Twelfth Morning; or What you Will by Elizabeth Bishop
Event Details
Like a first coat of whitewash when it’s wet,
the thin grey mist lets everything through
Elizabeth Bishop was born in Worcester, Massachusetts in 1911 and grew up there and in Nova Scotia. During a lifetime of travel, she moved to Santos, Brazil in 1944. Living there for 14 years inspired many poems, including Twelfth Morning.
Bishop is a poet of details and absences. She explores the world around her, looking for truth in the most ordinary scenes and occurrences; and a sense of belonging, even as the default experience is solitary. She is also one of the great formalists of the 20th Century, admired for her control and the beauty of her language.
The poem’s second title ‘or What You Will’ links us directly to Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, inviting us to explore connections to the play’s themes of mutable identities and unattainable desires.
It often seems as though we’ve lost the practice of reading poetry, something that was completely natural for readers of previous generations. Approaching a single poem with repeated readings and detailed discussions is an opportunity to regain, or develop for the first time, this lost art. If you think you might like more poetry in your life, come along and see what Elizabeth Bishop has to offer.
JOINING DETAILS:
- Single meeting live online study led by Caroline Hammond
- Wednesday 7January 2026, 6.00-8.00pm GMT
- Twelfth Morning; or What You Will can be read online here
- £35 for two hours to include background materials and opening notes
