Poem of the week: Digging the Well by Erica McAlpine
A breezy but ambiguous allegory arranges its symbols with appealing wit
Between the lines: what do White Lotus characters’ book choices tell us?
Season three offers up clues to characters’ psyches – or perhaps their fates – by showing us their holiday reads
‘Impressive, ingenious and affecting’ poem about missing an absent son wins National Poetry Competition
Fiona Larkin’s poem uses Finnish grammar to explore her feelings about her son’s move from the UK to Brisbane
Poem of the week: The Stopover by Giovanni Pascoli, translated by Taije Silverman and Marina Della Putta Johnston
A swan appears to sing the aurora borealis into existence in this visionary nature poem with an unexpected war connection
Poet Jason Allen-Paisant: ‘We belong in the picture’
The Jamaican-born author on exploring nature and black identity in his nonfiction debut, his chaotic writing habits, and how the TS Eliot prize changed his life
Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project review – electric film about radical thinker and poet
Featuring interviews and archive footage of the brilliant civil rights activist, the readings of her poems will have the hairs on the back of your neck standing up
Poem of the week: The Proletariat Speaks by Alice Dunbar-Nelson
A remarkable piece of oratory records without explicit comment the stark social divisions of an unequal world
Geraint Jarman obituary
Musician, actor and poet who drew on cultural influences from reggae to European poetry in his Welsh-language work
Poem of the week: Veteran Sirens by Edwin Arlington Robinson
This delicate portrait of a group of women to whom life and time have not been kind is free from mockery or judgment
Hundreds of events mark five years since Covid-19 outbreak
Bereaved come together to commemorate those who died and pay tribute to health workers
For a stagnating left mired in pessimism, Milton’s radical vision is poetry in motion
The poet-prophet shows us how to sustain hope and redemption in the wake of political defeat
Chang’an review – animated Chinese tale of poet-warriors is spectacular work of art
The historic capital of China is rendered in gloriously intricate detail, but this animated feature feels like a state-sponsored history lesson
Gwen Watkins obituary
Codebreaker at Bletchley Park during the second world war who went on to become a successful author
The Long Wave: Poet Caleb Femi’s tender ode to Black nightlife in London
The British Nigerian writer’s beautiful new collection captures the spirit and importance of house parties. Plus, remembering Toni Morrison’s oeuvre
Winter wonder: Jeanette Winterson and others reveal why the cold has them under its spell
Too dark, too cold – winter’s charms aren’t as obvious as summer’s brassy joys. But for Robert Macfarlane, Alice Oswald, Poppy Okotcha and others, this is a rich season. Here, they offer ways to lean into it, with an introduction by Jeanette Winterson