Every autumn, Britain breaks out in verse for National Poetry Day, this year on 6 October. We often reach for poetry when we want to say something meaningful, whether it is in a birthday card, a graduation speech, wedding or funeral. The aim of National Poetry Day is to have people encounter poetry in unusual … Continue reading “Say it with a Poem on National Poetry Day”
William Shakespeare died 400 years ago, on 23 April 1616, at the age of 52, in his native Stratford-upon-Avon. Yet his 37 plays are still played constantly around the world, and have provided the basis for more than 1000 films. Britain had had grandiose plans for celebrating the tercentenary of Shakespeare’s death in 1916 before … Continue reading “Shakespeare 400”
Queen Elizabeth II is now officially Britain’s longest reigning monarch. On 9 September, 2015, she overtook Queen Victoria, who reigned for 63 years, seven months and two days, from 1837 to 1901. Elizabeth ascended to the throne on 6 February 1952, after the death of her father King George VI. He, as a second son, … Continue reading “Queen Elizabeth II: Longest Reign”