Will René

‘My first visit to the National Poetry Library was in 2016, trying to slip by unnoticed in my ill-fitting suit just after my job interview here for a library assistant position. To give myself an idea of the extent of the collections, I went straight to the ‘M’s to see how many editions of Mayakovsky’s work the library holds, and was awestruck by the breadth and variety available to read on the shelves. A breath of fresh air after years of small poetry sections in seaside town charity bookshops!

‘This sense of wonder hasn’t left me since, and it’s always a joy to make new discoveries – from 20th century poets in translation such as Inger Christensen and Pierre Reverdy, to exciting and playful new presses such as SPAM and Trickhouse.’