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The Poetry Hour app for iPhone and iPad


4.4 ( 4544 ratings )
Education Book
Developer: Josephine Hart Poetry Foundation
Free
Current version: 3.0.1, last update: 7 years ago
First release : 05 Jun 2012
App size: 61.38 Mb

Great poetry read aloud by great actors.

‘Poetry, this trinity of sound, sense and sensibility, gives voice to experience in the way that no other art form can’ Josephine Hart

The Josephine Hart Poetry Foundation has developed a free app, allowing users to read their favourite poetry collections alongside performances and narrations by great actors.

The Poetry Hour app was originally designed for the late author and poetry enthusiast, Josephine Hart. It is now being constantly updated to ensure that all the readings surrounding her infamous Poetry Hours will be available to view.

The Poetry Hour app will draw you into a parallel universe of over one hundred poems from sixteen of the greatest poets of all time. The poetry is accompanied by video and audio narrations from over thirty world-class actors and performers.

The Poetry Hour app was designed for students, teachers, poetry lovers and poetry novices – everyone should be given the chance to enjoy great poetry read aloud.

Read introductions and essays for each poet, beautifully written by Josephine Hart. Her knowledge of poetry and passion for verse makes this feature an ideal educational tool for anyone and everyone wanting to dive into the enchanting world of poetry.

Are you a poet? Do you fancy creating your own poetry? Write poems, save them into your very own library, and share your creations with your friends. If you get stuck along the way, The Poetry Hour app can supply you with inspirational words from all your favourite poets.

‘Poetry, once it entered my mind, surfaced at times of need and became a lifeline’ Josephine Hart

THE POETS

W.H Auden, Elizabeth Bishop, Robert Browning, Lord Byron, Emily Dickinson, T.S Eliot, Robert Frost, Rudyard Kipling, Philip Larkin, Robert Lowell, John Milton, Marianne Moore, Sylvia Plath, Christina Rossetti, Percy Bysshe Shelley, William Butler Yeats
THE POETRY HOUR NARRATORS
Melvyn Bragg, Richard Eyre, David Hare, Frieda Hughes, Tom Stoppard, Alan Yentob, Peter Florence & Deborah Findlay

THE POETRY HOUR ACTORS
Eileen Atkins, Claire Bloom, Bono, Tom Burke, Nancy Carroll, Simon Callow, Alan Cox, Brian Cox, Kenneth Cranham, Sinead Cusack, Charles Dance, Hugh Dancy, Joanna David, Brian Dennehy, Lindsay Duncan, Rupert Evans, Ralph Fiennes, Deborah Findlay, Peter Florence, Edward Fox, Emilia Fox, Bob Geldof, Alexander Gilmour, Julian Glover, Grey Gowrie, Rupert Graves, Robert Hardy, Tom Hollander, Frieda Hughes, Jeremy Irons, Max Irons, Derek Jacobi, Felicity Jones, Felicity Kendal, Damien Lewis, Helen McCrory, Ian McDiarmid, Elizabeth McGovern, Roger Moore, John Mortimer, Harold Pinter, Rosamund Pike, Edna O’Brien, Charlotte Rampling, Kelly Reilly, Eddie Redmayne, Dan Stevens, Juliet Stevenson, Mark Strong, Harriet Walter, Dominic West, Samuel West, Greg Wise and Angus Wright.

WEBSITE: www.thepoetryhour.com

FEATURES:
- Read poetry from sixteen of the greatest poets through the ages
- Listen and watch powerful narrations, as over thirty world-class actors and performers read poetry aloud
- Read in-depth introductions and essays by Josephine Hart on each poet and their poetry
- Share everything through Email, Twitter and Facebook
- Meme creator. Add your own meme with a background from your camera roll or take snaps directly with your phones camera
- Receive occasional push notifications to inform you of any notable new additions to the poetry collection
- Listen to a large collection of poetry read by great actors

Pros and cons of The Poetry Hour app for iPhone and iPad

The Poetry Hour app good for

You took what has always been the best conceived poetry app in the App Store and, with this update, made it the absolute best poetry app available. Thank you! It now resides in the top row of my iPhones home screen and inspires me every day.
After the latest update the app wont work. It loads and then when I try to tap any category - "Explore poems" or "Actors" etc - it just sends me back to the home screen. It is so frustrating, because I loved to read poems via this app and now I cant!

Some bad moments

Do you know how painful it is to have all of your poems deleted! What did you guys do! Granted it is updated but really that hurts!
You realize that auto updates are a thing. Your little "please note" is worthless when my phone updates my apps automatically. Ive lost all my work. Thanks. Deleting this app asap.
This app sounded so great to me--was really excited to hear great actors reading classic poetry. Too bad the app crashes every time I try to play a poem. : (
I was looking forward to the narrated and performed by part of this app. Unfortunately it just sits at the buffering stage and never loads. :( Im using iOS 8 on an iPhone 6.
This is a great addition to my App Library as a poetry enthusiast! Its a must recommend to all fans of poetry.
... It wont accept writing in Spanish ;( Every time I type, save and reopen my Spanish poem only the title shows. Please fix.