Readers of 50 Poems by ”remarkable and inspiring women poets” http://www.lucy-cav.cam.ac.uk/fiftypoems/list-of-poems/
Celebrating 50 years of Lucy Cavendish College: Reading Fifty Poems
“The development of Lucy Cavendish College grew out of the vision and determination of three women who formed a Dining Group in Cambridge in 1951.
In Michaelmas 2012 three Lucy Cavendish College English students, whilst chatting in their kitchen, came up with an idea to celebrate the individual women and men of the college, and the vision of these three remarkable women, through poetry. What came out of that initial conversation was an inspiring and unique project to capture 50 female poets spanning the last 500 years, read by voices representing the college community – from staff and students, to fellows and alumnae.
We were also aware of the proportionally small number of female poets taught as part of the canon, and how few resources existed online, specifically audio versions of their poems. With Lucy Cavendish College approaching its fiftieth anniversary, we also wanted to celebrate the individual men and women of the college. Their voices, which represent the diversity of the college community, are matched by the diversity of the group of poems we chose – written by women across 500 years of literature in English.
To limit what could otherwise have been an endless selection process, we very quickly decided to record fifty poems by fifty female poets, one for each year of Lucy Cavendish College.
List of Poems
An eclectic collection of poems by some inspiring and remarkable women poets spanning the last 500 years, read by staff, students, fellows and alumnae of Lucy Cavendish.
Email any comments, reviews or feedback you may have to Lucy Cavendish’s Communications and Marketing Manager at ja530@cam.ac.uk.
- Life Anna Laetitia Barbauld (1743 – 1825)
- I am not yours Sara Teasdale (1884-1933)
- Interim Edna St Vincent Millay (1892 – 1950)
- Simile Charlotte Dacre (c.1782-1841) England (also known as Rosa Matilda).
- Apostasy Charlotte Brontë (1816-1855)
- A Girl Michael Field (aka Katharine Harris Bradley (1848-1914) and Edith Emma Cooper (1862-1913) )
- Be You All Pleas’d, Your Pleasures Grieve Not Me Mary Wroth (1587-1651/3)
- Postcard from a Travel Snob Sophie Hannah (b.1971)
- To My Dear and Loving Husband Anne Bradstreet (1612 -1672)
- God Needs Antonio George Eliot (1819 -1880)
- A Song Helen Maria Williams (1759 -1827)
- On Beauty Justina Kehinde
- Revenge Eliza Acton (1799-1859)
- Love Armed Aphra Behn (1640-1689)
- For Desire Kim Addonizio (b.1954)
- Sing Not For Others But For Me Lady Caroline Lamb (1785-1828)
- Kingdom Come Gill Saxon
- Entangled Mathilde Blind (1841-1896)
- To The One That Asked Why I Loved J.G. Ephelia
- Epitaph for Sir Lawrence Tanfield Elizabeth, Lady Tanfield (1585-1639)
- Sonnets from the Portugese 43 Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1806-1861)
- Hope is the Thing with Feathers Emily Dickinson (1830-1886)
- On Monsieur’s Departure Elizabeth I (1533-1603)
- Casabianca Felicia Dorothea Hemans (1793-1835)
- A Thought on Beachy Head Caroline Fry (1787-1846)
- Long Years Have Passed Since Last I Stood Letitia Elizabeth Landon (1802-1838)
- The New Colossus Emma Lazarus (1849 -1887)
- To a Fat Lady Seen from the Train Frances Cornford (1886-1960)
- Sonnet Charlotte Quinney
- One Flesh Elizabeth Jennings (1926-2001)
- Up Margaret Atwood (b.1939)
- Cold Knapp Lake Gillian Clarke (b.1937)
- No Categories Stevie Smith (1902-1971)
- Grandmother May Probyn (1856-1909)
- The Slave Trade Hannah More (1745-1833)
- An Invitation Fanny Kemble (1809-1893)
- The Lark’s Nest: A Fable From Aesop Charlotte Smith (1749-1806)
- Bloody Men Wendy Cope (b.1945)
- Sunday Heather Hind
- The Introduction Anne Finch, Countess of Winchelsea (1661-1720)
- Eve’s Apology (From Salve Deus Rex Judaeorum) Aemelia Lanyer (1569-1645)
- The Call Charlotte Mew (1869-1928)
- A Moment Mary Elizabeth Coleridge (1861-1907)
- The Wife of Loki Lady Charlotte Eliot (1789-1871)
- A Receipt to Cure the Vapours Lady Mary Wortley Montagu (1689-1762)
- To Philaster Sarah Fyge Egerton (1670-1723)
- A Receipt For Writing a Novel Mary Alcock (1742-1798)
- To My Excellent Lucasia, On Our Friendship Katherine Phillips (1632–1664)
- Echo Christina Rossetti (1830-1894)
- Swineherd Eiléan Ní Chuilleanáin (b.1942)