The Power of Poetry with William Sieghart and Jeanette Winterson, Emmanuel Centre

Forget the pills, it turns out poetry can be a remedy for life’s problems. INTELLIGENCE² are holding a one-off event championing the spoken word and its transformative power. The evening will be part discussion, part performance with the likes of Helena Bonham Carter reading out poems that soothe the soul.

William Sieghart, author of the bestselling book The Poetry Pharmacy: Tried-and-True Prescriptions for the Heart, Mind and Soul, has taken this philosophy literally: he is a poetry-doctor, recommending verse to alleviate people’s problems. Sieghart started prescribing poetry at literary festivals for publicity but, when people started queuing for hours to speak to him, he realised the potential of words to change lives.

And so The Poetry Pharmacy came to be. Each poem in his carefully curated collection cures a specific condition from fear of the unknown to failure in love.

Sieghart will tell the story of his book to award-winning novelist and poetry enthusiast Jeanette Winterson. They will talk about the unique healing power of poetry and the ‘peace’ that comes from realising that a stranger feels the same way as you do.

A cast of star actors will bring the poems to life through live recitals: Bonham Carter is joined by Sue Perkins, one half of the comedy duo Mel & Sue, and Sophie Okonedo the Oscar-nominated screen and stage actor. This is a must-see for poetry lovers.