First Look Inside Allie Esiri’s New Sleep-Themed Poetry Anthology

Insomniacs, relax: Allie Esiri has shared a sneak peek of her upcoming sleep-themed poetry anthology, and it’s looking to be the perfect late-night remedy. To close out the second day of Chelsea Arts Festival on Friday, the writer and poetry curator was joined on stage by a cast of beloved British actors in celebration of 10 years since the publication of her bestselling book, A Poem for Every Night of the Year. The audience was treated to an hour of verse, beautifully performed by Asa Butterfield, Giles Terera MBE, Tamsin Greig, Samantha Spiro and Indira Varma – plus a first look at Sleep: A Poem for Every Quiet Hour of the Night, out in November.

The ten-year celebration of A Poem for Every Night of the Year featured the actors performing some of the anthology’s most-loved works

First Look At Sleep By Allie Esiri

‘This new anthology includes poems about sleep, poems to help you sleep, and poems for those sleepless hours – a chapter we’ve called: “Psst, Are You Awake?”’ Esiri explained on the Cadogan Hall stage. ‘I created A Poem for Every Night of the Year because I wanted to make poetry a part of everyday life, not merely something encountered at school and promptly forgotten.’ This new work follows the same premise. Split into three sections – ‘Sleep’, ‘Insomnia (or Psst, Are You Awake?)’ and ‘Dawn’ – the anthology moves through the night with the reader, providing gentle companionship through frustration in the early hours.

The Congress of the Insomniacs by Serbian-American poet Charles Simic was Esiri’s first pick from Sleep, read by Sex Education star Asa Butterfield. This short, witty poem encourages restless readers to gather in a grand, mirror-filled ballroom – yes, ‘you too, Donald […] on the sidewalks of New York’. This was followed by three more works featured in the new anthology:

• Franz Wright’s Auto-Lullaby (performed by Samantha Spiro)
• Thomas Dekker’s Cradle Song (performed by Giles Terera MBE)
• Charles Bukowski’s The Laughing Heart (performed by Asa Butterfield)

Published on 19 November (£16.99, Fourth Estate), Sleep: A Poem for Every Quiet Hour of the Night is confirmed to comprise 90 works from writers including Margaret Atwood, Sylvia Plath, Lemn Sissay and more. We’ve now had a peek at four featured poems – the rest will have to wait.

The second Chelsea Arts Festival took place 16-20 September, with cultural events across Cadogan Hall and Saatchi Gallery

Bringing Poetry to New Audiences

Since it was published a decade ago, A Poem for Every Night of the Year has introduced a whole new generation to the beauty, humour and sometimes outrageousness of verse. The anthology was groundbreaking in its format, taking readers on a journey through all 366 days with short, accessible works that tie in with the passing seasons. ‘Rather than presenting poems as an imposing collection, I wanted to offer one at a time,’ Esiri explained at Chelsea Arts Festival. ‘And the annual calendar seems a natural structure. Every day brings its own associations: seasons change, festivals arrive, school terms begin… and every so often, February pretends it has more days than it usually does.

‘I also wanted each poem to have a little doorway into it. Every work is accompanied by a short introduction that offers context, points to a detail that might otherwise be missed, or simply helps the reader find a way in.’ A much-loved characteristic of Esiri’s 12 anthologies, this short blurb at the start of every poem will also feature in Sleep, encouraging everyone – whether a poetry newbie or a decades-long fan – to fall in love with the captivating literary form.

A Poem For Every Night Of The Year: A 10 Year Celebration with Asa Butterfield, Indira Varma, Tamsin Greig, Giles Terera MBE and Samantha Spiro was held at the 2026 Chelsea Arts Festival. Discover the full programme of Chelsea Arts Festival events at chelseaartsfestival.com