of poetry usually comes up in small talk with Uber drivers, hairdressers and booksellers. What most of these people don’t always realise, though, is that my enthusiasm for poetry wasn’t always a given.

When I was younger, poetry and I didn’t exactly get along—a topic I plan to explore in a future post. But discovering Allie Esiri’s If Poems app completely changed my perspective. At the time, I had no idea how much a simple app could influence me. I was 14 years old, had begged for an iPad or an iPod, can’t really remember which, for Christmas and I decided to download the app, as I had seen clips of the behind-the-scenes on YouTube (hello? Poetry read by some of my all-time favourite actors? Yes, please!). From that moment, poetry stopped being something I resisted and even made me cringe, to become something I truly enjoyed reading and listening to by myself and sharing with friends and family. Her work didn’t just introduce me to poetry; it gave me a reason to love it.

Who is Allie Esiri?

Allie Esiri is an award-winning anthologist and curator who has made it her mission to bring poetry into the everyday lives of readers. Her journey into the world of poetry curation began with the If Poems app, co-created with Rachel Kelly, which introduced users to a carefully chosen selection of poems.

Allie’s anthologies, including A Poem for Every Day of the Year and A Poem for Every Night of the Year, have become modern classics. These collections organise poems around the calendar year, pairing each piece with a relevant theme or historical context. From celebrating the changing seasons to marking important historical events, her anthologies show how poetry can enrich our understanding of time and life. 

Beyond the books themselves, Allie’s live events and recordings—featuring actors like Tom Hiddleston, Helena Bonham Carter, Damian Lewis, Olivia Williams, amongst others, reading poetry aloud—further showcase her talent for bringing verse to life. If you ever have the opportunity to attend one of these live shows, I can’t recommend it enough. Alternatively, you can watch past events, such as this one that was held in memory of Helen McCrory, on the National Theatre’s YouTube channel.

Why Allie’s work resonates

Allie’s anthologies are not the first of the genre, and they certainly won’t be the last, as this format is ever-growing in popularity. However, what sets them apart is that they don’t just present poems; they weave them into our daily lives. Each poem is chosen with care, reflecting themes that resonate with the time of the year, special occasions or simply, the shared human experience. 

What I love most about her work is its inclusivity. Allie blends the old with the new, introducing readers to the timeless wisdom of poets like William Wordsworth and Emily Dickinson while celebrating contemporary ones like Carol Ann Duffy and Laura Mucha. She also includes poets from around the world, showcasing a diverse range of voices and perspectives. This mix creates an anthology where every reader can find something that speaks to them.

It is also important to mention her introductions, as they add another layer of richness to the anthologies and provide context, explain themes, or highlight subtle nuances, making the poems even more accessible. It’s like having someone there to guide you through your reading. 

All these factors combined have helped her succeed in making poetry accessible, despite being a genre long thought to be intimidating and elitist. To me, this is reminiscent of the cookbook in the Disney film Ratatouille titled Anyone Can Cook, but instead, thanks to Allie’s work, anyone can enjoy poetry.

How Allie’s work has impacted me

This is where this post is going to lose all the formal academic tone that I just can’t seem to shake off when talking about important things, but anyway. As I previously mentioned, I discovered Allie’s work via the If Poems app, and from then I decided to purchase physical copies of her anthologies. 

Thanks to her books and the enjoyment I had found in poetry, I decided to pursue a master’s in English Language. As a non-native speaker, I became fascinated with the written word in English and all the nuances it could carry. 

Speaking of that master’s programme, I will never forget that during my first day in Edinburgh, I headed into the New Town to purchase a duvet and a pillow, since my bedding had not arrived, but of course, I felt the need to go into Waterstones (looking ridiculous, duvet and pillow in hand) and pick up a copy of A Nursery Rhyme for Every Night of the Year and Shakespeare for Every Day of the Year. A month into my programme, Allie’s newest anthology (at the time) came out, and I remember I made a whole day out of going to get it, which I thought would be a simple task. Spoiler alert: it was not. I went to almost every bookshop in the Edinburgh city centre and around the university and could not find it anywhere. In the end, though, I did get it a few days later, and I found it such a valuable companion during my insomnia-filled nights, or when I was homesick, as I would reach for it and randomly open it on a page to get my ‘message from the universe’, and most times it was extremely helpful and it provided me with the solace I needed at a difficult time. 

Diving into poetry

For those new to poetry or unsure as to where to begin, I can firmly say that Allie’s anthologies are the perfect starting point, given that, as mentioned before, they provide context, and insight, and give you a wide and diverse array of poems for the whole year.

If it is your first time exploring this genre, I would recommend A Poem for Every Day of The Year or  A Poem for Every Night of the Year, both are a beautiful introduction to Allie’s work and appropriate for all ages; they are organised by date, which will make it easy to incorporate seamlessly into your daily life as part of a ritual when you’re getting up, getting ready for bed, during a bath, no matter how busy your schedule might be. If making it a habit fails, you can, of course, resort to my ‘message from the universe’ technique, or even use them as birthday books. I love to see what I get on my and my friends’ birthdays. 

Now, if you’re looking for an anthology that focuses more on an adult audience, 365 Poems for Life is perfect for you. The premise is similar to the other collections, but, as Allie says, if it were a film, it would be a 16 rather than a PG or PG13. 

If you love Shakespeare, or you are just keen on getting to know his work a bit more, Shakespeare for Every Day of the Year is a real gem. Each day introduces a new passage from the Bard’s work, allowing readers to gradually immerse themselves in the richness of his language and themes, accompanied by a little introduction, which is wonderful if you’re not very familiar with the plays and sonnets. Even if you’ve never read Shakespeare before, this anthology offers a gentle entry point into his world. 

Allie’s books also make wonderful gifts. I myself have given them to a few of my friends, and besides them being visually gorgeous, I think they’re thought-provoking and very meaningful, as you can write a little message on the day that you’re gifting the book (or just use a sticky note if you’re like me and don’t want to ruin the book), and that creates a deeper bond between the person and the book, turning it into a keepsake that hopefully, they will treasure for years to come. 

Closing Thoughts

Looking back on my journey with poetry, it’s clear to me how much Allie’s work has shaped my love for the genre and turned something that I once felt so impersonal and cringey into a daily joy and a great source of comfort, and it has also helped me see that poetry is like a song without music, and in the same way, as the huge Taylor Swift enjoyer that I am, a song is a poem with music, and for that I can only thank her. 

If you are interested, make sure to follow Allie on Instagram and check out her website for more information and more poetry; and while the If Poems app is no longer available (I often think about reviving my old iPod to see if it’s still there to be able to use it again), you can download The Love Book app for free on the App Store, just in time for Valentine’s Day.