Adrian Henri, Roger McGough and Brian Patten: the lasting impact of the Mersey Sound anthology – pop goes the poem. Speaker Catherine Marcangeli.

The Mersey Sound (Penguin, 1967) is one of the best-selling poetry anthologies of all time. Irreverent, sardonic, funny and political, the “Liverpool Poets” captured the mood of the 1960s, writing of young love, pop idols, atomic bombs and sci-fi superheroes. Their readings made poetry a part of youth culture and fostered a Live Poetry scene. Dr Marcangeli examines this cultural phenomenon within a local and
international context.

Catherine Marcangeli is a Paris-based curator and Art History lecturer specialising in 1960s painting and performance. She has curated many exhibitions and publications on Liverpool artists and poets. In 2017, she organised the “Tonight At Noon” festival, marking the 50th anniversary of The Mersey Sound with concerts, happenings, poetry readings and exhibitions across Liverpool’s Hornby Library, Bluecoat,
Everyman and St George’s Hall, and at London’s National Poetry
Library, Southbank.