EAST COKER POETRY GROUP

East Coker is a picturesque village in South Somerset and was the subject of T.S.Eliot’s poem ‘East Coker’, one of his Four Quartets. T.S Eliot’s ashes are buried at the church in the village.

With this poetic background it is natural that a poetry group was formed in the village in 2004 and has been going ever since. Our meetings are open to anyone with an interest in poetry.

Meetings are entertaining, informal and sociable. Everyone is welcome, including visitors to the village and guests staying in the village. Our meetings regularly attract 20 – 30 poetry lovers.
There is no charge for entry.

Meetings are normally held in the Village Cafe, East Coker, Yeovil. BA22 9HY on the last Tuesday of the month – but always check this website for up to date details.
The Cafe opens for us soon after 7pm with the meeting starting at 7.30pm.
The Village Cafe is almost opposite the school in the village.
Parking in the evening is available behind, or on road at the front of the Cafe.

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Tuesday 30th September – Glorious Gardens. A Story of Poems and Plants

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Tuesday 21st October Gill Barr

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For details of events see our ‘Upcoming Events’ page

For the latest News – see our ‘News’ tab

For information about our meetings please contact the group via our website contact form

30 Sep

Glorious Gardens - A Story of Poems and Plants

30/09/2025    
7:30 pm

Julie and Andrew Haylock of Sandhurst Garden Design will give a talk on how they design gardens taking their inspiration from nature, art and poetry.

More Info
21 Oct

Gill Barr

21/10/2025    
7:30 pm

Gill Barr’s debut collection A Wide River Divides Us (published by Cinnamon Press this August) opens with acute recollections of a troubled childhood in 1970s Derry/Londonderry, evoking the child’s experience as violence escalates in the streets around her.
In a compelling fifty-year leap the poet leaves behind the city of her youth, sweeping into an expansive future, where she reckons with the past and with her self. The arc of this poetry collection is tremendous, ambitious, wide – what strikes most is its sheer vitality and variety. An accomplished and distinctive collection.
Gill holds an MA in Creative Writing from Queen’s University, Belfast and received an award for her poetry from the Arts Council of Northern Ireland in 2024. Her poems have appeared in a wide range of publications and she was our East Coker Competition Judge in 2021.

More Info

Covid Advice

Please follow any government and NHS guidance.

If you have any cold-like or flu symptoms please avoid coming to the meetings even if you have a negative flow test. Do wear a face mask at meetings if you wish to.

Please check this website before attending any event, just in case we have to cancel an event at short notice due to changes in the COVID situation or rules.