An initiative that offers poetry as a remedy and prescription for the stresses and strains of modern life is due to open its third premises in the early spring of 2026. The Poetry Pharmacy, which started life in Bishop’s Castle, Shropshire before opening a second branch in London’s Oxford Street in 2024, will launch a third outlet in York in March this year.  

The pharmacy is the brainchild of poet Deborah Alma, who with her partner, fellow poet James Sheard, previously operated a poetry “emergency ambulance” service that toured schools and festivals, before setting up shop in Shropshire.  

Deborah told Write Out Loud that the pharmacy’s branch in London, within the cosmetic and fashion store Lush, “gave us a chance to test the idea in a very busy, international setting, and it confirmed something we had long suspected: that people are actively seeking spaces that slow them down, invite reflection, and offer something gentler than constant consumption. We see people every day who say they did not think poetry was for them, and then leave clutching a bottle of our poetry pills, a book, or a poem with their coffee, that seems to speak directly to them.” 

She added: “York feels like a natural next step. It is a city with deep literary roots, a strong sense of history, and a thoughtful, curious readership. It's also Jim's home town and we wanted to open somewhere where we had good links to the poetry community in the area. It feels meaningful to be bringing a poetry apothecary to a street with its own long history of trade, culture, and civic life. 
 
“More broadly, we are opening in York because we believe in high streets as places of connection, not just transaction. The Poetry Pharmacy is organised not by genre, but by emotional need. Visitors browse sections such as Comfort, Calm, Joy, Becoming, and Words for Love, and our trained poetry pharmacists help match readers with poems, books, or remedies that speak to how they are feeling. It is slow bookselling, attentive and human, and York felt like a city that would welcome that approach. 
 
“This will be our third shop, following Bishop’s Castle and London, and it marks an important moment for us as a small independent business. Alongside books, we design and make our own poetry remedies and literary products in Shropshire, and we also curate and edit a small number of anthologies in collaboration with publishers. Growth has to be careful and values led, and York offers us the chance to put down deeper roots in a city that feels closely aligned with what we do.” 

The Poetry Pharmacy plans to open to the public at its new shop in York’s bustling Coney Street on 6 March.