The poetry world has its festivals, awards, creative courses, workshops, readings, and open mic nights. And these are all well and good. But every now and again someone has a brainwave, that no one else has thought of, completely against the run of play.

Several years ago Deborah Alma decided to go on tour in a former ambulance, dub herself the Emergency Poet, and offer consultations and dispense poetry prescriptions to those who felt in need of one. She visited schools, festivals and many other other places, accompanied by her partner and fellow poet, James Sheard. In 2019 she and James founded the world’s first walk-in Poetry Pharmacy in Bishop’s Castle, Shropshire, and in 2023 a second Poetry Pharmacy was opened, inside Lush on Oxford Street.

Today their third Poetry Pharmacy, in the heart of historic York, opened to the public. At a preview event at the new premises in a listed building and former Carphone Warehouse, James paid a wry but heartfelt tribute to Deborah, saying: “I live with a mad woman. My job is to try and temper her madness. She’s also a sort of genius. Several of Deb’s ideas around poetry are really quite remarkable.”

Pointing out that “for most people, poetry is quite a difficult thing,” he added that somehow the oddness of “a comedy ambulance”, and asking questions “dressed in a white coat” had helped to persuade people that “there are poems for them”.

James said that perhaps Deborah’s most “audacious idea” was, “why don’t we put poetry on the high street?”

And so, after first moving into a former ironmongers to establish the first Poetry Pharmacy in Shropshire, they were persuaded to set up shop within a branch of Lush in Oxford Street. Now here they were, in York’s bustling Coney Street, having spent several hard and expensive months converting the premises, and doing most of the work themselves, in setting up their third Poetry Pharmacy.

The shelves of the pharmacy are lined with bottles of capsules containing lines of poetry, with labels such as Boost of Confidence pills, Happy, Joy, Inspiration, Antidote to the Ordinary, Carpe Diem, and Poemcetamol. There are also anthologies compiled by Deborah herself, and others such as 100 Poems to Help You Sleep and 100 Poems to Grow Your Confidence, as well as a bookshelf labelled Salves and Balms. There is even a dark side to the pharmacy, a door at the back leading to a “cabinet of curiosities and poisons”, that you might find within an apothecary’s shop, if you were to ask ... but that is very much a sideline. They host poetry events at the pharmacies, too.

James Sheard pinpointed the formula that Deborah has stumbled upon over the years. “Poetry matters. People have come to these places and said, ‘Wow, this is amazing!’

“Take this thing that matters and contextualise it, so that people can engage with it. Put it in a place that is playful, and engaging.”

I won’t say that his speech left his partner lost for words. But in amongst a long list of people she wanted to thank, Deborah just said: “Let’s hope that it works!”

I see no reason why it shouldn’t, in a city that is a Mecca for tourists. And we at Write Out Loud certainly wish Deborah and James and all who work there every success.

 

Background: Just what the doctor ordered 

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The newly opened Poetry Pharmacy in Coney Street, York