The Northern Poetry Library is kept at Morpeth Library and is the largest collection of contemporary poetry in England outside London. It currently contains around 15,000 books with new ones being added all the time.

You will find

Anthologies - perfect for dipping in to if you're short of time. Love, death, humour, feminism - you name it, there will be poem about it.
Poets' collections - if you want to read someone's work in more depth, there are collections by individual poets, famous and not-so-famous.
Children's poetry - along with poetry for adults, there is a large collection of children's verse, introducing children to the beauty and variety of language.

Not just books - The Library takes a wide range of poetry magazines which allow readers to discover the latest writing and offer writers the chance to be published.  The Library also has extensive back runs of magazines.

Using the Library

Any book or magazine may be borrowed, up to your overall library limit of twenty items. Requests can be made by phone, post or by email and we will notify you when items are available. They can be collected either from Morpeth Library, or from your local Northumberland branch library.

How to join

By joining Northumberland County Library  you automatically become a member of the Northern Poetry Library.

If you visit Morpeth Library, items may be borrowed straight off the shelf. If you cannot do that, the collection can be searched and reserved through the Library Online Catalogue.

Books and magazines are issued for the standard 3 week loan that applies to ordinary library stock. If no - one else has requested them, they may be renewed in person, by phone, or online via the library catalogue.