The Kids by Hannah Lowe

It’s rare to find contemporary poems about the experiences of teaching English in state secondary schools, so I really appreciated this collection. I was also pleased to find poems that look more broadly at the idea of ‘education’, and which, in doing so, explore family and romantic relationships in tender and often humorous ways.

The Perseverance by Raymond Antrobus

This is one of the boldest, most inspiring first collections I’ve read. I was particularly moved by Antrobus’s response to Ted Hughes’ Deaf School. The ‘Notes’ section at the back was really helpful in enhancing my understanding of some of the poems which explore aspects of D/deaf history.