page_title: Poet in the City
section_title: History and organisation
hierarchical_section_title: Poet in the City / History and organisation
caption_attribution_description: Royal Exchange
context_page_description: Poet in the City brings poetry to life beyond books, digging out classic and contemporary gems and immersing audiences in the worlds of poets through events, commissions and participation.
  Poet in the City is a prominent London-based arts organisation founded in 1998 as a project of the Poetry Society; it became an independent charity in 2006.
  Poet in the City collaborates with leading partners from the arts and beyond, from the Barbican, Kings Place and the Royal Opera House to St Paul's Cathedral, the Francis Crick Institute and St Pancras International. They are experts in creating new audiences for poetry by presenting the art form in a way which is inspiring, celebratory and fun, and work with audiences of all ages, with different interests and backgrounds, and across sectors.
  Poet in the City was awarded National Portfolio Organisation status in April 2011, in 2014 and again in 2017, meaning the organisation will receive regular funding from Arts Council England 2018 to 2022. It operates a mixed funding model, combining private and business philanthropy, earned income and public subsidy.
context_section_description: Poet in the City was founded in 1998 as a project of the Poetry Society, by Rosamund McCarthy, a lawyer at Bates Wells Braithwaite. It involved a number of City of London-based organisations, mainly law firms, in an annual fund-raising effort. Monies raised were used to deliver schools visits, placing poets in the classroom, and encouraging pupils to read and write poetry.  Early successes included a John Donne event at the Chapter House of St Paul's Cathedral and an open-air event on the steps of the Royal Exchange on National Poetry Day.
  Poet in the City is managed by a board of trustees chaired by Sarah Davis. Its Chief Executive is Isobel Colchester who has been in post since April 2014, succeeding Graham Henderson who led the organisation from July 2003 to March 2014.
  The organisation is supported by a panel of corporate organisations that provide in-kind support and ad-hoc sponsorship and it operates a Friends’ scheme whereby individuals can support its work.
  Poet in the City has five patrons, the human rights lawyer Baroness Helena Kennedy QC, the poets Andrew Motion, Wendy Cope and Jo Shapcott, and the actress Juliet Stevenson.
  Poet in the City has a thriving volunteer community with over 75 active volunteers who are involved in a range of activities including event management, marketing, film production, blogging and front-of-house roles.
  A dedicated audio team conducts interviews with the poets, speakers, actors and musicians featured in the events for Poet in the City's vast audio archive.
caption: Royal Exchange, London
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