About the summer schools

Young poets between 18-23 years old are invited every two years to apply for the Tower Poetry residential summer school. The programme aims to develop writing and critical skills through a series of exciting and challenging workshops run by two established poets, with additional guest readings during the week. All tuition and accommodation costs will be paid for by Tower Poetry. At the end of the summer school, a selection of the students' poems will be published in a poetry pamphlet. The top three winners from the annual Tower Poetry competition will automatically be offered places on the summer school following their 18th birthday.

You can listen to summer school tutor, Stephen Romer, giving a talk about the 2018 residential. 

Summer school 2025

The 2025 Tower Poetry Summer School is now open for applications. 

Young poets who are 18-23 years old are invited to apply for the biennial Tower Poetry residential summer school, which takes place at Christ Church in Oxford. The programme aims to develop writing and critical skills through a series of exciting and challenging workshops run by two established poets, with additional guest readings during the week. All tuition, accommodation and food costs will be paid for by Tower Poetry. (We are unable to cover travel expenses for journeys to/from Oxford.) A selection of the participants’ poems will be published as an anthology. 

The 2025 Tower Poetry Summer School will take place on 25 - 28 August 2025. This year's tutors will be the renowned poets Adam Crothers and Abigail Parry, and there will be readings by Claudine Toutoungi and Rebecca Watts. 

If you would like to apply for a place on the Summer School, please send the following to tower.poetry@chch.ox.ac.uk with the title ‘Summer School 2025’: 

  • Your name and date of birth.
  • An answer to each of the following questions. Each answer should be of no more than 400 words, and should refer to your own experience of writing poetry.
    • How does a poem begin?
    • What makes a successful poem?
    • Tell us about a poet whose work you admire.
  • Four or five poems you have written - we would love to read an example of your work. 

The deadline for applications is 5pm on Monday 2nd June 2025. 

To be eligible for the Tower Poetry Summer School, you must be no younger than 18 years old, and no older than 23 years old, on the 25th August 2025. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact Maya, the Tower Poetry Administrator: tower.poetry@chch.ox.ac.uk.

Summer school publications

After each summer school, Tower Poetry publishes a collection of poems that the participants have written during the residential. Previous editions include:

  • ‘Panado’ (2009), ed. Jane Draycott and Frances Leviston
  • ‘The Twelve’ (2010), ed. Daljit Nagra and Jo Shapcott;
  • ‘Earth-Quiet’ (2012), ed. Alan Gillis and Kevin Young
  • ‘Something to be Said’ (2014), ed. Jane Griffiths and David Wheatley
  • ‘Flowers From the Dark’ (2016), ed. Alan Gillis and Olivia McCannon
  • ‘Hatch a Blue Sky’ (2018), ed. Stephen Romer and Andrew Wynn Owen
  • 'Constellations' (2022), ed. Stephen Romer and Rebecca Watts
  • 'A Second Sky' (2023), ed. Helen Mort and Declan Ryan