Leicester Poetry Society has some 30 members, including both established poets and non-writing members who enjoy reading, discussing and listening to poems.

 The Society was started in the early 1950's by a very lively character, Harold Frankel.

GS Fraser, poet and academic arrived in Leicester to a  University appointment in the English Department in 1958. Fraser ran a poetry workshop at Vaughan College for 20 years, where Frankel joined his class. Fraser became engrossed with poetry teaching in the provinces (hitherto he  had led a sociable literary life in Chelsea ) and took over chairmanship  of the Poetry Society.  See http://jacketmagazine.com/20/fraser.html for more about G S Fraser, who is pictured left. His wife, Paddy, who can be seen in the background with a cat, is still the Society’s President.

G S Fraser was the acclaimed author of many books, including The Modern Writer and his World, Metre, Rhyme and Free Verse and Essays on Twentieth Century Poets. An annual event is held in May in his memory (see Programme for this year’s event).

Established poets from all corners of the globe have read to members in Leicester. Recent  readers have included Jack Mapanje, Neil Astley, Amanda Dalton, Robin Robertson, Jane Draycott, Ian Duhig, Alan Halsey, David Kennedy, Wendy Cope, Geraldine Monk, Andrew Duncan, Tom Leonard, Peter Forbes, Lavinia Greenlaw, Pauline Stainer, W.N.Herbert, Paul  Farley, EA Markham, Mimi Khalvati, Pascale Petit, Christopher Logue, Katrina Porteous, John  Hartley Williams, Robert Minhinnick, Vicki Feaver, Peter Porter, Lawrence Sail, Myra Schneider, Robert Crawford, Sam Smith, Charles Tomlinson,  Jackie Kay.while Robert Lowell, Jon Silkin, Robert Graves, Stevie Smith, Veronica Forrest-Thompson, Gavin Ewart, C.H.Sisson were among the noted names of the past.