As Homer’s epic poem, The Odyssey, was at the centre of the Southbank Centre’s London Literature Festival and the National Poetry Library’s Open Day this year, it seems fitting to briefly highlight the TLS' October issue which features a four page special on reimagining The Odyssey. These pages explore the epic from many exciting angles: Madeline Miller offers an in depth character analysis of Odysseus, Peter Thonemann highlights key points from Richard Hunter's new book The Measure of Homer, in which he discusses the reception of the ancient world to Homer’s works. Perhaps the most significant quotation in this issue is from American poet Terrance Hayes, who beautifully summarises the influence that The Odyssey has had in stimulating further creativity, calling it ‘a poet’s Rosetta Stone.’

We were struck by the first issue of Northampton Poetry Review back in 2017, with its memorable cover featuring a comfortable, practical, well-worn pair of shoes. The cover denoted the theme of the issue, celebrating Northampton’s long history of shoe production. Now on issue three it’s great to see this magazine still engaging with Northampton (their patron saint is Northamptonshire poet John Clare) but also the wider world - they welcome submissions from writers with a connection to Northamptonshire but also further afield and this issue is on the theme of 'Liberty'. We love the recommended playlist at the back of the magazine that could be listened to whilst you read. And in a library which gives regular employment to several poets, we’re very taken with the new The Working Poet Series, introduced in this issue: #1 gives the lowdown on T. S. Eliot’s time as a bank clerk.