About this Event
Join editor and poetry curator Allie Esiri to celebrate the publication of her new anthology, Sleep: A Poem for Every Quiet Hour of the Night, in a revealing evening of poetry and conversation about sleep, insomnia and the ways poetry can accompany us through the night.
Allie will be joined by a stellar group of actors and thinkers who will explore the different states of the night — from sleep and the rituals of winding down, through the restless world of insomnia and the embrace of sleeplessness. Together, they’ll consider why poetry feels so naturally suited to these hours, and what it can illuminate about our minds, our bodies and ourselves.
Featuring poems from across centuries and traditions, from Bashō to Charles Bukowski, the evening will bring together poetry, ideas and conversation.
The act of reading poetry invites us to slow down, pay attention and pause. Perhaps poetry accompanies us into these hours because its cadences resemble the body’s own rhythms. Even five minutes of rhythmic verse read aloud, according to Swiss researchers, can measurably quiet the nervous system.
The new anthology, Sleep, offers poems for different moments: the three chapters are called ‘Sleep'; 'Psst Are You Awake' and ‘Dawn'. Known for her live poetry events at the National Theatre and the Hay Festival, Allie brings a warmth, wit and immediacy to poetry in performance. Readings will be brought to life by Lindsay Duncan, Paterson Joseph, Nigel Lindsay, Diana Quick, Tony Robinson and Ruby Wax.
Allie Esiri read Modern and Medieval Languages at Cambridge and is an award-winning curator, described by The Sunday Times as a ‘poetry powerhouse’. Her anthology A Poem for Every Day of the Year was in the best books of the year list in The Times and the Observer. Her BEST-SELLING anthology, A Poem for Every Night of the Year HAS NOW SOLD OVER 175,000 HARDBACKS, was a best book of the year in The Times and the New Statesman and won the IBW book award. She hosts an annual poetry show at the National Theatre and regular events at major festivals including Hay, Cheltenham and Edinburgh.
Paterson Joseph trained at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA). He’s worked extensively on screen, television and in the theatre. Paterson's previous scren credits include Inside No. 9, Peep Show, Green Wing and Grantchester. He is currently filming Tomb Raider for Amazon alongside Sophie Turner. As an established author Paterson's work includes Sancho - An Act of Remembrance (play), The Secret Diaries of Charles Ignatius Sancho and Ten: Children Who Changed the World.
Nigel Lindsay can most recently be seen in the role of Tom Kendricks in Seasons 1 to 3 of The Capture for BBC/NBC Universal, and has just completed a run of High Society at the Barbican for Trafalgar Theatre Productions. His extensive film and television credits include playing Barry in the BAFTA-winning cult film Four Lions, directed by Chris Morris, a role that earned him a British Comedy Award nomination.
Diana Quick has appeared on stage at the RSC, RNT, as well as on tour and in the West End; she is particularly keen on new writing for the theatre and screen. On tv she was recently seen in the Chelsea Detective and is probably best remembered as Julia in Granada TV's perennial favourite Brideshead Revisited. This year she has made a short film about a woman recovering from coercive control by her son, Amaretti, which was shown at the Edinburgh Film Festival, and plays the mother of a wizard in Practical Magic 2.Her family memoir A Tug on the Thread, exploring her father's roots in colonial India, was published byVirago, and for 6 years she was director of the Aldeburgh Documentary Festival. She is a regular broadcaster and loves to share poetry and stories in live performance.
Sir Tony Robinson is an actor, author and historian who has appeared in a variety of films and TV programs throughout his long-spanning career. He started out at age 13 in the original West End production of Oliver! and most notably portrayed the iconic Baldrick in Blackadder. He has won two RTS awards, a BAFTA and the International Prix Jeunesse. He has authored over 30 children’s books and several adult books including his debut fiction novel, House Of The Wolf, in November of 2025. An ambassador for the Alzheimer’s Society since 2008, Sir Tony received a knighthood in the Queen’s Birthday Honours in 2013.
Ruby Wax began her career with the Royal Shakespeare Company, and went on to a hugely successful career with BBC television as an interviewer and comedian. She has written, and edited numerous scripts for TV and film including Absolutely Fabulous. She later turned her attention to the psychotherapy and neuroscience, graduating from Oxford University in 2013 with a Masters in Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy. Ruby is the author of six best-selling books including Sane New World. In 2015 Ruby was awarded an OBE for Services to Mental Health.
Event venue & nearby stays
The Tabernacle, 34-35 Powis Square, London, United Kingdom
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