In his poem ‘Summer Images’ John Clare wrote that ‘Rich music breathes in summer’s every sound’. Song was everywhere: in the sky, the trees, the fields and rivers. It affected him to the extent that he declared: ‘I thought Id a right to song/And sung …’ While a prolific poet he also wrote many songs himself and we still have access to them today. Clare’s … Continue reading Walking and Singing With John Clare
John Clare scholars worldwide are reminded that the John Clare Society operates an annual bursary scheme under the Ronald Blythe Fellowship. The closing date for the current year is 30 October 2026. The bursaries provide up to £1,000 for full-time or part-time PhD students researching in the field of John Clare studies and registered at a university. The bursary will fund essential archive or library … Continue reading Ronald Blythe Fellowship 2026-2027
The weekend of the 12/13 September 2026 saw family and friends gather in New Malden (Saturday) and then Wisley Gardens (Sunday) to celebrate the one hundredth birthday of Dorothy Rose, the great-great-granddaughter of John Clare. A photograph from the Saturday event is shown below together with a profile of Dorothy first published in issue 157, June 2026, of the John Clare Society Newsletter. DOROTHY MURIEL … Continue reading Congratulations Dorothy Rose at 100!
One of the important stated objectives of the John Clare Society is ‘continuing publication of [Clare’s] works to promote a wider appreciation.’ A crucial avenue has been through the sale of books, and some other items. Central to that task has been the Society’s Sales Officers. Although the Society has long promoted book sales, its first credited Sales Officer was the late Peter Moyse in … Continue reading In praise of Sales Officers
This is the text of the annual report given to the annual general meeting of the John Clare Society on Saturday 11 July 2026 by Dr Mike Mecham, Chair of the Society. The text can also be downloaded as a PDF. WELCOME A warm welcome to you all to this lovely and now familiar church of St Botolph’s for another AGM, and Festival, of the … Continue reading John Clare Society AGM 2026: Chair’s report
Award-winning poet Paul Farley on John Clare’s The Lament of Swordy-Well. Continue reading Paul Farley and The Lament of Swordy-Well
Important change to 2026 John Clare Festival timetable: the organisers are sorry to announce that due to the adverse weather, the Friday (10 July) afternoon walk ‘A Walk to See Betsey’ at 2pm has been cancelled. Find out more about the 2026 Festival. Continue reading Festival walk cancelled
The 2026 issue of the John Clare Society Journal is out now. Issue 45, edited by Professor Simon Kővesi, includes the following articles: Trans-Species Empathy in John Clare’s ‘The Pettichaps Nest’ and Anna Letitia Barbauld’s ‘The Caterpillar’, by Cassandra Falke Anxious Trees Give Leaf: Reading John Clare in Lockdown, by Martin Kratz John Clare Reaches the Pacific, by Richard O’Brien The Phenomenology of Walking in … Continue reading John Clare Society Journal 2026
The Annual General Meeting of the John Clare Society will take place in St. Botolph’s Church, Helpston on Saturday 11 July 2026 at 10.30 a.m. The full agenda and the minutes of the 2025 AGM are in the PDF document available to download here. Continue reading AGM agenda 2026 and 2025 minutes
Introducing a lecture by John Clare Society President Professor John Goodridge. A video of the lecture can be viewed here and a transcript is available to download. Continue reading Video: Reading by glow worm: the struggles of labouring-class poets
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