How Open University Students Can Join or Get Involved with OU Poets

Updated

OU Poets (The Poetry Society of the Open University) is a society for poetry lovers connected with the OU, and the way in is through its Membership Secretary, Barbara Cumbers. The site's own news shows membership being promoted at OU welcome events and readings being shared by members, but it does not publish a sign-up form, fee or email address, so the practical next step is to check the website's contact details and ask the Membership Secretary directly about joining.

What OU Poets is and who it is for

OU Poets is the Open University's poetry society. Its news posts describe it as a community of members who write and share poetry, with a committee that includes a Chair (Karen Macfarlane) and a Membership Secretary (Barbara Cumbers). The society also has a presence at OU student events and works alongside the Open SU, the students' association.

The site's posts suggest the society is open to OU students and to poetry lovers more broadly: a Norwich launch event for a member's collection is described as open to "poetry lovers in and around Norwich," with free admission. If you are unsure whether your situation fits, ask the Membership Secretary before assuming.

How to join

The site does not list a join button, subscription price or contact email. Based on what its news posts describe, the route looks like this:

  1. Find the contact route on the website. Look for contact or membership details on oupoets.org.uk. If none are visible, the Membership Secretary is the named person to ask for.
  2. Say you are an OU student (or ask about eligibility). The society recruits at OU welcome events, so identifying yourself as a student or new student is the natural opening.
  3. Ask what membership involves. The posts show members taking part in readings and sharing poems, but the site does not state fees, meeting frequency or any formal requirements — confirm these with the Membership Secretary rather than assuming.

Expected result: a reply explaining whether membership is open to you and what the next step is. Common snag: the site's news is written as blog posts, so contact information may not be on the front page — check the site's menu or footer before giving up.

Ways to get involved beyond joining

The site's news posts show several kinds of participation, which are useful to mention when you make contact:

  • Attend a launch or reading. The Norwich event for Wearing Silver Shoes, a collection by the late Hilary Mellon, is at the Bicycle Shop Café, 17 St Benedict's Street, Norwich, at 7.30 p.m. on 5 November, with free admission. It is described as open to poetry lovers in and around Norwich.
  • Come to a poetry-and-jazz performance. On Thursday 20 August, 1pm–2pm, the Jazz Centre in Southend-on-Sea hosts poet Shephall Frost alongside OUP member Adrian Green, whose collection Bluenote Time draws on jazz listening and promoting in Essex.
  • Join online introductions and read-arounds. During Welcome Week, Chair Karen Macfarlane hosted an online introduction with readings from members Adrian Green, Rosie Douglas, Marian Reid, Seb Criado-Perez, Mariana Gardener and Karen Macfarlane; almost fifty students attended, and two students shared poems in a final read-around.
  • Visit the society at OU events. The society was represented at the Milton Keynes campus Welcome Week Fayre by Barbara Cumbers and Open SU rep Liz Beber.

These examples show that reading your own work in front of others is part of the society's activity, not just listening.

A realistic picture of the society today

The site reports that membership passed 100 for the first time after the 2026 Welcome Week events — "in fact we've gone well past it." That is a useful signal of scale: a society of roughly a hundred-plus members, active enough to run campus stalls, online introductions and local events. It also means new members are joining a group that is currently growing, which is a reasonable moment to ask about joining.

What to check before you commit

Because the site does not publish membership terms, confirm these points with the Membership Secretary:

  • Whether membership is open to you (current OU student, former student, or general poetry lover)
  • Any subscription or fee, and how it is paid
  • How meetings, readings and online sessions are announced
  • Whether there is a members' area or newsletter you would receive

Treat anything not stated on the site — price, eligibility, meeting schedule — as unknown until confirmed, rather than assuming the society is free or open to everyone.