The best poetry books of 2024
The joy of house parties, an email to an estate agent, tales from a billionaire’s dolls and more
Poem of the week: In Drear Nighted December by John Keats
A wintry vision of the separation of two lovers gains fresh energy from the verse’s roots in folk song
Cornish tourist spot unveils spider-related haiku spun by Simon Armitage
Work first in a series from poet laureate about wildlife that exists in the Lost Gardens of Heligan
Poem of the week: The Rights of Woman by Anna Laetitia Barbauld
This vision of liberation by a supporter of the French Revolution is rather less straightforwardly feminist than Mary Wollstonecraft’s
Lord Byron museum to open in Italian building where poet had intense affair
Visitors will be able to explore Palazzo Guiccioli in Ravenna, where Byron romanced its aristocrat owner’s wife
Pretentious, moi?: Josh Brolin’s poetry about Dune has landed, whether we like it or not
Brolin’s verses about Timothée Chalamet and Florence Pugh have now found their way into a London art gallery in the form of Dune: Exposures
Blackbird Singing at Dusk by Wendy Pratt review – the great smells of the north and nature
Grief rubs shoulders with greasy chip pans in a humorous and heartfelt celebration of the coastal working class
AI poetry rated better than poems written by humans, study shows
Findings suggest non-expert poetry readers who participated preferred AI works because they find them more straightforward and accessible
Poem of the week: Renacuajos by Michael Schmidt
An oblique elegy for the poet’s brother is addressed to his great-niece with some friendly information about the life of tadpoles
The exile of Mosab Abu Toha: how a Gazan poet was forced to flee his home
His house was bombed and his relatives killed, before he escaped to the US. Now he is on a relentless, restless drive to tell the stories of all those left behind
Poem of the week: The Kurdish Musician by Mimi Khalvati
An émigré player’s artistry sings through a London street, rising over many barriers
The Guardian view on the rise of eco-poetry: writing cannot ignore global heating
Editorial: Verse’s connection to nature can inspire awareness and hope amid the climate crisis, offering clarity beyond data
The Position of Spoons, and Other Intimacies by Deborah Levy review – portrait of the artists
Levy reflects on the creative women who have inspired her, in essays that range from the trivial to the profound
Poem of the week: My husband falling by Robert Hamberger
A minor tumble in the street gives a small indication of the larger risks a couple face and the consolations of mutual support
Jehane Markham obituary
Other lives: Playwright whose work appeared on television, radio and in the theatre, and whose poems were published in five volumes