Elspeth Walker

I can’t remember how I stumbled across the library. I just know one day I scoped it out its whereabouts before I stepped inside, heading straight to Jackie Kay’s section for a copy of The Lamplighter (a radio play which sadly wasn’t there, but I’m glad to say is now part of the collection). Having studied BA Creative Writing & English Literature and worked at the Hayward Gallery, I jumped at the chance to join the National Poetry Library. I’m now doing an MA in Writing at the RCA, focusing on writing as an artistic practice, and I love to cocoon in the library – even better that I get to work here! I admire the collection’s diverse take on what constitutes poetry; from Jenga, party poppers, postcards and sound art to classic print anthologies, this is the home of words pushed to their limits. My highlights are anthologies that play with form and with the reader’s interaction with the text, such as Patience, Intertitles, and The Dark Would. A perfect space for any word nerd!