Welcome to East Coker Poetry

East Coker Poetry Group

EAST COKER POETRY GROUP

Tuesday 27th January – Meeting Cancelled due to flooding on many local roads

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.

The Group Featured in a radio program made by the BBC in 2007 and this program was repeated on Sunday January 11th 2026 on Radio 4 Extra at 0700, 1200 and 1800 GMT.
It is still available for 30 days via the BBC website.

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Tuesday 27th January 2026 – MEETING CANCELLED due to flooding


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Tuesday 24th February – Ruth Hall + Open Meeting

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Tuesday 31st March – Desert Island Poems with Juliet Lacey


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

24 Feb

Ruth Hall   + Open Meeting

24/02/2026    
7:30 pm

A two part meeting – Poetry by member Ruth Hall + an Open Meeting.

Ruth has given us a taste of her excellent poetry at some of our meetings and deserves a wider audience.

Also bring a poem to read in the ‘open meeting’ part of the evening.

Or just come and listen and enjoy the poetry.

31 Mar

Desert Island Poems with Juliet Lacey

31/03/2026    
7:30 pm

Juliet Lacey was born in India and educated abroad, before settling in England in the 1960s.  She read English at Oxford and worked in publishing before training as an actor at RADA.  Her acting career included 3 seasons with the RSC, leading roles in rep and the London fringe and appearances in TV soaps such as Man of Straw, Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads and Open All Hours. After retiring from acting to bring up her daughters, she worked for many years as tutor and director at RADA and other acting schools. Her handbook for students Performing Shakespeare is published by Samuel French.

She has written 9 plays, two of them prize winners; the most recent, The Long Bones about the poet Alun Lewis, was shown at the White Bear Theatre, London in 2018.

She has written poetry all her life, and her poems have been placed in several competitions, including 3rd prize in the International Strokestown Competition, and featured in magazines such as The Interpreter’s House and Agenda, and in the anthologies Building Jerusalem and Hollow Palaces. She currently leads a Poetry Appreciation group for the Crewkerne U3A.

Please check this website before attending any event, just in case we have to cancel or alter an event at short notice.

We also may have advice on any road closures in the area that could affect members travelling to a meeting.