There’s little debate that we are living in a world that is fraught with uncertainty, instability and challenge. From war and genocide, to economic precarity, increasing inequality and spiralling levels of poor mental health, collectively we are struggling. In this context it’s easy to ask why we should care about poetry. Yet increasing numbers of us are turning to it. In 2026, over 30% of children and young people said they read poetry in their spare time; the highest level ever recorded by the National Literacy Trust (double the proportion in 2012). Sales of poetry books are set to be around £17m for this year (more than triple the 2012 figures). And that’s before we consider the exponential explosion of so-called Instagram poets, who reach millions of followers daily. 

There’s plenty of academic evidence that poetry is good for us, from self-reported data about reducing loneliness, isolation and anxiety, to neuroimaging studies showing activity in brain areas associated with relaxation, and research with stroke patients where poetry improved brain function. This is impressive, but for me there are other equally important reasons why poetry matters today more than ever. 

This year’s theme for Push The Boat Out is The Space Between which acknowledges and even celebrates the uncertain and undefined. In a precarious world, without the security of a certain future, poetry helps us sit with and make meaning out of that discomfort. A poem is itself in some ways inherently uncertain. It demands we think carefully and flexibly as we engage with metaphor and multiple meanings.

At the same time, poetry challenges us, offering vivid glimpses into other perspectives, other experiences and other lives. This hones our empathy for ourselves and each other as flawed, complex, fully realised human beings, bringing us together even as political structures and ideologies force us apart. Essentially, I believe poetry helps us to live as best we can now in our uncertain world, while connecting us to dream a better one into existence. That’s something we should all care about.

Push The Boat Out is at various venues in Edinburgh, Thursday 12–Sunday 15 November; full programme can be found at pushtheboatout.org