A Joy Forever: Keats and the Sea (with cake!)

'Oh ye! who have your eye-balls vex'd and tir'd, / Feast them upon the wideness of the Sea' advised Keats - the island-dwelling, ocean-going poet who fished inspiration from both the shallows and fathoms of the sea.

'A Joy Forever' is the Keats-themed reading series developed by poets and friends Julia Bird and Mike Sims. Over the last decade, their events at Keats House in Hampstead, the Keats Shelley House in Rome and literary festivals round the UK have taken a playful and social approach to the life and writing of Keats.

Keats and the Sea is the starting point for an afternoon of lively chat about the deep dives and seaside inspirations of Keats's work. Expect reading and conversation, old and new poems, games and giveaways, and tea and cake!

'A Joy Forever: a walk out with John Keats' by Julia Bird & Mike Sims - a book inspired by their events - is out now from Paekakariki Press - details at https://blownrose.uk/a-joy-forever/

Please let us know if you have any dietary requirements by emailing keatshouse@cityoflondon.gov.uk

Image ALT text: A vanilla cake with berries on top on a black tablecloth