Voice and Verse Panel: Poets' Corners Across the Pond
In this special event, speakers from Westminster Abbey, London, and the Cathedral of St John the Divine, New York, jointly reflect on the significance and impact of a Poets' Corner within a place of worship.
The tradition of commemorating departed literary figures in the South Transept of Westminster Abbey developed over centuries, creating an internationally renowned site to remember those who contributed to British culture.
In 1983, inspired by the Abbey, the Cathedral of St John the Divine in the United States of America set up a Poets’ Corner of its own to commemorate contributions to America’s literary heritage.
In this special online event, the Deans of Westminster Abbey and St John the Divine will discuss the very different processes by which their memorial sites have developed. In conjunction with St John the Divine’s Poet in Residence Marie Howe, they will reflect on the significance of memorialising creative people within a place of Christian worship and consider the valuable place of poetry in our cultural life. This event will be chaired by The Very Reverend Dr James Hawkey, Canon Theologian at Westminster Abbey.
About The Very Reverend Dr David Hoyle
David Hoyle is the 39th Dean of Westminster, overseeing the spiritual life of Westminster Abbey and giving leadership to the Abbey community. He was installed as Dean on 16th November 2019. His first two years here were dominated by the experience of the pandemic and its impact on the Abbey community. More recently, he has officiated at the State Funeral of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and at Coronation of Their Majesties The King and Queen. In 2020 he was awarded an MBE for service to the community whilst Dean of Bristol. He was appointed a Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (KCVO) in the 2024 New Year honours for his role at the Coronation of The King and Queen in May 2023.
About The Very Reverend Dr James Hawkey
Jamie Hawkey is Canon Theologian of Westminster Abbey and Chair of the Westminster Abbey Institute. Educated at Cambridge and in Rome, he is a Bye Fellow of Clare College, Cambridge, a Visiting Professor in Theology at King’s College London, and Professore Invitato at the Pontificia Universita Gregoriana. Most of his current writing and teaching is in ecclesiology and ecumenical theology. He has also published in the areas of theology and the arts, systematic theology, and early modern church history. Amongst other commitments, he currently serves as a member of the Church of England’s Faith and Order Commission.
About The Very Reverend Patrick Malloy, Ph.D XI Dean Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine
The Very Reverend Dr. Patrick Malloy, who joined the Cathedral in the summer of 2016, was formally installed as the 11th Dean of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in December 2023. Prior to joining the Cathedral, he served as the Interim Dean at St. John’s Cathedral in Denver. He has taught at The General Theological Seminary, New York, where he was Professor of Liturgy; St. John’s University, Collegeville; the University of Santa Clara, California; and Duquesne University, Pittsburgh. In 2008-2009, Canon Malloy, then Rector of Grace Episcopal Church in Allentown, PA, designed and was general contractor for the renovation of the church. For this work, he received an architecture design award in 2012 from the American Institute of Architects. Dean Malloy holds a PhD in liturgical studies from the University of Notre Dame.
About Marie Howe
Marie Howe has published five books of poetry, most recently New and Selected Poems (W.W. Norton, 2024). She was appointed Poet Laureate of New York State in 2012, received the 2015 Academy of American Poets Fellowship, and was elected a Chancellor of The Academy of American Poets in 2018. Howe has been Poet in Residence at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine since 2020.
Ticketing information
Booking opening late September.
Age suitability
This event is for adults and young people over the age of 16, please see our family pages for information and events to explore this theme as a family.
Timings
The livestream will begin at 18:30 GMT.
This will be followed by an audience Q&A from 19:15 GMT.
Voice and Verse season
This event is part of the Voice and Verse season. Join us in October and November as we celebrate the power of words and stories penned by historic and emerging poets.
