Prominent Poets and Fabulous Facts.
Mike O'Brien
- Regions:
- Yorkshire & Humber, Lincolnshire, Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire
- Notice Period:
- Emergency (maybe less than one week's notice)
- Type:
- Professional.
- Fee:
- Paid: I would generally charge £50 plus travel expenses. (rail or car)
- Category:
- Humanities
- Updated:
- 24th November 2025
Mike will read a short and entertaining selection of poetry by a poet (or set of) poets of your choice. and have a light hearted look at biographical details of the poet, how their work fits into the canon, and the its relevance today.
Mike has written extensively on a number of poets, including those from the Romantic Movement (for example Keats, Byron, Coleridge, Shelley and Wordsworth - William and Dorothy) The Victorians (for example Tennyson, Browning, Arnold, Hopkins and Browning - Robert and Elizabeth Barrett) The Early Twentieth Century For example Hardy, Owen, Housman, Frost and Thomas -Edward and Dylan) and many more from Chaucer to Larkin and beyond.
These talks do not require a great knowledge of poetry and contain lots of interesting facts such as the story of what happened to Thomas Hardy's heart after he died, the remarkable story of Lord Byron's brain, the saucy shenannigans of the Bloomsbury group and Charles Darwin's influence on poetry both as a family man and a scientist.
Views: 11 | Enquiries: 0About Mike O'Brien
Mike is a retired teacher with a wealth of knowledge in the field of poetry, both classic and modern. He also gives talks on other aspects of literature and history. An ex pop singer, who never achieved any serious success, despite having played at venues around the country, he increasingly turned to poetry rather than songwriting as he headed towards his sixties.
He has written a book about his music Career (My Life as a pop star in Sixty Odd Songs) and runs the websites Sixty Odd Poets and Sixty Odd Poems which are updated with new material each week
He has also created the Sixty Odd Press to publish his work and the poetry of others, and has run workshops to encourage people to develop their ability with poetry with a view to publication either online or in print.
His talks are both interesting and informative but delivered in an informal style with plenty of humour and opportunities for the audience to interact, ask questions, and offer their own eaperiences where appropriate.
He is always willing to discuss your needs and tailor an event to meet the specific needs of your organisation.
Other Talks on SpeakerNet by Mike O'Brien
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