A go-to selection of poetry and prose to read aloud and read together, to mark life’s important events.

Reading aloud can foster togetherness and connection and is a great way to help us mark the moments that matter. This expertly curated collection is perfect to enjoy whether you have a special occasion in mind or simply want to integrate more reading aloud into your daily life. You might be looking for a poem to read together for an informal or a relaxed encounter such as when sharing a family meal, for a romantic moment, with a grandchild, or on a nature walk. Or maybe you’d like to share a poem to elevate those important moments in life, such as a baby’s naming ceremony or christening, a wedding ceremony, or when it is time to bid loved ones goodbye.

Sections include:

• Beginnings: new life, baby blessings, and looking ahead
• Growing up: childhood, milestones, and learning
• Family life: mealtimes, bathtimes, and bedtimes
• Occasions: birthdays, anniversaries, and family events
• Becoming: reaching adulthood and lessons for life
• Love life and loving life: falling in love, making a commitment, partnerships, and weddings
• Natural delights: nature walks and rambles, sunrises and sunsets, the seasonal year
• The spiritual life: religious inclinations and contemplative times
• A cultural life: on reading and art appreciation
• A working life: commerce and comradeship
• Travel: exploration and adventure
• Conflict and peace: disagreements, building bridges, and finding resolution
• Illness: falling ill and the road to recovery
• Friendship: togetherness and connection
• Endings: farewells and funerals, remembrance and gratitude

About The Author

Liz Ison studied English Literature at Cambridge, before training as a speech and language therapist. She has a doctorate from UCL for research into childhood speech and literacy development. In 2015, after ten years in education research for the UK government, Liz trained with British charity The Reader and has since been running shared reading groups, in person and online. Liz lives in London.