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Jeremy Corbyn and Len McCluskey collaborated to help achieve the biggest electoral success for socialism in recent British history. The two men share a passionate belief in a fairer, more equal Britain, encapsulated in Labour's election slogan "For the many, not the few."
That slogan, inspired by Shelley's famous poem The Masque of Anarchy, points to something else the two have in common: a lifelong enthusiasm for poetry. In this sparkling anthology they discuss the poems that have moved and enlightened them. Their choices travel over centuries and continents, with poets ranging from Shakespeare and Juana de la Cruz, through William Blake and Emily Dickinson, to Bertolt Brecht, Stevie Smith and Linton Kwesi Johnson.
Rounding out the collection are appreciations of poems selected by guest contributors
Melissa Benn, Rob Delaney, Julie Hesmondhalgh, Ken Loach, Morag Livingstone, Francesca Martinez, Karie Murphy, Maxine Peake, Michael Rosen, Alexei Sayle and
Gary Younge.
With the burgeoning popularity of poetry, especially among Gen Z, this joyful celebration of the power of verse is bound to delight and inspire across a wide audience.
All royalties from sales of this book will be donated to the Peace and Justice Project.
About the author
Jeremy Corbyn is the Member of Parliament for Islington North and was Leader of the Labour Party between 2015 and 2019.
Len McCluskey was, until last year, the General Secretary of Britain’s largest trade union, UNITE. He is the author of the recently published memoir Always Red.
Summary
Jeremy Corbyn and Len McCluskey collaborated to help achieve the biggest electoral success for socialism in recent British history. The two men share a passionate belief in a fairer, more equal Britain, encapsulated in Labour’s election slogan “For the many, not the few.”
That slogan, inspired by Shelley’s famous poem The Masque of Anarchy, points to something else the two have in common: a lifelong enthusiasm for poetry. In this sparkling anthology they discuss the poems that have moved and enlightened them. Their choices travel over centuries and continents, with poets ranging from Shakespeare and Juana de la Cruz, through William Blake and Emily Dickinson, to Bertolt Brecht, Stevie Smith and Linton Kwesi Johnson.
Rounding out the collection are appreciations of poems selected by guest contributors Melissa Benn, Rob Delaney, Julie Hesmondhalgh, Ken Loach, Morag Livingstone, Francesca Martinez, Karie Murphy, Maxine Peake, Michael Rosen, Alexei Sayle and Gary Younge.
With the burgeoning popularity of poetry, especially among Gen Z, this joyful celebration of the power of verse is bound to delight and inspire across a wide audience.
All royalties from sales of this book will be donated to the Peace and Justice Project.
Foreword
- Following the success of the hardback release in November 2023, the paperback release will revitalize interest in the book and provide new opportunities for fans to attend readings, events, and signings with the authors. Promotion for the hardback included an ongoing book tour of sold-out events across UK cities including Edinburgh, London, York, Liverpool, Brighton, Bristol, and Oxford, as well as media coverage in The Guardian, The Times, Times Radio, Tonight with Andrew Marr, Piers Morgan Uncensored, Tribune, Jacobin, Morning Star, The Spectator, Red Pepper, and more. Similar events and media coverage will continue to capitalize on the well-loved book becoming available in paperback.
- The authors have been featured in a number of media outlets, and we will capitalize on these contacts to pitch op-eds, excerpts, interviews, and reviews to a wide array of publications including The Guardian, The Independent, Tribune, Morning Star, Skwawkbox, Dazed, Verso Blog, Labour List, Socialism Today, Socialist Worker, Belfast Telegraph, Irish Independent, The Canary, TANK Magazine, Novara Media, New Statesman, and more. Pitch poetry radio shows and podcasts to continue the conversation on the importance of the arts in schools and beyond.
- Continue to leverage the large social media followings of the authors and contributors to conduct an engaging social media campaign: Jeremy Corbyn (2.5M Twitter followers, 511K Instagram followers), Rob Delaney (1.5M Twitter followers, 353K Instagram followers), Michael Rosen (312.9K Twitter followers), Gary Younge (143.4K Twitter followers), Julie Hesmondhalgh (122.4K Twitter followers), Ken Loach (88.2K Twitter followers), Francesca Martinez (53.2K Twitter followers), Len McCluskey (41K Twitter followers), Maxine Peake (22.7K Instagram followers).
