Why poetry is thrilling, addictive and vital

Oxford Professor of Poetry Alicia Stallings, the 2026 Clark Lecturer, takes part in a Q&A. 

The first Clark Lecture this year is on Monday 2 March at 6pm. See below for full details.

Why is poetry important?

It’s part of being human, I suppose. There is no human culture that doesn’t have poetry. Poetry is part of how we look at and experience the world. It is not important the way money or power or status is important, it is important the way beauty and curiosity and humour are important. As AI companies try to persuade us to give up the work of thinking and creating, we see how vital poetry really is.

What do you enjoy most about being Professor of Poetry at Oxford?

Much of my adult life I’ve been outside an academic institution, so it is nice to have access to libraries and so on. I enjoy being both an official part of the university, and being eccentric to it – ideal for me. I enjoy talking with young poets and scholars about poetry.

What will audiences come away with from your Clark Lectures?

They will know more about the inner workings of rhyme and structure in poems, I hope, and will walk away with some ideas for new ways of using and understanding and enjoying them.

What do you gain from writing poetry?

There is nothing more thrilling than writing a poem that seems to take on a life of its own. It’s pretty addictive. If it happens to you once, you want it to happen again.

The schedule for the Clark Lectures 2026, themed on ‘Labyrinths of Amazement’: 

• Monday 2 March: The Spell of Rhyme: Rhyme’s Strong Magic
• Wednesday 4 March: Slant-wise: Experimental Rhyme
• Monday 9 March: Rooms and Corridors: The Architecture of Stanzas
• Wednesday 11 March: Poet’s Practicum: A Poetry Reading and Discussion

The lectures start at 6pm in the Winstanley Lecture Theatre at Trinity. Free and open to all, no booking required.