Following internal disagreements and difficulties which saw multiple resignations, including Director Judith Palmer, the Poetry Society looks set to return to a more even keel. Palmer, who issued a strongly-worded statement outlining her reasons for resigning, has agreed to return to the post of Director with immediate effect. During the two-and-a-half years she led the Society, membership reached its highest ever levels, turnover increased by 23%, and participation in adult and young people’s competitions doubled. In a statement released by the Board it apologises for “any of its decisions, statements or actions that may have contributed to the current difficulties”. It remains to be seen if the three honorary Vice-Presidents who also resigned – poets Sean O’Brien, Don Paterson and Anne Stevenson – are now willing to return.
